Everything comes and goes but the worst thing in life is killing initiatives with reckless procrastination. Opportunities after all cannot survive without acceleration as we witnessed time and again in the Eritrean diary. The Voccaroian initiative for unity, for instance could have succeed by now had we nurtured it together. But neither did the opposition groups play their part nor our people carried their responsibility of fueling the dynamics after his departure; and it ended up being history instead of reality.

To me, the Eritrean opposition camp is dwelling more towards individualism with the disgusting division in place. If there is any advantage for one to gain from the stagnant struggle, it must be spiritual development about how unconscious and egoistic human beings can destruct considering themselves as the only solution to the common problem. The extent of self-consciousness in us Eritreans is a universal case point for what ego can do to ordinary human beings because it is hard to see 5 million people with extraordinary history of resistance divided into tens of political and civic groups that refuse to narrow their differences through genuine dialogue after cyclic failure through the curse of individualism. The two fronts were one more too many to bring independence considering how few in number we were and this reality seems to have been forgotten in view of the current opposition camp that over suffocated the reasonable space for accommodating diversified groups that claim to bring a solution in the country. I sometimes wonder how they can justify their stillness and still think of making it alone without global leadership. Yet, the disease called ANNINET keeps on going with no breakthrough in sight.

As per GI, we believe the first step of exchanging information with the people is done. There is no doubt that most Eritreans by now are aware of the GI strategy and how much we have been working for the cause with limited resources. Based on the action plan released several times to the public, our goal was to complete the election of local Baitoes in 2017 and move to the next stage of forming continental Baitoes that eventually would elect global leadership that represents all Eritreans in Diaspora. Although we can not boast of achieving success parallel to our expectation, we were strongly encouraged by the support we received from different sects of the people that are still coming a piece at a time. Yet, it is not enough to dislodge the heinous regime lingering on the society since independence.

As we repeatedly address in the past, GI has no interest beyond facilitating the election process and empowering the people through their own decisions. We know this is impossible without transparent relationship between the groups in the opposition camp and the people at large. We also have no problem following any workable idea that may come from any group to this effect and, in fact we have been encouraging for this to happen because we see it as additive energy that can energize the strategy through genuine dialogue towards integrating different visions and producing a collective strategy to cure the problem as soon as possible.

At this stage where the opposition camp continues to expand with different groups sticking to their respective perception of resolving the dilemma, life continues for our people in its most depressing and desperate form the society could have ever imagined. The New Eritrean Movement that proposed a “new models of struggle” with our former partner of the grassroots movement, OUR VOICE happens to be the latest group in the pool that we never heard of in the past. I am a believer of diversified ideas as long as they align within the concept of visionary unity and it is too early to comment on because of lack of adequate information but I cannot help being surprised by the situation. The question is whether the pattern will enhance the struggle or otherwise which we have to see in the near future.

To some of us with exclusive consciousness, a faster solution at any socio-political risk seems to be the way to go and to some others with inclusive consciousness focusing on permanent solution appears to be the way to go. Yet, we have not seen any promising action from the advocates of the so called faster solution. Nor can anyone reasonably prove GI’s incapacity to quickly answer the Eritrean question of freedom and democracy despite our belief that the strategy is the fastest and lasting method of solving our problems in the condition people carry their responsibility of electing their local Baitos in their respective cities.

Our search for freedom cannot hit the mark by begging the groups to unite but by doing the best with all the resources available in the ground. Reality asserts, however, that we have reached the threshold where we cannot afford to stay ideologically divided any longer. But our struggle for freedom has been contradicted by our resistance against dialogue and unity. The tendency to change the situation divided to tens of groups has not only failed but also has become toxic to the point we keep on forming new groups instead of unifying the already existing groups under global leadership. Meaninglessly expanding the groups has become a serious compulsion of our people in in the Diaspora. The Adey adinjerai iyu mentality is forcing some of us to neutrally look at the problem instead of involving to unite the opposition camp by energizing the GI through direct interference. It is detaching us from our responsibility to change the situation with strategic unity.

We are suffering from object oriented consciousness that attaches people to the material world as if life will be here forever. Nothing but lack of spiritual consciousness is responsible for this tragedy, ego being the fuel behind the inferno burning the Eritrean people alive. How can we miss the advantage of unified action otherwise, when that is the only thing missing in this confrontation with the dictatorship? What does it take for the groups to sit down and discuss the matter and what would they risk doing so for them to reject unity through dialogue to this extent of personification? Why are not our people working with GI to change the situation?

All strategic outlooks can be integrated to achieve a swifter and everlasting solution in our country through the power of higher consciousness that promotes respect for one another, compassion for the victims of the regime, humility and collective resistance with no personal interest attached. All we have to do is opening the heart to listen to each other and investing our energies on unified solution to the problem. Yet, in vain!

Although most Eritrean activists in the spot line could not so far work together despite the worsening situation in the country, the people should have taken the responsibility of enforcing dialogue as the only way of breaking the stalemate and integrating the available strategies on the table. Unfortunately, this is not taking place and the situation continues in motionless ambiance with no breakthrough in sight, needless saying that the people’s passive status is allowing the emergence of new groups into the already crowded political jam to the blessing of the common enemy. Unhealthy quietism is further installing doubt on the minds of genuine citizens currently entertaining the inevitable natural dissolution of the regime with no effect from us to guaranteed justice in future Eritrea.

We have reached the threshold of dreaming success through ineffective resistance brothers and sisters making our websites the source of information and abusing each other instead of the solution. Commentators are having a hard time sticking to the messages misusing the forum for demoralizing and insulting one another. Some people are saying that GI must work harder to involve the people while simultaneously watching from distance without involving themselves. They are waiting for something to take place without their effort. Few others are saying that GI has to start action for the people to follow it; they cannot even explain what said action means.

The fact remains that GI is approaching two years since it came to existence in February 2016 with significant progress in terms of encouraging Eritreans to form their local Baitoes, contacting all the groups in the opposition camp on individual and group level of the relationship to resolve their differences through dialogue. It has been conducting uninterrupted meetings on weekly basis, constantly participating in various paltalk rooms, attending groups activities from the US, Canada to Europe and repeatedly writing and video-graphically informing our people the importance of forming global leadership to change the terrible situation at home.

C’mon folks! What is GI supposed to do that it did not do so far and how can it do more without the people’s assistance? How can people ask for action without being the actors of our action? This is unfair, selfish and immoral for no political effort succeeded alone without the people in the history of human resistance against dictatorship. Because GI is working more than its share and has done the best providing the most promising solution followed with intensified effort to amalgamate the opposition camp under a concrete strategy without compatible response from. The people must interfere now to practicalize the strategy by pressurizing the opposition groups to engage in dialogue. This is the people’s revolution that they should navigate in the background through action.

Assessing the situation from strictly personal point of view, we can neither continue as such without effective support of the people nor are we everlasting that can indefinitely work hard without tangible progress. We cannot change the situation at the rate of this ridiculous speed unless we decide to leave it for nature to resolve the problem and quit the resistance all together. Time is running out and we have been late, sleeping all the years wasting many opportunities in the past.

What is keeping us from doing it once and for all? Can we afford to keep on wasting time and resources riding in the beltway of stillness? Can we control the ever expanding opposition without our people checking and balancing the dynamics through genuine effort to create a transparent public stage of dialogue between the groups? The least we can do is participating in the election of local Baitoes and let us please do it so that we can move to the diplomatic stage of the challenge with convincing statistical evidence at hand. Let us break the chains of silent observation becoming the actors of freedom instead of the collection basket of information and rumors before everything collapses to nothingness. Let us please elect the local Baitoes everywhere in the world this November 15 for a new beginning in this unbalanced journey to freedom. Act now instead of asking for action because this is a call for action. The struggle for independence was the action and our assistance, the catalyst. It would never have made it without us. So do your part now in the local Baito election process so we can aim at the enemy with a strategic bullet instead of asking for action without action. Good luck and see you soon!