September
30, 2001
I am
not going into a rehersal of what happened in the last couple of months in the
Eritrean scene. It is common knowledge for all those following the situation. A
very troubling development in what started as a trivial matter only to reveal
deep-seated misunderstandings. Every day seems to uncover another accusation by
either side to be followed by counter accusations and name-callings.
Dehaiers, what I am trying to do here is to sift through what is known and what
can be done to the "satisfaction" of both sides.
1. G-15 Vs the President
Facts
a. The G-15 at this point are in Jail accused of
treason
b. The President does not seem to accept their accusation of
not calling a meeting in time as being the reason for the present debacle.
Middle ground
Obviously, it does seem like it is too
late to reconcile both sides. Would it be fair to call for a respectable
divorce? Now that they are in Jail, can the government demonstrate its respect
for the constitution by respecting all the human rights stipulations as stated.
One can start by publicly stating that the accused have indeed been presented to
court as stated in our constitution. Furthermore, the government can
communicate all the developments in the court proceedings so as not to give any
space for misrepresentation of the facts. That would be extremly important
given the present mindset of suspicion.
2. The Media
Facts
a. The facts around the
closure/Suspension of the free media begs for more explanation. Currently, two
versions of why are in circulation.
The first claims that the newspapers did not comply with the financial disclosure
stipulations set out by the government. The second reason presented is that
they have been spreading rumors and innenudo's.
B. There are reports that most of the "free" press
journalists are in jail. Our government through its ambassadors in Paris and
Washington DC has not come out with a clear answer.
Middle ground
The middle ground, in my view on this issue would start by presenting
all the facts. If the reason presented is indeed financial, can the private
media come out to explain why they could not do that? If it is because of
spreading inneudo's and rumors can the government present its case on each
newspaper rather than glossing over all with a single statement? If the latter
is the case, is the government going to seek endorsment by the courts for its
action? Is the private media ready to challenge the government in the courts
for its action? This exercise would be vitally important to create a precedence
for all disputes between the government, which I suspect are bound to come up in
the future, and the private media. Mishandeling this issue would create the
precedence of putting interpretation of the law under the government and not
the courts where it belongs. We defenitely need to avoid that.
3. Calming the Storm
While this are emotionally charged times, I would call on both sides to refrain
from worsening the situation. While one side claims the other for being worse
than the other, conscious effort should be made to restrain this dispute from
getting any worse than it is. We need to be carefull as Eritreans divided and
not talking in the past has made us easy prey for our enemies and thier
instruments. We NEED to talk rather than resort to calling names. Assuming that
this crisis would end with the defeat of one side, in my view, is naive. It
will only result in a new group of disaffected populace, that will be left open
to manipulation by our sworn enemies. It is the responsibility of both sides to
avoid harming Eritrea for temporary gain. Every mother starving, every family displaced,
every father in jail can only lead Eritrea down the economic spiral.
Awet N' Hafash and peace and prosperity to Eritrea
Respectfully,
Berhane S