To support or not to support

Efrem Abreha-April 19,2002

For quite sometime now I have been debating with myself as to what my stand should be with regards to the issues that are confronting my beloved country, Eritrea. Quite honestly, like many Eritreans who spent most of the liberation years in exile pursuing individual goals, the choices that I had to make then were really simple- I could (and did) share the conviction of my countrymen and women that Eritrea’s case was just, and as a proud Eritrean, support the brave Teghadelti unconditionally, or, like most of the shoeshine to the south of our border, shamelessly change my name to one that would be acceptable to the Amharas and deny my true identity.

I am not quite sure that, if there had been more than one Eritrean front that delivered the final blow and defeated Ethiopian colonialism (Here, I am not by any means trying to discount the contribution of the thousands of Teghadelti that fought under ELF), the choice to support them all would have been any harder. The point that I am trying to make is that my unconditional support was always there not for individuals but for everyone braver than myself who was committed to bringing freedom to Eritrea and liberating its people from the shackles of colonialism. These are the Teghadelti that backed their words with their deeds.

Unfortunately, it seems like somebody has been very unhappy with the ease with which I have been making my decisions and devised ways of making it rather difficult.

It all started with a “secret” letter that was intended, we are told, for the president of Eritrea’s eyes-only! Various people have expressed their objection to this letter primarily due to its timing. My major problem was its lack of sincerity. It just did not appear to have the intention of improving the system. On the contrary it seemed to want to replace it. The message the authors wanted to convey was very obvious-a vote of no confidence in Issaias. As a result, I doubt that there was much the president could have done to reassure this group short of transferring power to them. I believe that a bunch of self-described intellectuals are entitled to their opinions and dreams. However, to try and make their personal dissatisfaction with the president of Eritrea into a national crisis was dishonest. So I withheld my support. That was an easy one. Once again the old litmus test (can Eritrea benefit from my support for this agenda?) worked. This one failed the test miserably.

What followed was going to be hard to dismiss as easily as the Berlin letter. This was the allegation made by some Teghadelti: individuals of higher timber and caliber, most of whom were members of the founding group of EPLF and in the first ten years of independent Eritrea had occupied various prominent positions. The Eritrean people were told that Issaias Afeworki runs the Government of Eritrea illegally. To substantiate their claim, we were told that, Issaias unilaterally decided to suspend scheduled meetings, unilaterally made decisions during the defense of Eritrea from the Weyane war of expansion and lost! (How a country that made its enemy pay with 6 to 7 times its own causality, taught its enemy a lesson on what to expect the next time it desires to forcefully annex even the smallest piece of land from independent Eritrea, forced its enemy to accept a legal resolution and by so doing secure internationally recognized borders and still retain its military strength could be said to have lost a war is beyond my comprehension.)

To fully examine these allegations, one would have to know how the government of Eritrea functioned in the last ten years. Since I have no access to minutes of meetings or detailed knowledge of its day to day running, I strongly believe that the answers to the following questions could have helped us understand the current situation more than the lectures on democracy which seem to be aimed at non Eritreans.

1.If Eritrea is as totalitarian a state as we are constantly being told, how did we get there? And why was this allowed under your watch?

2.What role did these respected Teghadeltis play in the last ten years? Here I am not asking for their official titles but how they discharged their duties.

3. How much independence did the Ministries/ Departments have?

4. Was the election of Issais as a president by EPLF democratic? If the answer is no, please explain.

5. When you attended meetings of the national assembly, would you say that the national assembly conducted its business democratically?

6. Were you or anyone you know ever prohibited from expressing his or her view in such meetings.

7.Did the national assembly ever pass any Decisions/ Resolutions that were not favored by the majority?

8.As individual members or as a group, were there any measures that you proposed to the assembly that could have prevented any of the ills that afflict Eritrea now?

9. If you strongly believed that we should not have fought the war or that the way it was being conducted was inappropriate why did it take you so long to voice your opinion? 19,000 Eritreans could have been saved!

10.what do you say to people that accuse you of dragging your feet (while in office) in the commission of your duties in an attempt to- portray the government as uncaring, divided and also to weaken the president’s standing both locally and internationally?

11. Why is the removal of the president a priority? And is that the exclusive remedy? Is all this his entire fault?

12. Why should anyone think that you could implement the “vision” better than the majority of your colleagues?

13.If you are unwilling to accept the will of the majority of your colleagues and will go to any length to gain power, what kind of democracy would Eritrea be under your leadership?

We all agree that there are a lot of things that need to be improved in Eritrea. The provisional government continues to make remarkable progress in the issues it has identified as “High priorities” For these achievements Eritreans salute past and present members of their government. Having said that, one also has to accept the fact that blunders were also inevitably made in some areas.

While we applauded your success, for the most part, we overlooked the weaknesses in the belief that given time you would overcome them. Your methods and results may have been questioned but never your Integrity as Teghadelti with the highest love and commitment to their country.

That same treatment should be given to those that are now still at home serving the people of Eritrea.

For those of us who still regard Teghadelti with the utmost reverence, it is disheartening to witness few engaged in a campaign of tarnishing the very image of Eritrea they shaped and polished with their blood, sweat and youth. Correct me if I am wrong but isn’t the unity and sovereignty of our young country more important than the transitional problems we are facing.

I am willing to listen to the respected Teghadelti anytime anywhere as long as they are willing to discuss issues in their right priorities and encourage us to unite and work for change in a peaceful and legal way.

My decision and conclusion:

Right now my place is with the people and Government of Eritrea. We can all bring positive changes to a country and government that needs it. Right now is the time to show solidarity, generosity and humility.

Now is not the time for me to engage in a “ If my aunt was a man she could have been my uncle” type of analysis. What could have, would have and should have been done has become the favorite pastime sport of some internet folks that appear to be from all age groups and backgrounds- kids, grown ups, the religious, the playboys, matured individuals and then we have some “learned” individuals that, like perishable foods, have grown, matured and rotten.

Let us use our time and energy in meaningful projects that could be of assistance to our folks at home.

Let us show the world that we Eritreans in the Diaspora are worthy of the sacrifice that thousands paid with their lives on our behalf. Lets show them once again that we NEVER KNEEL DOWN.

Finally, in case the Agames are still dreaming of abbay Tiray (How big a land do you need to put up a shoeshine stand for crying out loud!), lets double our contribution for homeland security to $2.00/day (two cups of coffee a day)

Awet N’Hafash

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Efrem Abreha is the sole bearer of the responsibility for this article