We Need to Re-tool Our Goal

A Critic to the Post by Daniel G Michael

 

Dear Daniel,

Ever since I read your post on EYSC page, I have been vacillating whether a response to your post is appropriate or not.  This is because, on the one hand, I don’t want to betray my firm conviction that argument among Eritreans, small or big, is of no use; while the dictator is entrenched as ever.  On the other, I have run – perhaps you too – into unnecessary squabbles with fellow Eritreans for simply voicing my objections or raising my opinion.  Therefore, the fear of whether my critic insinuates your nerve kept me in check.  In the end though, I felt some of the points you raised, though arguably interesting points, are nonetheless, subject to further critic and interpretation.  My critic is therefore, solely on the points you raised and not the theme of the subject matter, and I hope you accept it in the spirit that it was presented; lest you consider it as an offense to your person.  I will try to be concise and to the point.

 

Daniel,

You chastised as ‘fallacy’ the, “…. Ethiopia’s interest can be intertwined with the interest of the Eritrean people.”  Though you seemed to negate this fact, you were short of denying our common interest, or simply obscuring your thoughts in other high sounding phrases, e.g. Weyane… 

But here is where the fallacy lies my friend: In the murky waters of Eritrean politics, in the hazy atmosphere of either-you-are-my-friend-or-you-are-my-enemy politics instituted by the dictator, it is almost inevitable for us to entrap ourselves in this absurd school of thought.  And here is where we Eritreans are completely detached from the realties of the world; where our understanding of geography and geopolitics is far and in between. 

 

Sir,

If all the countries in the world were separate individual Islands dotted planet Earth, then geopolitics would have little or no value in this world and perhaps wars would have been less likely to happen.  But this world was not meant to be like that.

It [the World] was meant to be: different ethnicities and nationalities were meant to live together, regions, – much less countries – were meant to be governed by geography and common interest and their ultimate make or break were to be determined by geopolitics and not by poor perceptions and unattainable sentiments.  What is going on in Ethiopia affects us through and through.  Ethiopia’s  infamy or prosperity have the cascading effect regionally and Eritrea especially.  Whether we liked it or not, we were destined to live together with our neighbors, the Ethiopians.  Who said Eritrea’s failure is of immense benefit to the Ethiopians, except for Higdef, off course?  Who can say with absolute certainty that Eritrea’s failure is Ethiopia’s salvation?  All the maneuverings that you hear these days from Ethiopia has a direct correlation with geopolitics.

 

Daniel,

You made an amusing reference that Ethiopia’s “..refusal to implement the border ruling and hand over territories legally rendered to belong to Eritrea” and their “…desire to see an Eritrea whose nationalism weakened beyond repair” aligned perfectly well with the dictators “tunnel vision – whose only goal is the preservation of his power.”  

Wow! I felt that I heard this from Higidef and quite frankly, we usually hear these phrases  uttered from none other than Higidef’s point man, Yemane (Monkey).  As such,  if you prefer to align yourself with these naked lies, then on this issue, I would safely assume that you are indeed a strange bedfellow with Higidef. 

 

On the border ruling, I am a bit dismayed that you are content with what the border commission shoved at your throat.  You accepted it, wholly, what some jurists and technocrats sitting in The Hague bestowed you, with absolutely no regard their ruling might have entailed for your people and for Eritrea. 

Back in 1995, the dictator plunged Eritrea into war with Yemen in what used to be Hanish Islands in the Red Sea, only Eritrea to lose these Islands – after we lost our best servicemen – to Yemen by the subsequent ruling.  Fast forward to 2002, poor Eritrea found itself in the same ugly scenario. 

Did you know that previously undisputed Eritrean territories were rendered Ethiopian by these Jurists – all foreigners, who hardly have a token of knowledge about our region? 

Have you ever had the chance to study the border ruling?  Did you know that the fertile Badme Plains, though Eritrean in sweat and blood, were nevertheless gone to Ethiopia – with the exception of the flashpoint town of Badme?  In a ruling reminiscent of a textbook case of injustice, Eritreans who bled for Eritrea found themselves to be Ethiopian by the border ruling.  These citizens had been crying to heavens for justice ever since.  Evidently, the very fabric of Eritrean society was dissected by this ruling;

Daniel, If what I said seemed a hallow concept to you, Please do this:

Just spread an old Eritrean map on a table; then transpose the latest map on top of it.  You will see what Eritrea lost in the last two decades under the Higidefits’ jungle rule and see if you felt some sympathy to your fellow Eritreans.  

 

Sir,

One of the most blatant lies ever told by Higidef and some opposition figures is the one you mentioned, ”…their (Weyane’s) desire to see an Eritrea whose nationalism weakened beyond repair.”  Such is the banal reaction of some Eritreans who have gone the extra mile in finding a scapegoat to their problems; and nothing delights the dictator more than when a rallying cry he needed coming out of the opposition figures.  If you can present a token of evidence, I want to ask you: what did the Weyane do to weaken Eritrean nationalism?  When do we Eritreans learn to confront our problems head on?  Putting our house in order seems an alien concept to you, which is why you suggested the Weyane’s ‘ desire to weaken Eritrean nationalism‘ aligns perfectly well with the dictator’s ‘tunnel vision – whose only goal is the preservation of his power ”  The dictator and his ever obedient dogs are the ones who weaken Eritrean nationalism my friend.  Look at the exodus of the youth.  The predicament Eritrea finds itself into has one and only one source: the dictator, whose ultimate goal is the annihilation of the Eritrean people and deliver an emptied Eritrea to his handlers.

 

Deniel,

One of the weakest links attributed to Eritreans is the inherent belief and willingness to submit to a person who has made a name for himself and to never strive to create that name for yourself; remember, enda Adhanom, enda Ahmed Naser etc…  Perhaps out of this faulty reasoning that you accused some in the opposition “…caused the mouths of those who seek a short cut to power to salivate,” when Ethiopia threatened to remove a “one man government in Eritrea.”  

First, how do you know their mouth to salivate?  Or are you assuming?  Well, that is why the great philosopher Francis Bacon left something for posterity to learn, “If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content with doubts he shall end in certainties. 

Second, by indicting the opposition ‘to salivate’ at the prospect of power in Eritrea, you glaringly indicated that you do not have a vision, you can not salivate at that prospect; therefore you can not be a leader.   There is nothing noble than eyeing the prospect – by force if necessary – of snatching power from the jaws of the Eritrean dictator and saving your people.  If you refer to history, that was what great men did. 

Despite your indictment however, the Eritrean people and the opposition will continue in their quest for power.  Have you heard the famous saying, “Indict a ham sandwich?”  Keep away from its literal meaning, because the phrase has other meaning.  It means a good prosecutor can persuade a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich.  It points out to the stupidity of some people in the jury pool to indict a sandwich.  If that was your intention, I tell you, you miserably failed; because our people need salvation at any cost and not acrimony. 

 

Daniel,

What we need at this moment in time is unity not division against our mortal enemy.  Neither do we need high sounding phrases like ‘masters of our own destiny.‘  If that were true, the dictator would have gone a long time ago; because the opposition is  dysfunctional as ever.  We do not need EYSC or EYSNS, but united front against Higidefites and their dogs.  Not withstanding the current infighting, the Libyans showed us what a united hand could achieve.  As such, Eritrea’s salvation will only come with the complete dismantlement of Higidef and not through dialogue.

 

Tesfamichael Kidane