Happy Independence Day, Eritrea. We strive for Freedom Day
Dear Eritrea,
First I forward to you my warm salutations. Thanks to God, if not for missing you, I am fine.
Ive been trying to understand the role of your children, Eritrea, and how they have let you down as you struggle to move from independence to freedom. You placed this trust on your academicians and your politicians and your children. For your academicians to draft your constitution in consultation with the people; for your politicians to enforce the constitution and for your children to watch out for both. All have failed you: excepting for one person, Dr. Bereket Habte Selassie, the academicians who wrote the constitution refuse to speak out when it collects dust. The politicians pretend it doesnt exist and your children are much too exhausted and frightened to speak out.
Lets just deal with the documented cases of how your children have been abused since July of last year alone. Your government has:
Arrested the president of the student union of Asmara University, Mr. Semere Kesete and has held him in detention since July 29, 2001. Next week will mark the ten-month anniversary of this arrest-without-charge.
Arrested eleven former members of the government, without charge, since September 18-19. In detention, in total isolation. Again, without charge. That is eight months.
Arrested ten journalists, without charge, since September 20. After their hunger strike (publicity stunt, according to the government spokesperson), they were moved and nobody knows where they were moved. That is eight months without a day in court.
Arrested the elderly, number unknown, since mid October. The documented cases (documented meaning their family members say this) are those of Abdu Ahmed Younis, Hassen Kekiya and Sunabera Demena. Again, without charge. And again, for nearly seven months.
I aim my essay at the non-partisan Eritrean because a partisans aim is winning which, being an end, justifies all means. On the other hand, intellectuals, or the Eritrean equivalent of intellectuals, are governed, or should be governed, by a code of ethics commonly referred to as intellectual integrity.
It is not that the pro-PFDJ writers dont know right from wrong. There are Eritreans who are distressed by what Israel is doing to Palestine and protesting against it. There are Eritreans protesting against injustice in America. There were even Eritreans asking us to sign petitions to protest the human rights violation of an Egyptian woman who was being abused by her government. But, when it comes to the your government, Eritrea, mum is the word. Why? Is it, in the words of Peewee Herman: There are things about me you wouldnt understand. There are things you couldnt understand. There are things you SHOULDNT understand?
Exceptionalism
Eritrea is exceptional and deserving of a standard quite different from the norm. This would be flattering if the standard werent quite so low. Deportation is bad when Ethiopia does it; justifiable when Eritrea does it. Human rights watchdog groups condemning Ethiopia is good and welcome; it shows partisanship when directed against the government of Eritrea. Disappearing, arresting citizens without a day in court is very bad and beneath contempt when other governments do it; it is understandable when the government of Eritrea does it. They continue to defend one indefensible act after another. Why? Because Eritrea (meaning the government) is special.
The pro-PFDJ Eritrean intellectuals have become what the psychologists call an enabler. This is someone who, with good intentions, enables the self-destruction of the other. Like a person dealing with a loved one who is on drugs, the pro-PFDJ intellectuals continue to love their baby unconditionally and make excuses for behavior that they would condemn in others, offering generous assistance for its last fix. Why? Because, like people with arrested development, they rather like playing the child to the parenting, nurturing government. Dependence with stability is much more preferable to independence with uncertainty, they think. The abuse is all in the family; outsiders need not know that the head of the household is occasionally cruel and always insists on having the first and last say on all subjects under the sun.
What happens when members of the family protest loudly and disclose to the rest of the world what the head of the household is doing? Is there a moment to reflect on whether the charges are credible? Is there a pause to consider the belligerent behavior of The Head? No, the family unit must be stronger than ever and kick out the whistleblowers from the family. It should part ways with them.
Extremism
Eritrea, your government has been arresting and disappearing Eritrean citizens for years. The ones it undertook since 2001 have attracted the attention and condemnation of human rights watchdog groups. You judge, Eritrea: which of the following is an extreme response:
(1) To write, to organize and participate in petitions that tells the government we support you unequivocally and we condemn your critics;
(2) To write, to organize and participate in petitions that tells the government bring the arrested to a court of law; return power to the people and await the verdict of the people; apply the constitution.
According to Dr. Mussie Misghina, the latter is a sign of extremism. Prudence and moderation requires silence in the face of injustice; protesting is a sign of extremism. We need to part ways from them, he said. We, meaning the government and its supporters; and them, meaning all others.
More thoughtful writers wouldnt make statements like he made knowing full well that the weas judged by 2% contribution, attendance of pro-government rallies and demonstrations, signing pro-government petitions--is remarkably unrepresentative of Eritreas diversity. In addition to being in poor taste, his exclusionary view is dangerous for the future demographic makeup of Eritrea. If you think this is hyperbole, please disclose the names of the voluntary members of the PFDJ.
Eritrea, Dr. Mussie will be pleased to know that his recommendation has been implemented for years now: your government has parted ways with many of your children to the extent that it refuses to acknowledge their existence. Your governments existence, its continuous rule and its claim to having overwhelming support is based on segmenting Eritrea into the following constituencies: (1) those who love the government; (2) those who fear the government; (3) those who are indifferent and (4) those who are activists against the government. The PFDJ coalition is a grouping of the Loving, the Frightened and the Indifferent.
In the brief Spring you had, Eritrea, (February September 2001), your private media was able to demonstrate that the PFDJ coalition may be wide but has no depth. The media, which were dismissed as tabloid, sensational, etc were suddenly seen as a danger to PFDJ (and thus, the nation of course.) They were shut down and their reporters arrested.
The government has since been taking steps to make sure that the Loving constituency transforms into an Adoring constituency. Towards this end, pro-government media has been Saddamizing President Isaias by showing endless photos, words, and reels of films of the President in commanding poses or using excerpts from his speech to present him as a prophetic and unique leader. In exchange for this unconditional love from his children, the father figure embellishes the adoring constituency with lavish praise for its contributionmainly, keeping quiet in the face of mass abuse. Message: Have I Reminded You Lately How Much I Love You?
Your government has also taken steps to ensure that the frightened constituency becomes the Terrorized one. Once again, the government media delivers by showing footage of the staged demonstration of people in support of their government. Its arbitrary arrests are designed to communicate one message: we spare no one. Not the too young, nor the too old. Its ridiculing of the opposition and its strength are designed to send one message to the frightened: You are alone.
The government knows that the Indifferent will remain indifferent (happens in all societies). But, if you can get one to invest in your future (as the mandatory bond purchases and various contributions are designed to do), then where ideals fail to motivate, money will. Message: You are vested now.
As for those who despise its policies enough to be relatively active or potentially active, it has been rounding them up. Message: You are alone and powerless.
What distresses people like Mussie is that the government is not able to do to Awate.com and Asmarino.com what it did to the private press. As citizens whose loyalty is to the people and the country over that of loyalty owed to an un-elected government, we are duty-bound to address the Frightened and the Activists. That is what the ratified but un-implemented constitution of Eritrea calls for. We want to give hope to the terrorized; we want to energize the activists. We do this by telling them that, for example, the rallies organized in Europe (and shown on Eritrean TV every night) are hoaxes that are not representative of the true feelings of the majority of Eritreans. That there are petitions and rallies organized to help them feel less alone and powerless. That the opposition is not as organized as it ought to be but not as disorganized and few as the government claims it is. But, most importantly, we try to help them put things in prospective by repeating one message: all governments who extend their rule by terrorizing people collapse. We dont know by whom and we dont know when but, at some point, those terrorizing them now and those who support them now will pay for their crimes.
That is one message that wont evolve. And we are here to stay until Eritreans, now independent, will also taste freedom.
Happy Self-Determination Day.
