June 12

June 12, 2004

Mr. Kenneth Tomlinson, Chairman
Broadcasting Board of Directors
Voice of America

Dear Mr. Tomlinson,

In the twilight of the Ethiopian political regression a disgruntled clique
of Washington based Amhara Diaspora continues to propagate hateful discourse.
This shadowy clique operating from a Post Office Box with no name of
charge-de-affaire calls itself "Advocacy Group for Voice of
Ethiopiawinet, (AGVE)".

I am prompted to write this letter in lieu of a letter dated June 7,
2004 written by AGVE, a political cartel of a few remnants from the
former ruthless Derg regime, whose sole uniting purpose is hatred against
anything Oromo. You are listed as a recipient of this letter which bares proof
of AGVE's ideological sadism we face as humanity and as peaceful people of
east Africa. The group has the audacity to order the US government to shut
down the Oromo language service of Voice of America (VOA) so that their
hideous propaganda work now transmitted to Ethiopia through few private radio
stations will be the only sources the Oromo people will listen to.

It is a measure of their corrupted value system, a measure of the
challenge Oromos face while living as neighbors of such extreme political errant.
As an exclusive assembly of few Derg and feudal extremists, any voice of
equality among peoples of Ethiopia is excruciating to the ears of AGVE members.
While one is comforted by the fact that they are a tiny minority rejected by
their own Amhara people, but one can't undermine their destructive passion.
By masquerading Amhara, their ethnic group, behind the word Ethiopia,
they are vehemently but also deceptively maneuvering for a political regain
of their lost empire to dominate other peoples of Ethiopia, the Oromos in
particular. It is shameful that over 40 years into post-colonial Africa and
more than a decade after the Rwandan massacre, there are still Africans,
particularly Ethiopians residing in few large cities of North America,
who struggle for their ethnic group of Amhara to dominate other peoples of
Ethiopia. It is also sad that they continue to use every opportunity
to promote their dreadful ideology of supremacy. At the bottom of this
ideological insolvency lies the chronic problem of Ethiopia, the
perpetual hunger and civil-war; failure of Abyssinian mainstream politics to
suppress hate among its constituents who have much too often gained a sense of
legitimacy among the Amharas causing untold misery to other people.

AGVE claims to stand for Ethiopianess, a catchy Gestapo-like phrase
advocating pure Ethiopianism that they define as accepting Amhara
identity first and everything else second. To serve their egocentric bigot,
they have labeled the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) as a terrorist organization
simply because the OLF stands against Amhara or any other domination in
Ethiopia. In fact AGVE is known to label anyone who stands against Amhara domination as anti-Ethiopian or as a terrorist, the later to catch the ride of
anti-terrorist movement around the world. Their political sympathy for anti-terrorism is phony, they don't mean it. In fact, they are obstacles to the global war against terrorism as they fake to be victims themselves in order to advance their own obnoxious and
primitive ambition. AGVE's attitude is a menace to peace and prosperity in east
Africa. It is continuation of the same recent raison d'être that summarily
dismissed 340 Addis Ababa University students because of their Oromo
identity, the same political reasoning that few weeks ago massacred innocent high
school kids near Ambo in Oromia, the same logic that today keeps tens of
thousands of Oromos including leaders of Macha Tullama civic organization in prison.
Extensive and detailed list of such atrocities is available from Amnesty
International, Africa Watch, other humanitarian organizations, and of
course, broadcasted by VOA and many other broadcasting outlets.

I bare witness to VOA's professional service, and I have heard from
hundreds appreciating the US government for its role in advancing democracy and
knowledge in east Africa through VOA. These words of appreciation are
consistent with Oromo tradition preserved despite the tide of Amhara
domination for over hundred years. It is open knowledge that many AGVE
members and their families built and defended Amhara domination through
and until the 1970s with the same passion they demonstrate today to
resuscitate their lost dominion.

Dear Sir: there are distinct and extreme minorities in any society
who see themselves as the center of everything, and everything they see as if
it is created to serve them. For AGVE even the September 11 tragedies are to
be exploited in order to demoralize the use of Oromo language, a language
spoken by more than half of the Ethiopian population. AGVE's hatred of the
daily Oromo service while making no fuss about the daily Amharic service is
typical of the jingo we have to put up with for so long. AGVE's accusation of
the content of VOA's transmission with none of its members understanding
the Oromo language is testimony to its blindly hate-driven politics. I am saddened and it is unfortunate that Ethiopia has more than its share of these self-serving callous individuals promoting hate for a troubled place they call homeland. But they give us a solid proof and reason that we need more of VOA time so that such wicked voices will not be allowed to have the upper hand among voices of reason and peace.