Oct 28, 2002

I, Abera Adugna Bedhane, Joined the OPDO with enthusiasm and hope that I might contribute my share in the so called federation and democratization process after the new Ethiopian Federal Constitution came in to effect in 1995, so that the over century old suffering of the Oromo people come to an end.

Soon after I joined the OPDO, I was elected by my constituency to the MP and the house elected me to be the member of Economy Affairs Standing Committee for the 1st round and Foreign Affairs Standing committee member on the 2nd round the position I held until the present.

The objectives for which I joined the OPDO, to have the part and participation in the parliament, with the full hope and will to promote the democratic and federal based political environment existing in the country was dramatically eroded.

OPDO is prevented from becoming an independent Organization to protect the Oromo nation interest. Even after the so called �Tehadiso�, which means renovation, events OPDO unable to protect itself from being a rubber- stamp of TPLF let alone independent, so that the TPLF rule over Oromia is continued. Each and every proud Oromo intellectuals( officials) and civilians who does not sold his/her soul to the minority group of Tigrians (TPLF) is categorized as an opposition sympathizer and prosecuted, jailed, tortured or imprisoned with out the due process of law. Many more were threaten and given verbal warning at different occasion. Others enforced to flee from their country living their beloved families behind. The lip service to federal self-governance and democratization is deliberately done only to confuse and impress international communities and western donor countries.

The untold hunger, miseries and suffering of the Oromo people which has been reported by the genuine parliamentarians on February 2002 constituency service was deliberately ignored by the TPLF commissioner and other officials. The recommendations we made and included in to the report to give a tax break for the drought region/ area was totally rejected and poor peasants were enforced to pay what was left on their hands where as those genuine MPs (including my self) were warned and labeled as narrow nationalism. As a result, today the hunger is aggravated in the country due to man made and natural disasters exposing millions to death.

The ruling undemocratic/ dictatorship party (TPLF) is used to prosecute any conscious parliamentarians who speak on behalf of the imposed Oromo people and other nation and nationalities whom they supposed to represent. The case in particular was the massacre of innocent students/ people in different peaceful demonstration against the dictatorial policy of TPLF in different Oromia High schools and at Awassa, the unbalanced allocation of budget to the minority Tigrians (TPLF) region, embezzlement and channel of countries resource by the TPLF officials to its region. Today, the country is in deep crises due to the TPLF policy. Coruption and embezzlement of public fund by the Tigrians is a common phenomenon. Killing, torture and kidnapping of innocent citizens is a day-to-day activity of TPLF securities.

I remained in my post described above with a hope to some how change would come and my tireless contribution could bear a fruit one day. However, my democratic effort seems a resistance to undemocratic TPLF officials and put me in a black list for which I have received a verbal warning at different occasion as a sympathizer of opposition parties. Therefore, I could not afford to remain at my present position which is insecure for my life and simply a false representation for my nation (Oromo) and I vacate as of today.

Signed

Abera Bedhane