I thank Assenna for having been our main channel of communication. I congratulate it for its Radio drive directly to Eritrea. This is very good for the voiceless people that needs to be assisted by peace loving Eritreans from all corners of the world. I also congratulate GI for its new website www.erigiegm.com and wish it success with active participation of our people. In the mean time, I will post my articles at Assenna and the website from now on and thank you.

To Denver and Atlanta festival organizers: I appreciate what you are trying to do this Summer for your society and thank you. But let us please get to the point this time before it is too late! Remember that we are in emergency situation with no Vise President to take socio-political business in the country immediately after the dictatorship ends. Eritreans have no more time to discuss the problem that they already know and keep on searching for a solution when it there in their eyes but only following the correct strategy to freedom and close the chapter once and for all. We should focus on the most important subject matter to the Eritrean people, on “WHAT IS OUR FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM AND WHAT IS THE TARGET? AND WHAT IS THE MOST UNIVERSALLY ACCPTABLE STRATEGY TO THE TARGET BASED ON THE HISTORY OF SIMILAR SOCIETIES IN THE THIRD WORLD?” The problem is the dictatorship, the destination is DEMOCRACY and the only way of doing it is through a mass based TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT to Constitutional Democracy like others did it (Liberia, Somalia, East tumor, Iraq, etc.). We need a mass based strategy for global leadership to deliver the task!!!It is time for the people to ask all civic groups to individually display their respective strategies to freedom and to produce a common strategy to TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT OF ERITREA through open dialog and maximum transparency!!Please focus on this subject matter and God will bless you!

Nothing survives without its prerequisite in this life. No certificates without completing the courses and no adulthood without childhood and teenage experience. Our society could not have overcome Ethiopian colonialism without three interdependent critical prerequisites: public awareness on being colonized, using the most effective strategy of securing territorial independence (armed struggle) and legitimizing it through referendum under any political setup. No society has ever achieved independence and democracy at the same time because the immediate goal of liberation struggles has always been independence under the dictatorship of the liberators. Nothing is, thus unique about the Eritrean experience that touched down at dictatorship immediately after the armed struggle secured territorial independence similar to other societies; from Angola, Mozambique, Cameron and Chad to Guinea Bissau, Southern Sudan and Kenya; from Egypt and Algeria to Uganda and Nigeria, and far beyond to many more others in this classification.

Clearly, the dictatorship AS A POLITICAL SYSTEM could not have been the Eritrean people’s disappointing experience for our illusive expectation of democracy after independence was out of touch with reality. We were naïve to expect a democratic society without going through dictatorship because it is the most appropriate result of any country’s independence from colonialism. None of the EPLF and ELF could have secured democracy in our country but only dictatorship. We were, therefore victims of illusive understanding of the process by which a society liberates itself from colonialism not only of the dictatorship it self that had to be there by mandatory requirement of the socio-political dynamics on the ground.

But we at least, expected a progressive dictatorship focused on securing the wellbeing of the society in different aspects of life such as education, health, some form of justice and freedom of speech, free market economy, tourism, unity and peace at large, which the regime unfortunately failed to accomplish ever since its inception to our collective disappointment.

The society is now ready for democracy. It is ready for change after about three decades of dictatorship but what is its next political destiny? We can recycle dictatorship or transform to democracy based on the circumstance by how we handle the situation and the dictatorship ceases to exist. Some think overthrowing the regime can solve the problem. Some others think few secretive former EPLF members can do it with their old comrades from within the system. Few of us think we have the sole right of replacing the regime and entertain doing it without mass participation. But history says that no society can achieve democracy by only overthrowing dictatorship. These methods of changing a regime have always produced another dictatorship; cases in point from Uganda and Liberia to Kaddafi’s Libya and Congo, from Cameron and Chad to Thailand and Cambodia and many other similar countries in the category.

We have to be careful not to make the same mistake expecting democracy from independence. We must clearly know how to go from dictatorship to democracy to avoid another surprise. Willingness to change the political situation without clear knowledge of the problem and the destination is simply another disaster the Eritrean society faced at this point in time from the opposition camp in general. Lack of knowledge has condemned the civic groups to only Tekawemti or Deleiti Fithi status with no potential and capacity to do anything (humanitarian, security, justice, etc.) greatly jeopardizing our society to unpredictable future after the dictatorship. The civic groups could not come with a common strategy that protects the country in any situation leave alone democratizing it simply because of lack of focus.

Some individuals have been members of the civic groups for “democracy” for many years with no practical significance beyond the Widub Tekawami status. You ask them “what are you trying to do?” and they answer “Hizbina dimocrasiyawi fethi kirekeb allewo”. How? “Eten wudubat mis muhuratna koinen hizbina bihabar democraciawit Eritrea kifetir. Bihansae koinna nitselaina nihimshisho dihar zigiber nigebir bizeyadluwo”. Does your group have a strategy to solve the problem? “entay strategy; Yimiliselka equa eye zeleku, Bihabar koinen netishigir kifet-heo yibleka aleku. Nikulen wudubat ndigif ntselaee kisabstekawamma ”. Is there any written material about how your group understands the solution to the problem? “Abeydea keisean; dehan embear kabtom zimerhuna kirekbelka kfitin eye, silkimo nilawawet hiji”!

Another mesmerizing episode;

Question: Is there anything new going on with deleyti fithi like your civic group?

Answer: “festival nai swuatn dekenistiyon gerna hiji dima nai natsinet mealti kingebir nidalew alena. Selamawi selfi dima kemu”

Question: Anything else?

Answer: “Isaias hizbina bihaimanotn aletn kefalaliy dikas seinu silezelo, bihabar kinmikito bihafesha dima entaikingebir kemzelena kinimayayet. Tezarebti keribna alona, Derefti kemu, sefih nai dirar meadi dima alo. Nai seleste mealti program eyumo bizuh seb kimetsana nitsibe alona”

Question: What is the main agenda of the festival and what are you expecting to achieve from it?

Answer: “hizbina kinerakib hadnetu kinetenkro antsar nai tselaee elama; menaeseyat kifaletu meninetomn adomn keleliyu migbar, abresiu dima bahlom kifeltu bmusica gerna kab zitefalaleya biherat….”

Question: Do you think we can make it divided in many civic groups as such?

Answer: “hibret trah iya melsa. Hiji nimisale kilte wudubat allowa Grassroots zibla. Bihansae zeyserhalu mikniat gin ayredeakan eyu”

Question: Very good point indeed but do you know the difference between the two versions of the strategy and why they are not working together? Do you know who is willing to dialogue on the issue and who refuses to do so?

Answer: “to me kulen hade neger eyen zibla zelewa, endiey kea bizus ayteketatelkuwon, tirah nimisale eye zinegreka zeleku…”

Folks; the social events and the music are good but our people have no religious and ethnic problems looking at the subject from mass angle of the society despite very few insignificant individuals entertaining such ideas. Nor can we continue pointing the finger at the dictator for the division of the civic groups that could not move ahead without vision and written strategy. The most important subject matter of the people is a political solution from dictatorship. A democratic solution requires written strategy and willingness to dialogue from the so called elite groups of the society that oppose the regime in organized form. We cannot keep on searching for a solution without missing the problem and the destination; we did that for decades already! We must research and produce a common strategy as soon as possible if we don’t have one at hand, open to other ideas otherwise. We understood how the society could earn independence and effectuated the three critical requirements for nationhood. We then made it despite the zigzags we went through including the civil war. But we are in this INKILALO because of the elite class’s reluctance and incapacity to work for the target.

Apparently, three fundamental things mattered in the struggle for independence; public awareness about colonialism, liberation through armed struggle and justification for nationhood through referendum. The armed struggle was the bridge or the strategy that connected the demand of the people with its tangible answer. And three things matter the most now to democratize the country: public awareness about dictatorship, transitional government and constitutional democracy. There could have never been independence without the armed struggle and there will never be democracy without a mass based transitional government. There is no forward movement without accepting this reality. Failure in this regard is the reason the Civic Groups could not take advantage of the already achieved public awareness to the next level of the confrontation. They could not take advantage of the many opportunities created for us from the international community. That is the reason none of them could penetrate the international political arena; they just don’t have anything to show the world as to how to achieve democracy beyond dreaming it in the mouth.

In self examination; I believe this basic lack of knowledge has been the most devastating cause of the total ineffectiveness of the civic groups that consider themselves effective partners of the nation’s democratic journey without anything at hand to that effect. None of them could so far scratch the regime let alone effectively challenging it. They could not produce a mass based strategy to democracy and could not entertain ideas from neutral elements of the people through dialogue because of lack of vision and strategy. Nothing to show so far and take advantage of the International Court’s verdict on the regime’s crimes against humanity with international politicians that expect us to come with nothing other than a strategy for transitional government of Eritrea. The people in general and members of the civic groups in particular should, therefore clearly consider this decisive reality to make a difference in the society. Eritrean festival organizers should also from now on direct their energies to this effect

Once again, our civic groups are too confused to get to the point. They could not be effective elements of democratic change. Our people should interfere to help them out of dormancy by challenging them on the question of TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH GLOBAL LEADERSHIP. WHAT IS THE STRATEGY TO TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT OF ERITREA? They should further help them out by pressing them to publicize their ultimate vision (STRATEGY TO DEMOCRACY) in writing or to start researching on the matter if they don’t have one. Strategy first before action my dear people! I hope the incoming festivals in Denver and Atlanta will initiate this noble cause for all of us to focus on the heart of the matter and Good luck!

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