DEMOCRTIZING ERITREA REQUIRES COPREHENSIVE

 EFFORT FROM WITHIN AND OUT OF ERITREA

    EAIM

    Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all Eritrean family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in Eritrea, which does not exist now because of the dictatorial system of government.

Disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of peace loving Eritreans. We entered the heart of Eritrea in 1991 through the rubbles of war, parched fields, shrinking forests, dying rivers, craters left by bombs. After all those sacrifices of our gallant fighter brothers and sisters, now our country, almost cease to be merely a country and became the prison of its citizens. Eritreans through out our history recognized the need for our own system of government for the people by the people and to the people. Our struggle enabled us to get rid of colonialism with the heavy lose of life and property not taking into account how colonialism hampered our economic and social development. To the surprise of ourselves, the world community and peace living nations we ended up with brutal dictatorship. After all those sacrifices in our armed struggle how could such thing happen? Most Eritreans believed in bright future and fought side by side irrespective of nationality for the common question first and for most which is colonialism. Eritrean liberation heroes do remember now the tricks of these dictators used to play military slogans like “pack up and walk until your legs fail you, where to? You never ask. {–tebges yebluka tebeges , kid kesab egrka tegurest, naby aytehateten}.”

    Democracy is simply defined as “GOVERNMENT BY THE MAJORITY OF CITIZENS”. Laws and decisions are made by democratic governance and citizen participation, not by a monarch or dictator. Thus, legitimacy and power is given to individuals and agencies through the people they govern, not because of family heritage or military strength. A government is an organization that has the power to make and enforce laws for a certain territory. “Govern” means the power to administer, whether an area of land, a set group of people, or an association.

The process through which a political system becomes democratic depends on the political reality of the society, nature of the existing government in power, social and economic development of that particular society, maturity and strength of the political opposition, etc.

    Aristotle defined democracy as rule by the people, and this idea that in some way the people govern themselves is still the core meaning of democracy. But around this idea several related themes have developed that are now integral to what democracy means. They can be stated as:

      People govern themselves by regular elections through which their highest leaders are periodically determined (representative democracy) or policies governing them are chosen (direct democracy).

       The right to vote that includes all adults. This is modern addition. Not so long ago governments were called democratic that exclude from the franchise all slaves, women and people that did not meet certain property or literacy requirement.

         The acceptance of certain democratic rights, such as the right to vote, the right to have one’s vote counted equally, the right to run for office and the right to organize political groups or parties.

       Provide the framework for democratic rule and this protects democratic rights.

       In addition to the above basic meaning of democracy, the following must be present in order democracy to exist. Free communication media, open competition for political office- which means more than one political parties, religious freedom, freedom of expression, freedom of association, constitution, peoples economic power, minority rights and political right of nationalities.

  How is the above ideal to be achieved in our beloved Eritrean contemporary political situation?

       Eritrea faces very serious challenge in the task of nation building and growth of the political culture, which accepts that all the citizens and every citizen should be free to participate in framing the destiny of the country in accordance with his or her conscience.

 FRUITS OF DEMOCRATIC STRUGGLE:

·       Expand the circles of development and build the infrastructures of democracy.

·       Ignite workable economic policy.

·       Strengthen alliances to deal with poverty, healthcare and illiteracy.

·       Prevent saboteurs from destruction. 

·       Champion aspirations for human dignity.

·       Work with others to defuse regional conflicts.

·       Develop agendas for cooperation.

·         Erect multi-party democracy 

·       Allow freedom of conscience, of expression and of association.

·       Respect life, liberty, security, of the person and protection of the law.

·       Establish the law of the land, which is the constitution and enforce its practice.     

      THE SCOURGE OF  DICTATORSHIP:

·       Enslave Eritrans in the name of national service and defense of the mother- land.

·       Massacres people.

·       Herd Eritreans in prisons of unknown locations.

·       Open accounts and invests in places like China while Eritrea is deprived of hard currency.

·       Practice corruption and bribery in governance.

·       Dived and rule.

·       Cause human suffering of mal-nutrition, hunger, illness, and ignorance.

·        Cause economic destruction by governing the country with no economic plan.

·         Cause severe bodily and mental pains on the people who govern.

·        Creates flood of refugees.

·        Reins on one-party dictatorship the negation of our armed struggle and the Oath of independence.

In the last few years since independence of our beloved Eritrea, the objective and subjective conditions had ripened making it possible to firmly and irrevocably root out the dictatorial regime in our country, and to create a genuine, revolutionary political parties and civic societies spread to every corner of Eritrea, intensifying the mass struggles for democratic and human rights and national liberation.

            Three major water-shed historical eras occurred in our historic struggle since the Eritrean entity was clinched in the nineteenth century.

·        The heroic struggle of our fathers and mothers for the independence of Eritrea which ended up in federal yoke.

·        Our historic armed struggle that enabled us to snatch our independence.

·        The presented day struggle for democratic and human rights, for national liberation and economic development.

        Today Eritreans have the task of liberation which voluntarily and enthusiastically have chosen  to undertake. Eritrean revolutionaries have the obligation to erect stable Eritrea by putting an end to the grip of the dictatorial regime. The eventual goal is to turn to political, social and economic reconstruction to make it the pre occupation of all Eritreans, where we can create growth and development, so that injustice vanish and just distribution of resources and power prevail and people will employ in fruitful production

The PFDJ government started war with neighboring Sudan in the name of vanguard of anti-terrorism. Attacked Yemen to hide and expand foreign military bases from the Dehalak Islands to the Hanish Islands. Invaded Ethiopia to, cover up its failed economic policy. Eritreans now are prisoners in their own country with no friendly neighbor.

      As soon as freedom was won Eritrean political organizations, asked for inclusive transitional government to be established but got deaf ears from the dictatorial regime and started servitude labor in the name of national service and is practicing it to this date. Young Eritreans at present are being herded in military camps waiting to invade Ethiopia in the name of Bademe. We do not think they have the armaments because the Eritrean economy cannot afford it, but the dictator lives with miscalculations and illusions and might say the “stick is mightier than the gun”, cut all the eucalyptus trees in the country and arm them with that and tell them to hit the road, then perish on the valleys as usual. Every political organization was branded as terrorist or traitor. Eritrea now is hell to live in. The whole world is saying demarcation needs dialogue between the two parties involved, but the dictatorial regime does not get it. As one honorable Eritrean American doctor who went to law school in the U.S. said once,” educated Eritreans feel unpatriotic to criticize what they call their own government”, but forget their main responsibility as educated individuals. We say what is patriotic is to fight for the betterment of the people, but not to safeguard dictatorship. The main source of revenue in Eritrea are the ports, resources from the red sea, and our ports will be busy only if we understand how to co-exist with our neighbors.

    WHAT IS THE WAY OUT OR THE RESOLUTION?

       We hope it is clear to every body by now that the horn of Africa region is one of the hot-spots in the world we live and we say the PFDJ regime in Eritrea is the major contributor to the instability of the region..

     The commonwealth Secretary-general Don McKinnon once said: “sound economic development and strong trade relations can prove powerful ingredients of stability and antidotes to conflict. If the stability of your economy and the well-being of your population depend on trading with your neighbor, you will think twice about going to war with them.”

        Conflict and peace are not random, unexplainable phenomena. Both are created and both can be influenced. Conflict and peace are not static. They are dynamic, connected processes that evolve over time. So here are some of our thoughts:

·        It is unimaginable to see the civilized world community let the Eritrean people dehumanized, live in slave-labor in the name of national service, die of starvation get stricken of deceases for all this years. We call upon the international, regional and local organizations discuss the ways and means of resolving both internal and cross- border conflicts until satisfactory resolution is achieved. The United Nations UN, the African Union AU, the Arab League AG, the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development IGAD, and the Sana’a Alliance SA should shoulder this responsibility as an entity and come to the needed resolution. 

·        Donor countries should try to find ways and means of reaching the people in distributing their donations rather than handing it to the rogue government.   

·         The world nations should try to identify democratic organizations that oppose the rule of this rogue government and work with them to build up democracy with them. Here we are not advocating for armed intervention, but for political recognition, material support, and expert advice. We believe imported democracy through armed intervention does not last beyond the occupation.

·        Eritrean intellectuals who reside out of their country should try to come together and voice their plan of action for peace and stability in the region. It seems to be unrealistic, but we believe it can be done specially at this era of Internet and Telex-conference.

·         Peace loving countries should look into the horn of Africa political situation and be able to find out who is disturbing the peace. Once they find out who is the rogue, it should be time to bar giving visas to the officials of that rogue government, and close any bank account of the officials either individually owned or governmental- ownership.

·        It is our understanding that the United States is starting to respond to the call of the oppressed Eritreans at home, but we also expect the USA to recognize the Eritrean opposition so as to have lasting resolution. We call upon other peace loving nations also to follow the US in responding to the call of the Oppressed Eritreans

     .GLORY TO OUR MARTYRS

      WE STRUGGLE - WE SUCCEED    Comments at  ama766@comcast.net