We haven't seen the election laws. We haven't seen the multi-party laws. In fact there are uncountable promises but we haven't seen much being kept from this government. For example, remember the promise about the EPLF having accomplished its goal with the liberation of Eritrea was about to transfer power to the people? Yes. The joke was on us; power was transferred to the PFDJ. Maybe they mistook the PFDJ for the people... it sometimes happens. People do make mistakes!  PFDJ, people�they are the same�I guess. The PFDJ and the people are one. It is only that one has been (and is) riding on the other. So, it is possible that they were considered one and the same!

But maybe, just maybe, the election and party laws might be a good start. The lot that considers itself the law and the outlaw, the leadership, might begin to get used to being governed by the law. They might give-up ruling by the sword and firepower�. well, I am just being overly optimistic here. I am optimistic because, whatever law that is issued to jump-start the democratization process, should be considered a positive move�. and a due payment to the people who are silently shouting 'get off our back'! No one should see the "democratization moves" as a grant from the powerful.  And the powerful should not consider themselves heavenly-generous for letting us have what we should have had long time ago.

The current power struggle emanating from the power epicenter has more than one player: 1) A segment believes that the Erit rean people deserved a better treatment than what they were subjected to. Furthermore, these are people who painfully regret their silence - which was seen as complacency - for so long. They want to rectify their mistakes. This segment deserves a cautious benefit of the doubt. Their positive moves should be supported. 2) Those who are not done wreaking havoc with the traditions, cultures and social fabric of the Eritrean people. Those who were instrumental in gambling with Eritrea's meager resources and who are still adamantly continuing the exclusionist politics, and still do not have any feeling of remorse for betraying the dreams of the people. 3) The third segment is comprised of the weaklings who cannot do any better than just watch developments unfold in front of their eyes. They are known for their obsession with living on the sidelines swaying every now and then� here and there depending on the power balance. If this was the seventies, they would be branded 'tebeleSti'� the shameful opportunists. At any rate, seventies or whatever, they fit that description and a bonus brand for the new century, 'cowards'.  

Flashback:  the Referendum of 1993  

The referendum and the two years of preparation that led to it. A referendum to register a choice for the Independence of Eritrea... or against it. Some argued against exercising a referendum in principle: 'why do we need to register what we already know', they said. Others believed in the exercise and cast their votes. Who voted and who didn't is irrelevant now. After all, it is a democratic undertaking and everyone makes his own decision. Those who voted are not more Eritreans than those who didn�t.  Again hindsight, the boycotting of the referendum was a bad political decision. Yet, the referendum hiccups the movements that are bent on reviving the �Andenet Party��. There are some who openly stated their wish to drag us back to the Andnet era. This message to them: 'the referendum burned the Andnet card'.  

That referendum was the ticket to Eritrea's recognition as a sovereign state by the world community. Especially among the world community, those who matter. Our identity rests on our struggle to be free and the certification that we acquired for it through the referendum.  Now the elections. The name that sounds like a new car model, "Elections 2001". Do we boycott it? No. Do we give it a mischievous smirk?  Maybe!

Boycotting is not productive as we have seen before on many incidents -- including the referendum. Seeking political compromise is prudent, wise, honorable and responsible. Now before we go into what those who might boycott it should do, lets see what the 'POWER' should do in order to gain the confidence of the people and so that the 2001 thing could be credible:

1-       Conductive atmosphere is needed to conduct a fair and credible election. For starters, the single-party should begin by taming its noisy section of the grassroots membership and sympathizers.

2-       The government should scrape all undemocratic laws that it issued when it felt like Dracon�thus the draconian laws that have been suffocating Eritreans for too long.

3-       All political prisoners must be freed, immediately. No if or buts. And they should be compensated materially and morally for the sufferings they underwent.

4-       All families of the deceased, while in custody, should be informed immediately. All the deceased� regardless of why they were detained.

5-       Dismantle (and not reform) The Red Sea corporation� you all know the suffocating greedy Red Sea Kingdom that is amassing the wealth of the biblical Aaron and Qarun.

6-       Embark on a real program to bring Eritrean refugees back from the Sudan� not fruitless programs that have been going on for the last ten years with nothing or very little results.

7-       Get rid of the Sudanese opposition forces out of the confines of Eritrea. We sympathize with their right for self-determination but we just do have neither the will nor the energy to be entangled in the Sudanese internal politics.

8-       Explain to the Eritrean Ambassadors and their staff that Embassies are staffed by diplomats to nurture relations with their host countries, attract investments and build goodwill. They should immediately be stooped from meddling in community affairs and act as policemen of the Eritrean Diaspora.  Communities should start to heal from the wounds inflicted by diplomats with the mentality of tribal chieftains.

Having suggested some points to the mighty government, we would also suggest to those who might boycott the elections, the following points:

1-       Promise to give up violent perusal of goals if the Eritrean government is willing to create a guaranteed conductive environment.

2-       Show the readiness to embark on a dialogue that will lead to a national reconciliation conference.

3-       Readiness to cooperate in the election process and pursue political goals democratically.

4-       Cease fire to give room for elders, religious leaders and prominent personalities from the civil populace to make necessary contacts and mobilization.

5-       Condemn the presence of the Ethiopian occupying forces in Eritrean territories and cooperate to bring that to an end.

6-       Stop all propaganda campaigns to create a conductive atmosphere for a dialogue.

For all concerned Eritrean adversaries:

1-       Divorce the idea of wanting to eliminate each other and recognize the fact that Eritrea belongs to all and not to any single entity. The goal of "me only" has been proven, time and again, that it is not workable�it is impossible and no Eritrean with his right mind supports it.

2-       When we write or say something, let's remember that if we are driven by emotions, we might make big mistakes (and most of the time we do) and that will haunt us forever. We need to evaluate our behavior over the last three years in particular and over the last ten years in general. It certainly helps us to seek an honest solution to the dilemma we find ourselves in.

3-       Let's remember that power can bring temporary solution. However, it can never bring lasting peace. There is no alternative to national reconciliation where every Eritrean feels he or she is part of the deal. Exclusionist attitudes have alienated us from each other. Arrogant leadership has damaged our unity. Paranoia has squandered our resources. Narcissism has subjected us to humiliation after struggling to hold our heads up for decades.

Pre-Election Warm-up

Now that we will have individuals running for public offices, we need to know each and everyone of them. Their political attitudes and what they stand for should be openly communicated to the public. Awate.com will do just that. The ideals of candidates will be scrutinized and those who do not espouse democratic values would be challenged. A special attention will be paid towards the candidates' election ticket with regards to national unity of Eritreans. Chauvinistic agendas will be exposed. Human right will occupy the priority together with political corruption.  Those who could not stand for truth to preserve the flow of personal gains would be exposed. Those who do not deserve to be elected should not be.

On the other hand, those who posses unquestionable integrity and have a clean public record of selflessly serving the people should be supported by all democratic forces. Every runner for election should make their running tickets open to the public. They should spell out their stand on all major national issues. We need to know their views on unity, reconciliation, democratic development, burning ethnic issues and land law. We will push for the coming together of democrats. Democrats should run as a block�in one list. That would be a solid stepping-stone towards the full democratization of the country whose people suffered for years to crown it with liberty, independence, freedom and democracy.

The Radio Version of Pravda.

We will establish close working relations with all respectable Eritrea media outlets to do our part. We hope that the Pravdas will join us in the upcoming endeavor. But first, let's see �

Pravda is dead�if not, it is almost dead. It was a Bull, it was a begetter. It left few offsprings -- Wonnabe Pravdas. Government Newspapers adorn their front pages with pictures of their Big Brothers. What would a Radio version of such a newspaper do? The announcer would go: dear listeners, close your eyes and imagine the picture of big brother! Then, the national anthem. A marching music. The beginning of the boring programs; in a good day, the first one would be a fund-raising drive! Nothing wrong with fund-raising, it is only that one cannot run a country by "Uqub", the Eritrean version of a Piggybank!

In a civilized setting, mediums are competitors. They struggle to win over the reader and listener. They work hard to gain the loyalty of the public. And in spite of the cutthroat competition among them, they refer to each other as "sisterly publications'. Press mediums are supposed to be of diverse opinions. But then, if someone sees himself as a propaganda outlet, they certainly are not going to join us. That we know.  A medium that shies from sensitive information and investigative reporting is out of line. Our task is to dig into secretes and sensitive issues and expose them so that the public can be better informed. If we conspire with the censorship to keep the public in darkness, we would feel that we are betraying our readers. We will keep digging and we will keep informing. The judgment is left to the reader who will either extol or condemn us. By extolling us, they will visit our site; condemning, they will not. It is the duty of the government to hide what it defines as "national security material". If we get it, hiding it is not our responsibility; exposing it is our duty.

Awate Vs Awate

It came to our knowledge that the ELF is publishing a Newsletter that carries the name Awate. We saw, Volume 1, issue 1, year 1 of the publication. We inform our readers to note that that Awate.com, the electronic medium, and Awate Newsletter are two totally separate entities.

the awate team