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Decency requires that we dont say unbecoming words. Decency requires that we abide by the rules of political correctness. Most of the time, political correctness means political disaster. So, we try to be politically right when we write politically and speak politically. Echo my word becomes politically correct by the standards of authoritarian regimes. Confusion rules. Right becomes wrong becomes right, becomes blurred and ugly. The outcome is a very dull and unjust political situation like the one we are subjected to. The PFDJ leadership has spread a deceiving culture of political correctness. The first victim of the onslaught of pseudo-correctness was Identity. We were required to look, act and behave uniformly just like a product out of an assembly line. The only thing they didnt impose was a Maoist outfit. A uniform dress code similar to Colonel Mengistus era. Party officials where required to wear uniforms made of fabrics with the ugliest color humanity ever dyed. But dress code is one step behind; uniform thinking is what is being promoted: Groupthink. The new political culture has spread the notion that regional, religious and other natural affinities are something we ought to be ashamed of. Discard all your identities and submit yourself to a totally new set of identities designed by the leadership of the PFDJ. Some even went as far as saying: My religion is Eritrean my sect is Eritrean. Talk of an all- Eritrean fake! Lets not forget that Eritrea is our country that we love so much. It is the dream that we fought for to enjoy our freedom to be what we really are. It is part of our identities and the mother-umbrella that protect all our different identities. Citizenship and multiple identities create schizophrenia in the politically fake patriots. In the minds of true patriots, it makes them feel rich and look colorful. Colorful Eritreans will not accept the idea of turning out citizens from an assembly line just like Mr. Fords Model T Automobiles. The new identity we are expected to accept is one that erases all. Cultures will cease to exist and become fashion that we renew every year. Values will be taken as medicines from a doctors prescription listone before breakfast another before bedtime. The powerful becomes god and the less-powerful become the disciples of the powerful. The weak and the weakened congregate to pray under the gods who created the new culture. And we all lose our color and become as dull as an old mobbing rag. The dignified refuse that but others are fond of ... Undressing in Public
Many considerate and sensitive people were disappointed because we published an article by an atheist titled I Speak Arabic, I am not An Arab. We do not have much to say but only this: if someone wants to undress in public, who are we to stop them? If people have bad food in their stomach, sooner or later they will have to throw it up. It is amazing to watch the frenzy that one article created. To those who were hurt by the remarks that came on the article in question we say: The reinstatement of Arabic as an official Eritrean language is a done deal. Nothing can stop it forever. What is stopping that from happening is the whims and paranoia of the self-appointed patrons within the narrow circle of the PFDJ leadership. The same culprits that are hindering reconciliation and a smooth transition to democratization are the ones suppressing the Arabic language. Arabic on its own is not the issue; it is part of a bigger issuethe issue of a representative governance. Struggling against the cause is what people should focus on because once the cause for all of this trampling over the choice and rights of others is eliminated. As they say, la yesH illa seHiH. The Arabic issue is not a Moslem issue; it is an Eritrean issue. Moslems should not make the mistake of thinking that it concerns them alone. It is the minority in power and their prejudiced racist supporters that are standing on the way of all choices and freedoms. The majority of Eritreans understand this issuetherefore, trying to outbid other Eritreans on the Arabic issue just because they belong to a given religion is wrong. Those who want to be the guardians of Haile Sellasies policy regarding the Arabic language in Eritrea, let them be. One should not lose focus because of those who are used to Throwing up on your screens Someone recently wrote articles and books insulting two sides: someone you know who and an entire sector of Eritreans. He claims that God has assigned him to a mission in Eritrea. He doesnt talk like a faithful believer, rather, he sounds as if he is on a daily telephone connection with God. One would think it is not the Almighty that he was referring to but a close friend of his with whom one goes out to socialize. At first, some people tried to sympathize with the writer and advised him to see a psychiatrist believing that some wires have blown up in his head. Then, he bombed them with his tirade of negative articles about the Eritrean sector and you know who. The fact that Eritreans who make an entire sector were insulted didnt bother the lot; they were just mad because he insulted you know who. Did I mention Hypocrisy? No. I didnt because it is politically incorrect. And because there was. Magna-Lousy
A Certain Dr. Tesfatzion Mengistu, or his associates, bent on tracing the ancestral linage of President Isaias accused Awate.com of censoring their articles. In accusing awate.com, they wanted tobring to the attention of [their] readers about an article and how awate.com didnt publish it. This is what they had to say: This article was E-mailed to Meskerem.net on 14-15 December and later to Awate.com. But this Part III has been censored by both websites. The gap between their rhetoric and pledges on one hand and their practice on the other is now clear for all to see. We like to assure all concerned that we are determined to challenge and expose all those who stand on the way to truth, democracy, rule of law and free flow of information. Awate.com thanks those who brought this accusation to our attention. If not for the fear of being considered politically incorrect, we would have said that his claim is a blatant LIE. The good Doctor, or his associates, sounds as if their article was a bombshell and we were afraid to publish it. No. Again, if not for the fear of being considered politically incorrect, we would have said that this website is not afraid to publish anything and the archives prove our claim. We never heard of the Doctor or his associates until last December. We didnt know of what the Doctor was up to. Therefore, his accusation is just empty. Here is what happened:
The associates of the good Doctor sent us a big file as an attachment. We urged them to send the article in HTML or text format because the attachment was not coming through. Later we discovered that the attachment was infected and our system rejected it. On the second time, the attachment was truncated. We sent them several e-mails asking them to send it again. Finally, it might have been on the third or the fourth time, we received the whole 1.5 Megabyte sized attachment. They sent the attachment file, that was tens of pages long, with a message to us written in a shamefully threatening tone. The Doctor was mad. He wrote us a Politically incorrect threatening note. His note went something to effect of if you dont publish this article, we might set our own website. That we understood to mean that once they open their website, the readers will flock to their site and poor us will not have readers anymore. Of course, being politically correct, we smiled and let it go. But now since he is politically wrong, we will try to be, not politically correct, but politically right: A: You dont threaten websites with hollow if you dont publish my article I will set my own website nave remarks. Remember, the cyber territory can never be monopolized! We know that fact before we ventured into this domain. We wish there were thousands of websites more and encourage anyone who is able to publish a book, a newspaper, a magazine or a website, to do just that . B: Any reader, especially when they are Doctors, should know that Editors have the right to reject or publish any article. No one is exempt from the editorial decision. C: Our Website is an Eritrean Website with clear Mission Statement. It can never promote ideas and political values similar to those of Mahber Andnet that were rejected by Eritreans years ago. Though we recognize the right of individuals, and their associates, to pursue their political goals, we can never allow ourselves to be anyones accomplices in perpetuating politics similar to that of Mahber Andnet. Certainly, we cannot allow the propagation of such ideas on awate.com. Any political view that remotely believes that Eritrea is composed of the three Highland regions only is on a collusion course with our mission statement. Before the threatening message came across, our team had agreed to publish the article. Then, we decided not to heed to the threat because once one gives-in to a threat, he remains spineless. We do not have to explain the reason for rejecting articles but now since this was called for, the above were the reasons for rejecting the December 2000 Magna-lousy article. The Doctor, or his associates, lied when they claimed that awate.com rejected their article. We never received the latest article which carries the accusation. If we did however, rest assured we wouldnt have published it anyway. Not because we would have censored it, but because it is racist in content and we do not want to insult the intelligence of our readers. Individuals could come up with such articles, but when it comes from an association, it smells of racism. We do not condone organized racism. It is imperative to know that our indignation with the GoE and its president is not on the basis of race and familial linage; it is politics of governance. Eritrea is a proud country of cross-border racial ties, be it with Sudan, Yemen, Djibouti or Ethiopia. Some extremists in the Eritrean cyber world are accusing others of treason just because they didnt shout Weyane day in and day out. To them, screaming Weyane from the bottom of the lungs is a badge of Eritreanism and a seal of patriotism. We denounce them because they have proven time and again their racist stances. We feel that they are the custodians of the legacy of political culture left by Mahber Andnet. We believe there is something called Eritreanism around. It is here to stay. Its creation cannot be undone. For someone to leave behind sixty years worth of experiences, and tens of thousands of lives and sufferings, and to make a 360-degree turn to arrive back into the forties is a shame we dont want to be part of! But what are we part of? The current situation of Harorrrrrr that the PFDJ leadership is playing with the people is not honest at all. Remember Cowboy movies where a very thirsty man is tied to a pole and an arrogant Cowboy comes and teases him with a water jar just an inch from his lips and finally pours the water to the ground! We had word for that; remember Harrorrrr! He election was a public demand and was a result of popular pressure. As such, it is an achievement credited to all forces that struggled for democracy. However, there is no Carte-Blanc here. We should not allow the mishandling of our achievement. There are conditions that are needed for the success of the first step towards democracy. The issue of prisoners of conscience, the rotten Justice system, and reconciliation are pre-requisite for the success of any election and multi-party system. We do not want to have an election wesselam. That is not the end but the means. It should be treated as such.
The meeting of the PFDJ is being postponed indefinitely. Now that doesnt look like a party that is poised to enter an election and multi-party system! For those who like speculations, here is a quiz: Come December 2001, who will say I told you so? A- The skeptics who never believed anything that came from the PFDJ leadership. B- The pessimists who wish for the worst? C- The optimists who are very optimistic this time anyway D- I delegate the presidential office to choose for me After years of making fun of all the calls for democracy, those the mirrors are now supporters of democracy 9of course, the GoE says they accept). Now if tomorrow the PFDJ leadership releases the hostage named Arabic-language that it holds, they will all give us a lecture. That is not important. Lets push for a genuine reconciliation and democratization., Let that be our topic whenever we discuss with friend, relatives, acquaintances and family back home. Let's support forces of democracy wherever they are. Let everybody push for democracy and reconciliation and democracy and reconciliation and reconciliation and.. the awate team |
