Yesterday’s statement of the PM more or less wrapping up the recent heinous acts as; ‘When the fire ablaze one group, it will not keep the other warm’ appeared a very tactical approach and will probably exacerbate the problem than drying the roots of the problem.
The statement, unusually, categorizes the “ethnic” and religious identities of people massacred following the October 23 call made by Ja-war Mohammed stating that 50 Oromo, 20 Amhara, …40 Christians, 34 Muslims … were killed.
In the first place, how can we be sure about the data? Who was/were responsible for collecting the data, we don’t know whether it is fabricated/cooked or whatever is done to them. UK Premier (20 February 1874 – 21 April 1880) had unveiled three kinds of lies; there is a lie, dammed lie, and statistics (statistics misleads to the worst extent). Hence, the statistics are very, very questionable. Besides, it has not been verified by an independent entity.
Ok, let’s accept the numbers. What purpose is it serving? To my understanding, and as the PM also argued the fire burns both sides, meaning the violence did not only affect supporters of Jawar, it also claimed the innocent lives of his supporters. Thus, it is an appeal to force that his supporters should understand that their machetes and cane is not a guarantee to their lives.
But these youths who indeed are uninformed have been made into believing that dying in rescue to Ja-war is sacred and they assume that they dire for a cause, whether it is evil or noble. To me this advice and statistics, may not serve the “intended purposes” if any good purpose.
Also, if the statistics are a cooked one, it will be adding an insult to an injury to the victims and families of the victims. It sends a message that, despite the brutish killing perpetrated on them, it again makes them victims responsible and accountable, even if it is in self-defense, to the heinous acts.
Be that as it may, the uninformed youths (Qerro), and their leader Ja-war may get a very good reason to press ahead with their brutal acts of massacre, as the statistics wrongly educate them the fact that they were victims in their acts of defending what they claimed their leader.
To my understanding, rather than getting into such statistics which may end up misleading, the PM could have simply condemned acts and take practical measures on the wrongdoers. Culprits of the Oct. 23/24 acts are vivid. The cause of the violence was the issue of clearing security details Ja-war claimed. Why shouldn’t the government tell us whether that is true or not? Why shouldn’t denounce spreading messages that results in wide-spread violence are a crime?
Diplomatic engagements are also important to discipline individuals and interest groups who back the violent youths and their leader. The kids (Qerro) are being used as an instrument of destruction than standing to the questions of Oromo.
Anyway, if I’m too quick to comment on the statistics, the results in the ensuing days will show us the truth, I wish to be wrong if the figures help bring normalcy and respect of rule of law.