|
To print: Click here or Select File and then Print from your browser's menu. Click here to return to the home page. |
Spotlight
Website writings during the past 11 months did not show that we are any nearer to our decades long dream of creating a modern political environment that can go beyond region, religion and ethnicity. Like many other compatriots, I was stunned and ashamed of unjustifiable violations of well-established organizational norms that took place within the ELF-RC, an organization once assumed to have retained only members who would not drop out from struggle due to those same causes (region and religion cum personal hatred) that split our organizations in the past. I read most of those website writings, some personalized, but restrained from response for good reasons. Yet, that did not prove to be helpful. On 14 July 2003, two days after Ahmed Nasser and Beyene Kidane posted their judgmental message against the Revolutionary Council, an old friend posted a long article in awate.com not only praising Ahmed Nasser to the skies but also condemning the current ELF-RC Chairman, Seyoum Ogbamichael, and punching in the face anyone who believed in relieving Ahmed Nasser of his post after having chaired the organization for quarter of a century between 1975 and 2002. In that article, my friend, hailing this time round with the pen name ‘Tzenat Awat’, applauded Ahmed Nasser for what he termed as a record of hard work towards strengthening the opposition. The writer, Ismail Ali, whose style of writing already exposed his identity to me without the need of the ingenious technology of the Internet to reveal it, added: “Unfortunately, the ill tendencies led by Woldeyesus Ammar wanted to stop this development not to go on, and led a coup d’etat in the second session [of the RC] to bring Seyoum as chairman with a very poisonous agitation which could have had a very bad implication for the unity of Eritrea and the Eritrean people”. What ‘Tzenat Awat’ wrote was not much different from what another senior ELF-RC ‘colleague-doctor’ from the same Holland earlier this spring wrote in an Arabic-language article about ‘Menhotism’, a new concept that he wanted readers to interpret as ‘Christian sectarianism being promoted’ in the ELF-RC under my tutorship. The author of ‘Menhotism’ also made sure through different writings that Menhot was indeed Woldeyesus Ammar, (which is true, as this is my other name I use during my working months with an international body – a name, call it pen name, known to all senior members of the ELF-RC). Writings under other pen names also early this year cited Menhot’s (my) article of August 2001 entitled “Agena’e Seyoum, Bravo Deru’e” as a clear sign that I was ‘sectarian’, advocating unity between ELF-RC and the dissidents from the former EPLF, which, in the judgment of those writers, automatically categorized one as sectarian, a ‘Christian zealot’. Siraj Mussa Abdu, a veteran ELF cadre now residing in Saudi Arabia, chose to focus on my name and tried to give the impression in his writing earlier this year that I had become a high priest of Christendom and that the ‘Christians’ in the ELF-RC had turned into irredeemable sectarians, probably worse than Isayas Afeworki and his Nehnan Elamanan henchmen. One example Siraj flagged to justify his assumption was what he perceived as the ELF-RC ‘Christians’ betrayal’ of Ahmed Nasser by staging a coup d’etat and replacing him by Seyoum Ogbamichael. Just like that, simple and clear. Also during the past several months, Dr. Tesfatsion Medhanie of Germany, a re-born Eritrean patriot and self-styled ‘defender’ of Moslem rights in Eritrea, communicated to many people known to me telling them: “Beware of Woldesus Ammar. Be careful he is changed! He has become anti-Moslem. I know this for a fact…” Ibrahim Ghedem of Sweden wrote to me immediately after the election of Seyoum to the chairmanship at the second regular meeting of the Revolutionary Council in August 2002 if I had indeed said: “The time has come for Christians to lead the ELF-RC”. Later developments showed that my attempt to clarify the issue and what was said and done at the second RC meeting could not help Ghedem to change that perception. The above mentioned allegations are cited here only to give a few examples of what went berserk among some compatriots from the same Jebha in reaction to a normal and democratic change of guard at the top leadership of the ELF-RC. One cannot help but feel disgusted and saddened by these reactions at a time when we (at least those of us in the ELF-RC) thought we were leaving far behind us those primordial perceptions that bedeviled the society in the past. (And of course totally forget the references of these and other people to the walkout from the alliance as the source of crisis within the ELF-RC; it was not!!) Under the heading of this article, I intend to write a few pieces about the use and misuse of religion and ethnicity in the still unfinished political configuration of our fragile, small but polyglot nation. We are not short of examples of ugly events easily associated with personalities in the past that remind one of what is happening in the ELF-RC nowadays. However, my intention today is to recount an occurrence in order to respond to ‘Tzenat Awat’s and ilk’s allegations against me, and indirectly against other ELF-RC members, who are being accused of having agitated in a poisonous sectarian way, thus endangering “the unity of Eritrea and the Eritrean people”. Least silence seems consent, there arises the need to straighten the record by narrating the events as they occurred in relation to, I repeat, the core, rather the soul, of ELF-RC’s current problems: the replacement of Ahmed Nasser by Seyoum Ogbamichael. It is thus my generalized response to the numerous misinterpretations that tainted the pages of the electronic media during the past several months. I must add that I am citing myself more than I should only with the hope of helping friends and other innocent Eritreans who, I feel, should not be left to the mercy of lies, intentionally repeated to make an impact for much narrower agenda by people who seem to believe in the misleading old saying: ‘dereQ Hassot darga Haqi’. Why Ahmed Nasser had to be replaced Seyoum did not replace Ahmed Mohammed Nasser to the chairmanship of the ELF-RC because more ‘Christian’ than ‘Moslem’ voters attended the second session of the RC in August 2002. In the ELF-RC I knew, or thought I knew, few would follow sectarian agitators bent on promoting religion, region or ethnic group. Yet, soon after the election of Seyoum, there emerged people distorting facts for strange ends and interpreted action and words differently. I am convinced that these distorters know in their heart of hearts that they were misleading their listeners or readers. Of course lies are exposed at the end; as they say, ‘Sinqin Hassotin enaHadere yifekuws’. Unfortunately, that ‘end’ always comes late, and after the damage is done. When the 5th National Congress of the ELF-RC, held at Gondar in August 2001, came out with Ahmed Nasser at its head, many ELF-RC members, supporters and other interested Eritreans sincerely felt bad because they wanted change, even symbolic. Many said ‘why Ahmed, Isayas or Abdalla’ for decades without end? Why can’t at least the ELF-RC lead some kind of change? The wish for change and the disgust with the election outcome of the ELF-RC congress of 2001 was widespread. I was one of those who felt that the symbolism of change was important even before or until real transformation took over the politics in Eritrea. And I did not keep quiet. After swallowing the shocks of a hic-up at that congress that witnessed the ejecting out of the RC of a senior cadre and leader of the organization, Ibrahim Mohammed Ali, the new 33-member body started business with little time to consider replacing Ahmed Nasser. Ahmed volunteered to become the chairman and everybody accepted. On my part, I said at that session what could truthfully be summarized as follows: “Bitsai Ahmed, we are all agreed to have you also this time simply because all the newly elected RC members have no time to make consultations and agree on replacing you. I recall a story of a harmless Greek king in the ancient times who was voted out of the throne by the Agora (Greek popular assembly) because many of the voters said they were tired of hearing his name for so long. You, Ahmed, had enough time in the chair, you did what you could through the years and it would be time that we replaced you by a new face. Unfortunately, we are not able to do so now because of time constraints. Yet, many Eritreans inside and outside our ELF-RC will ask us after this congress as to why we had to elect you again, and we will have problems of defending our action. But we will have to live with this inconvenience. Otherwise, you and your predecessor, Ibrahim, are records of our struggle and we should keep respecting you, no matter what weaknesses and failures one can count against you.” The reaction of our members to the election and return to the chair of Ahmed Nasser for his 22nd year at the top of the organization was, as expected, negative and cadres of the organization had to put a lot of effort to explain why he was elected and why Ibrahim was totally dropped from an RC seat. Whatever mistakes could have happened, it was a democratic outcome and one had to live with it. A year later in August 2002, many RC members who were interested in changing Ahmed for many reasons could finally agree on one candidate among the available full time cadres of the organization. I absolutely believe they were looking not for a Christian, a Kebessan, a Seraye man by origin, but for: - - Someone who would more clearly illuminate the programmes and visions of the organization; - One who could more effectively and vigorously than ever before communicate and transmit ELF-RC’s message to the Eritrean public and the world at large; - Someone who would be able to engage everybody to work with greater efficiency and discipline as never before in the history of the organization; - One who would give the right answer when bad questions are asked or concessions demanded from the organization by any party; - And above all, one who would dynamically challenge and expose the absolutist regime of dictator Isayas Afeworki… and so forth. To the majority of the RC members, this someone happened to be Seyoum Ogbamichael, one of the dedicated lifetime fighters for the liberation of the Eritrean people. Personally, this was the candidate I had in mind at the 4th congress of the organization in 1995 when the chairmanship was eventually passed from Ahmed Nasser to Ibrahim Mohammed Ali. Seven years later in 2002, when I sensed that quite a good number of RC members were susceptible to the idea of considering Seyoum to the chair for the reasons mentioned above and more, I felt good and supported it strongly. And no surprise that the man eventually obtained two-thirds vote of the RC. Until the election day, Ahmed was not consulted that he would be replaced, but when Seyoum was presented as a candidate, he and Ibrahim, both former chairmen of the organization, seconded the new candidate. In seconding Seyoum’s candidature, Ahmed said: “ I welcome Seyoum’s candidature because I know his capacities and his lifetime struggle for the cause, but the only regret I have is that those of you who wanted to vote me out of office could have consulted me and I would have willingly resigned”. Soon after the delayed (4am) voting to elect Seyoum, I asked to make a short speech because I would not be able to attend the follow up meeting due to my flight arrangements that same morning. When given the floor, I said something very, very close to the following sentences: “Bitsai Ahmed, you may recall what I said in the RC meeting soon after the congress about the feeling of the Greek voters towards their king who held the post for too long. I also say that you, Ahmed, played your part, stayed too much on the chair and it is time that you are replaced. There was no need to re-elect you at the 1st RC meeting last year for your 22nd year as chairman were it not the lack of an agreed upon candidate. As you already testified today, Seyoum is a steadfast fighter with high leadership qualities that we should make use of. He is a great communicator, intellectually qualified to face challenges from the educated and others and one who can fully expose that petty dictator Isayas, whose evil deeds and thoughts are well known to Seyoum. Also in passing, I dare say that Seyoum’s name can be used in favour of the opposition and against the sectarian dictatorship that has been misleading the Eritrean public by calling everybody in the opposition as iihadist. Many of our people who have been blindly accepting his claims will now stop on the name of ‘Seyoum’ and ask: ‘ wait this is not a name for a jihadist. Why do you tell us they are all jihadists?’ Therefore, we will also show Eritreans duped by Isayas that our Jebha can indeed have at its head a Seyoum, a Christian name, alongside the other names that chaired the ELF in the past 41 years. We are not afraid to change, and this change will attest our maturity as a well established political organization…” When I flew and transited via Frankfurt that morning, I met two or three compatriots (ELF-RC members) who insistently asked me the results of the meeting. I told them it was successful but that I did not attend the last session in which the newly elected chairman, Seyoum Ogbamichael, was due to present his Executive team for approval by the RC. At this point, one of the listeners jumped at my announcement and uttered insults on Seyoum and the meeting itself (I later learned that person harboured ill-feelings towards Seyoum, who had long years of interaction with the members in Germany). I tried cooling this edgy person down and had to repeat many of the advantages that we saw in electing Seyoum, including the name of Seyoum as a threat to the divide-and-rule tactics of dictator Isayas. But this person, like some others in Germany who followed his way, would not listen to reason and justifications. Personal differences and preferences were let to play their negative part. I used to blame a number of Eritrean individuals and groups for behaving in very narrow and sectarian ways in Eritrean politics. However, I never thought anyone who knew me in person would dare characterize me as ‘sectarian’ and Christian zealot. Not only that. The Haile’s, the Ghere’s, the Tecle’s, the Tesfai’s of the ELF-RC, only to mention a few, who had never and will never commit that sin of treading a sectarian path are today being thrown into that dirty basket of ‘sectarianism’, a basket woven by the name-callers themselves, who apparently are already in it.
What does this short story depict about the Eritrean situation at the end of 60 years of Eritgrea’s entry into ‘modern political life’ since the defeat of Italy in April 1941? My articles in the future will attempt to show that, although some progress was made towards change, a good chunk of our people have not distanced themselves from the shackles of the old, including religion and ethnicity, which are easily exploitable by individuals not ashamed to wed themselves to narrow group identity. These elements of ethnicity and religion have played many negative roles in the past and may continue to do so for the foreseeable future. |
|
© Copyright 2002 by Awate.com |