“Article 39″ Is One of the Achievements of the Oromo Struggle: J/ Boruu Barraaqaa, Head of Public Relations of OLF
Speaking to journalist Kassahun Seboqa of the Australia-based SBS radio, J/ Boruu Barraaqaa, Head of Public Relations for the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), affirms that Woyane, the military force occupying Oromiyaa since 1991, was compelled to add “Article 39″ in its Constitution as a result of the Oromo people’s national liberation struggle led by the OLF. “Article 39″ is given below for reference.
Listen to Part-2 of the interview below; note that Part-1 of the interview was published here.
Article 39
Rights of Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples
1. Every nation, nationality and people in Ethiopia has an unconditional right to self-determination, including the right to independence.
2. Every nation, nationality and people in Ethiopia has the right to speak, to write and to develop its language; to express and to promote its culture; and to preserve its history.
3. Ever nation, nationality and people in Ethiopia has the right to a full measure of self-government which includes the right to establish institutions of government in the territory that it inhabits and to equitable representation of regional and national governments.
4. The exercise of self-determination, including independence of every nation nationality and people in Ethiopia is governed by the following procedure: (a) When a demand for independence has been approved by a tow-thirds majority of the member of the members of legislative council of any nation, nationality or people; (b) When the Federal Government has organized a referendum which must take place within three years form the time it received the concerned Council’s decision for independence; (c) When the demand for independence is supported by a majority vote in the referendum; (d) When the Federal Government will have transferred to the people or to their Council its powers and; (e) When the division assets is effected on the basis of law enacted for that purpose.
5. A nation, nationality or people for the purpose of this Constitution, is a group of people who have or share a large measure of a common culture, or similar customs, mutual intelligibility of language, belief in a common or related identities, and who predominantly inhabit an identifiable, contiguous territory.
4 Comments


obsaa said,
June 23, 2012 @ 5:32 am
Rule, constitution, law,etc are nothing if they are not followed by implementation. OLF should not boost itself for the mere reason that article 39 is added into Woyane’s constitution. What if Woyane removes that article today? Is OLF in position to influence Woyanes not to do so?
What matters is to have the power to influence the government to abide by Constitution, laws and rules.
(Report this comment as inappropriate.)
Safuu said,
June 23, 2012 @ 5:12 pm
Why do the OLF fails to recognize that claiming of the past is part of the inheritances of Abyssinian mentality. The World had been told 10 million times how great the Abyssinian was History. But in reality, the Abyssinian person who is telling the greatness of past Ethiopian/Abyssinian past history is most likely to be did not eat a good meal for days, and had no means of changing his clothes for years. The similarity of the OLF past history teller, and the past Abyssinian greatness history teller, are so identical you wonder why the Shanee Gummi OLF relentlessly advocating to democratize the old empire as opposed to continue to struggle for the original kayyoo of OLF, which is standing for the freedom and liberation of the Oromia from the centuries old colonial occupation of the Oromoo land by the successive Ethiopia/Abyssinia regimes.
Ulfaadhaa.
(Report this comment as inappropriate.)
Safuu said,
June 24, 2012 @ 8:53 pm
Why do the OLF fails to recognize that claiming of the past is part of the inheritances of Abyssinian mentality. The World had been told 10 million times how great the past Abyssinian History was. But in reality, the Abyssinian person who is telling the greatness of past Ethiopian/Abyssinian history is most likely to be a poor Abyssinian boy who did not eat a good meal for days, and had no means of changing his clothes for years. Even if that was/is not that person’s fault, he/she continues to swear about the greatness of the old Ethiopia/Abyssinia while standing with an empty stomach, and butt naked. The similarity of the OLF past history teller, and the past Abyssinian greatness history teller, are so identical that you wonder why the Shanee Gummi OLF relentlessly advocating to democratize the old empire as opposed to continue to struggle for the original kayyoo of OLF, which is standing for the freedom and liberation of the Oromia from the centuries old colonial occupation of the Oromoo land by the successive Ethiopia/Abyssinia regimes. What does the past marginal success in devising of the “Article 39? have to do with where OLF is today?
Ulfaadhaa.
(Report this comment as inappropriate.)
Jimmas Son said,
June 28, 2012 @ 8:22 pm
as much as I love OLF, since my family has members who were in it and died for its struggle, this is irrelevant…the OLF WAS once something to be proud of, but now?? no unity…not even a single woreda has been liberated…and the leaders are confused and don’t know how to return to the popularity the OLF once had..and..they are based in Asmara, the land of Meles zenawis cousin…don’t forget isais was fight AGAINST OLF and Oromos up until 1998 when the badme war started..don’t be fooled my people! Isiais afeworki doesn’t want to see a strong OLF!!
(Report this comment as inappropriate.)