Eritrea: The Tyrant’s Temper Tantrum On Aljazeera TV

Eritrea tyrant Isaias Afewerki lost it altogether and went berserk on Al Jazeera TV’s Riz Khan Show broadcast live on Thursday, 22 May 2008. In an interview with Anand Naidoo sitting in for Riz Khan, Eritrea tyrant Isaias Afewerki threw infantile temper tantrum at the interviewer for posing questions on issues that the tyrant is clinically allergic to.

Issues the tyrant is clinically allergic to and which automatically trigger the tyrants infantlie temper tantrrum whenever mentioned include: Democracy, elections, opposition, free press, justice, rule of law and human rights.

Tyrant Afewerki’s temper tantrum on the Riz Khan Show exposed the already known schizophrenic paranoid nature of the tyrant, his pugnacious style, and the tyrant’s severe affliction by a morbid philosophical insanity generally termed as logical fallacy that he applies masterfully as a deliberate attempt to change the subject, divert the argument, or evade the question: Like if you ask him about food shortages in Eritrea, he starts talking about food shortages in Egypt, USA; ask him about elections in Eritrea, he starts talking about elections in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ethiopia; ask him about Youth exodus from Eritrea, he starts talking about Millions of Mexicans migrating into the USA, etc.

In the said interview, tyrant Afewerki persistently accused the interviewer of reading his questions from a list provided by the US State department or the CIA at Langley and dismissed, among other things, World Bank data and UNHCR reports as distortions. Following is a sample of Q&A’s extracted from the video of the interview:

Question: The EEBC agreement (border decision) has not been implemented, has it?

Afewerki: It is implemented, responds angrily. If you can understand what virtual demarcation (VD) means, VD has closed the chapter….our border is demarcated.

Well, wishful thinking aside, as far as EEBC is concerned and that is what matters because it is the sole legal arbiter in this case, VD has not closed the chapter. To the contrary, the commission ‘greatly regretted that it could not take its work through to its full conclusion’ as clearly stated in its concluding remarks following the last meeting with the parties on 6-7 September 2007 in the Hague that read as follows: “Needless to say we greatly regret that we could not take our work through to its full conclusion, but at least we leave you with a line that is operable. It is up to you to work out how to implement it. It is up to you to consider such devices as open boundaries so that some of what you identify as manifest absurdities because a line cuts a village or a road several times can be overcome by allowing the boundary to be open and nationals to pass freely from one side to the other or even to cultivate their fields on the other side. ¶30 EEBC 28 Sep 2007” (emphasis mine). Mr. President-for-life, highlight, underline, circle, or boldface that, sir.

Afewerki: It looks like you are talking on behalf of the United States and the administration in Washington and your list of questions seem to be provided by some one in Langley or in Washington, responds angrily again.

Question: When are elections to be held in Eritrea? The one scheduled in 2001 didn’t take place?

Afewerki: We will see what US elections will bring about and we will wait 3-4 decades until we see genuine/natural situation in Eritrea. Interviewer stunned!!

Question: Are you saying Eritrea is going to wait 3-4 decades before you hold elections?

Afewerki: May be longer. Then Afewerki cites elections in countries like Ethiopia, Zimbabwe….and says this type of election will never happen.

Well, granted, Mr. self-appointed president for life. Now let me ask you where do you draw your sole and exclusive authority from for reigning over Eritrea so far and for the next 3-4 decades absent any kind of elections, sir? You got it right, sir. The answer is: Solely from the barrel of the gun. By the way, who made you the decider-in-chief when and whether elections should be held in Eritrea? Power of the barrel of the gun. Bingo! You got it right again, you're the man, tyrant Afewerki.

Afewerki: What opposition, replies the tyrant again? Agents hired by the CIA from Langley? There has never been any opposition in this country.

Well, that there has never been any opposition in this country is neither flattering nor some thing to brag about, sir. To the contrary, it only reinforces the repressive nature of your regime.

Afewerki: Who told you that? Yet another angry response: This is another fabrication, go and talk about food shortages in Egypt and the USA.

This is what tyrant Afewerki is calling fabrication. Eritreans stand in long lines for milk and other staples at stores. Shoppers sometimes wait for hours for a single loaf of bread.

For more on tyrant Afewerki’s temper tantrum on Al Jazeera, please follow the link below and watch it for yourself: