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Forum for National Dialogue (Medrek): Challenges and Promises

Forum for National Dialogue (Medrek): Challenges and Promises Ghezae Hagos Berhe (The article is abridged from facebook discussion.)   Recently, former diplomats of the government of Eritrea and others have formed a group called Forum for National Dialogue (FDN.)

Forum for National Dialogue (Medrek): Challenges and Promises

Ghezae Hagos Berhe

(The article is abridged from facebook discussion.)

 

Recently, former diplomats of the government of Eritrea and others have formed a group called Forum for National Dialogue (FDN.) The topic is generating heated debates in the Eritrean social media circles. Here are my views.

 

1.At the core of any issue that every Eritrean, including many PFDJ members, agree is Eritrea is led by dictator Isaias and we need him be removed from power and be replaced by A GOVERNMENT THAT IS LEGALLY ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE. Let us mull over this as the main yardstick or principle that can’t be negotiated or changed under any circumstances. A lot of contours, misunderstandings on terminologies and lack of proper explanations have exacerbated our discourse. We need to define in clearer terms, than ‘xegenti’ ‘sur-mho lewti’ etc. CORE issue is ‘power should be returned to the people of Eritrea’ immaterial of the terms and strategies as long as we understand their meanings.
2. Now Mederek. According to their objective “To work as a catalyst in bringing together pro-democracy Eritreans inside and outside the country to replace the current dictatorship in Eritrea by an equitable governance structure based on a constitution that guarantees equal rights of all citizens, their democratic freedoms and human rights, equal access to social services, and equal opportunities to develop themselves and their country.”
3. So does Medrek advocate for transfer of power to the people of Eritrea or just change Isaias and keep the status quo (if that is ever possible)? It is not fair to put words on someone or some group just to project your own version. When some unfairly attacked EYSNS on false grounds, we objected that and it is not good to extend that to others. As far their press release show, (again please read it), there is nothing in Medrek that prove they wanted to keep the status quo. They clearly rejected Isaias and called for others to join the tide of change. They may advocate for peaceful means as much as possible but didn’t say ‘by all means’ should be rejected. They said their role is to be catalyst but if that is what they want to, we hope they be good catalysts. Again, I invite serious readers and activists to read the document and how it can help the overall movement for change. Our allegiance and struggle is for the people of Eritrea and hence we need to put them first.
4. In my humble opinion, we are better served and serve our people if we see the bigger picture of what we as people want and what is possible at this time. Focusing on personalities dilutes, obfuscates the message. For example, a lot have been said about Amb. Andebrahan Weldegergish. A lot us prefer if we come forward and openly tell us what his experiences was and what he wants to accomplish. This nation belongs as much to him as to all of us. We need to commend him for deciding to join when many other previous public officials didn’t want to. Some people have questions for Ambassador Anderberhan and the answers whether satisfactory or not should be given. If we seriously believe our nation is in great peril of demise, the issues that we think are big are not as big if we want to tackle them with candor and courage. I humbly urge Amb. Andebrahn to seize the opportunity and the spotlight to expound his views and enrich our opposition with lessons we can all learn from. I also urge his friends and Medrek organizers to encourage him as in my opinion the benefits outweigh the fears and concerns.
5. Engagement is single key issue. It should be encouraged in all sides. I am very optimistic with real and honest engagement; there is nothing that is impossible. At least you respect each other’s opinion and work in the minimum common issues such as advocacy, human rights, and refugees etc.
6. Conscientious and wise activists are deeply needed in these turbulent times. My main message for now is for our compatriots at EYSNS and Medrek. If we can gloss over the seemingly different or opposing views, you can find the end product we are all asking for is the same: which is ‘power should be returned to the people of Eritrea.’

 

7. In the end, MedreK will be assessed and judged on its subsequent actions, not in their statements. When one calls for engagement, one doesn’t mean or imply one has to accept everything said or believe it. You can reject it altogether if you will; but isn’t much wiser and more beneficial to reach out to groups; learn from their lessons; share their concerns; bring forth your concerns; find points of convergence; narrow points of divergences; and see if there is any area you can work together.

 

Please note that apart from the general goodwill we extend (or should extend) to any Eritrean who wants to give his/her two cents to the tidal wave of history of fighting the Isaias regime, some of us actually notice groups such as Medrek do have a potential to register tangible results especially in lobbying which I think is one of the opposition’s biggest weaknesses. The reason we are saying let us give them a chance is not merely to appear nice or moderate or because we are docile (let the records speak for themselves, if need be) but because we believe they can help in areas mentioned below and other areas that I am not aware of. Hence, in the hope of enriching the discourse, I would like to forward my brotherly recommendations for Medrek. My recommendations in a nutshell are the following. Medrek:-

  1. Need to use the spotlight to engage the opposition public using pal talks, facebook and Eritrean opposition media. It is proper to be open to public questions and comments as what you are aspiring to do is of matter of grave, national importance that will affect all of us as citizens. Granted some people have serious concerns and grievances but as the overriding objective is to save the nation from imminent peril, the issues and controversies will pale in comparison to what we have in common. Candor and courage compels you to open your doors. I encourage them repeatedly to be available for public forums.

 

  1. Engage with civic and political groups and activists who have special focus in lobbying the international community, the UN, USA and the EU to put pressure on the Isaias regime on the grounds of gross violations of human rights and/or human trafficking.

 

  1. There are swaths of areas of international laws and national laws that the Isaias regime has been routinely violating and that we need legal experts and lobbyists to challenge them using legal instruments at their disposal.

 

  1. Use your expertise, networks, resources and connections to expose the Isaias regime in international media and forums.

 

  1. Give special focus and attention to the plight of Eritrean refugees in neighboring countries, Northern Africa and Israel. Eritrean refugees are suffering and languishing and they need well-seasoned politicians and activists to advocate on their behalf.

 

  1. It bears repeating experienced lobbying is desperately needed. We hope to see Mederek put its legal/diplomatic expertise, experiences and resources to bridge the gap with a view to step up international pressure and sanctions on the Isaias regime.

 

  1. I urge you not to be fazed by controversies as it is not about groups or persons. Eritrean people have been subjected to unprecedented degree of persecution and atrocities and our nation is facing risk of total annihilation. We need to save it before it is too late. We need to act..now.

 

Finally, as Martin L. King said “we must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” We owe it to ourselves, to our history, to our people and to our nation to learn to live together. The bells of history are tolling for all of us to save our endeared nation from a certain demise, a nation we have paid untold sacrifices for that you personally can bear witness of. Let us save it..together.

 

 

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Review overview
72 COMMENTS
  • habrom February 8, 2014

    Excellent…..God bless you!!!.

    • rahwa February 10, 2014

      things never to do!
      1.never abuse the people’s trust.
      2.never abuse your position to victimize your own people.
      3. if you do, apologize (genuinely) as soon as you can.
      4. then work hard to right the wrongs you did in the past.
      What did medrek do?
      1. it abused the people’s trust.
      2. they abused their position to victimize their own people.
      3. it did not even cross their mind to apologize (which shows how foolish they are despite their age and education, also that they take us the Eritrean people for fools)
      4. now in the meeting they held in London their actions proved that they are still thinking “business as usual” and are going the PFDJ way.
      this is absolutely unacceptable. it is true we Eritreans need to take action against the dictator as soon as possible. but what is the difference b/s pfdj and medrek? pfdj is a wolf. medrek is a wolf in sheep skin. medrek is anti-unity. why? because it is pfdj. medrek is garbage.

  • MightyEmbasoyra February 8, 2014

    This is my personal judgement and I politely disagree with your comment. Since wedi Vaccaro is trying to unite everyone, why are these people showed up now separately? If their intention is for the good of the Eritrean people, why don’t they join him? How are they different from? Why aren’t they apologize for their previous ill deeds and recent them and try to pay their due? Many unanswered questions. This is not to pessimistic but to be realistic. Isn’t that how Isayas got the power?

    • Blocked February 8, 2014

      If we ask to apologize first for every PFDJist who wants to join the fight against dictatorship, we are being obstacle. And it doesn’t help. Everyone who wants to contribute should be welcomed. Whether they apologize for past mistakes or not should be their choice.

  • logo February 8, 2014

    Excellent article!!!!!!. Let’s not rush on judging them, let’s focus on the things that these intellectuals can contribute to our nation.

  • Bokre February 8, 2014

    Good comment Ghezae Hagos,
    ” When one calls for engagement, one doesn’t mean or imply one has to accept everything said or believe it. You can reject it altogether if you will; but isn’t much wiser and more beneficial to reach out to groups; learn from their lessons; share their concerns; bring forth your concerns; find points of convergence; narrow points of divergences; and see if there is any area you can work together.”

  • redae February 8, 2014

    We Eritreans don`t want intellectuals like this.where were when Isayas was eliminate brave figthers
    and young people.

  • Habte Kifle February 8, 2014

    Dear Gezae,
    Thank you for your excellent and well balanced article!!
    I love your way of thinking which is trully Eritrean and honest approach for the common good!!
    Fortunately we have reached a situation where we can say ” Are you with us or against us ” Who ever is with us to get rid of our cancer he is our brother, who ever is not willing to agree on that he is the enemy of Eritrea!!!
    Let us embrace them and proceed!! Let us use their contacts and expertise to speed up the downfall of our cancer!! I am sure they are 100% better than the numberous mostly HIGDEF fabricated opposition for the sake of opposition without result for 23 years!!!
    Please keep it up!!

  • Kalighe February 8, 2014

    The Medrek people are not saying anything special, so to speak of. They are simply saying they have connections inside the country with people who can bring about change. Well, it’s tempting to speculate on who this people are … but the Forto incident has already answered this question. The top brass and those the spy agencies who have the real power in hand, are not ready to do anything that endangers their interests, that is the lesson we learned from Forto.
    So, is it possible that the Medrek people have “comrades” within these institutions who are ready to remove Sibhat Efrem, Samuel, Filippos ..etc and hand over power to people or as it may be the case they want encourage the generals to “neutralize” Iseyas (although it’s not clear what they mean by “neutralize”) and grant them amnesty so that the can continue in their positions in the name of change ?
    Whatever may be their plans and connections with their friends back home, they need to take note of the following:

    1. The regime of Iseyas is not about one person (despite his pivotal role) but a SYSTEM. Any change that will keep the regime’s power structures intact, is nothing but an insult to Eritreans. It’s a disservice to justice which is an essential requirement of peace. This is a historical mistake that eventually will cost the country heavily.

    2. The political crisis in Eritrea is not approaching a breaking point, as you may have wrongly assessed or want people to believe. Even when Iseyas is gone as every mortal human, the very people with whom you want strike a deal, are ready to agree on someone among themselves, they can do that. The infighting among them, and the possibility of the country descending into chaos because he is not there is neither true nor imminent. The regime is still in full control of the situation, because many young people have left the country and the elderly who are left behind are roaming the country side to look for anyone who can dig a graveyard every time there is someone to bury(so who will pose a threat to the regime?). That is why who will “neutralize” the dictator is not the real issue any more. Because of old age and deteriorating heath problems gradually he is becoming a straw-man.

    3. There is a lot of mistrust in the air. All those who have served the dictator, if they really love their country and want serve their people, should give chance to the young generation. Power sharing with Generals will not be a good legacy your kids should be proud of. You and your friends inside the country should hand power to an elected body of senior citizens, till politician agree on transitions to democracy. That is the real change people want see in our beloved Eritrea.

    • WediAcria February 8, 2014

      Selam Kalighe,
      Excellent analysis of the situation. Most of our people always talk wishful thinking but yours hit it in the nail. People forget that a system that has been around for close 25 years is not easy to dismantle, and it’s not run by one person. A system that may have been created and managed by one person eventually develops into a whole ecosystem of lots of people that benefit from the status quo.
      7th grade English, but hope you get my point:-)

      Ba’lu Yerhewo Iti Goita – Intai Kinibel

      Peace!

      • Kalighe February 8, 2014

        Dear brother WediAcria, real change means the regime has to go, nothing less than that.
        Unfortunately, Hidgefites believe only in military brute force, so no amount of political pressure will remove them from power. If they feel power is slipping from their hands, they are ready to dismantle the country.
        Therefore, it stands to reason to assume that Medrek people are only planning to strike a deal with them, for some cosmetic changes. And that kind of solution will never bring peace to the country.

  • kifle Nerayo February 8, 2014

    Thank you Gezae Hagos. It is timely and very convincing and inviting to urge the Medrek people to come out with bold Introductory messages understandable to the Eritrean diaspora community. We need their clear mission and objectives in details. Like they may appear in all the Eritrean Websits and answer questions of concerns. It a disheartening to express mistrust by Eritreans against Eritreans, but that is the prevailing situation cultivated and resulted from all ill deeds of Isayas. We quote the Tigrigna proverb “temen ziree blihtsi tedahle” Our Intellectuals are here to understand the situation of Eritreans in all walks of life. Please, Ato Gezae, we need your ability of intellectual writings and please continue doing in the context of unifying the Intellectual people who are now appearing and getting involved in the national dialogue. Thank you Gezae Hagos.

  • nmeharhaki February 8, 2014

    Dear Eritreans,

    Power to be transferred to the people, yes power must be in the hands of the people not in individuals or organizations. All of us know the present Eritrea and its history. Can we simply avoid HGDEF and submit power to the people. There is a gap that must filled, a transition period. Do we ever thought about this period. To draft and implement constitution, to conduct election takes some time. And it is to our common understanding that institutions and institutional set up in Eritrea are deliberately destroyed by the authoritarian regime. Above all our peoples moral set up is getting down. So what we do for the transition. This is what really disturbs me otherwise it is dialectically true that the regime will end up as there is no eternal thing except GOD THE ALMIGHTY.

  • rezen February 8, 2014

    Question: Would anyone kindly tell us the latest number of:
    a) opposition parties; and
    b) civic organizations.
    It used to be 33/50 repectively.

    Another related Question:
    There is at presetn EFND.
    And now we see FND!
    Both are working for National Dialogue.
    Couldn’t they work together? Just a question, please.

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