McGua, who used to host a political talk show program, is retired from politics.  But, like a true African, he has groomed his son, McGua Manjos, to take over the family business.    McGua Manjos is, by the standards of �offsprings-of-the-famous,� sincere and hard working enough and a typical late-bloomer.  When his dad wrote us asking that we give his son a job, we thought that was corrupt and a bad case of nepotism but we decided to test him, anyway.   He brought us a journalism certificate from Hadas Eritra where he was the designated softball questioner of PFDJ officials, to wit: �is there any message you want to convey to the Eritrean people? What could the Eritrean people do for the Party to prove their patriotism to the country?�  Well, that was good enough for us.

Following on this fine journalism practice of Hadas Ertra, we sent him to interview all our dignitaries, celebrities and our politicians.  We asked him to do one thing: go to your subjects, at exactly one o�clock in the afternoon, their local time, (1:00 PM) and ask one simple question: �What Time Is It?�     These are the answers he brought back:

(1) Mahmoud Sherifo

Before I answer that question, let me ask you: what have you heard in terms of what time it is? If you ask me the question, I would say it is time to implement the constitution, that is what time it is.  If there is anyone who says I told him what time it is in exchange for one red cent, let him come forward. I am ready to challenge him. The president doesn�t want to tell you what time it is because he fears you may tell him, �your time is up.�  Time is what he says it is when he wants to say it.  The committee in charge of telling you the time has been disbanded by the president and its responsibilities snatched.  There is nothing I know about what time it is, other than what I hear unofficially; perhaps you can go ask the president what the official time is�Victory to the Masses!

(2) Haile DruE

This is a valid question.  Those who are opposed to telling what time it is may give the following reasons:

(i)  We have other priorities than to look at a watch;

(ii) The act of telling time is divisive as it encourages people to tell time in different languages;

(iii) The people are not ready to talk about time

(iv)  What time zone shall we use?  Will it be Greenwich Mean Time?  Shall we have daylight savings? Shall we use digital or analog watches?

Let us know spend some time (believe me, I have a lot of time) to look at the objections presented and see if there is any merit to them:

(i) Do we have other priorities?  If we do, isn�t the act of setting priorities a matter of recognizing that time is finite?  And if time is finite, shouldn�t it be measured and managed?  Have we been managing our time well?  And what is the meaning of management?  I would conclude that all priorities come second place when seen in light of telling what time it is.

(ii) Does telling time encourage divisiveness?  How?  What is so wrong if people tell their time in their own language?  Have we not said that the equality of all languages in telling time shall be respected?  What, then, is the problem?

(iii) What is the right time for people to talk about time?  What is so wrong for people to say, �this is the time for the president to resign?�  Isn�t it the right of the people to say that?

(iv) As to what time zone, this is a question that geographers have addressed.  Even in the 1940s, Eritreans used to tell what time is it.  There can be mechanisms to adjust time for the specific locality�

But we have people in government now who, although one can�t say they don�t know how to read their watch, it is safe to say they have never used a mechanical watch that needs to be wound everyday at noon.  Now let me tell you about the specific benefits of each arguments in great detail�do you have time?  Hello?  Come back, I am not done.

(3) Zemehret Yohannes

I am not going to answer your question because you are not a journalist.  At least not anymore. Now you work for the enemy, the tabloid Awate.com.   Just because someone is carrying a badge and a microphone does not mean he is a reporter.    Also, I know you are not a journalist because you no longer work for Hadas Ertra and only government press is genuine press.  I don�t believe in �free press��that is an imperialist concept that promotes capitalist values of yellow journalism.  It is best that we stop importing dangerous ideas like asking �what time is it?� from foreigners, and practice local time-telling, using the position of the sun and the shadow it casts through a hole in Tenkobet, a straw roof.  That is what my reading of my favorite foreigners, Lenin, Marx, Engels, Kim Il Sung and Mao teaches me. The rich have enough advocates, why should they get the media to promote their greed as well? Time is running out on me to prove I am a man of the Hafash. Do we have enough time for social engineering? Are we representing all ethnic groups in the songs on time on our programs on Haddas Eritra, Haddas TV Ere, Haddas Dmsi Hafash? Time is not important here. Even the Haddas Land Cruiser I drive has a clock on its dashboard. You can go and see the car and the clock. Go now. Victory to the Masses.

(4) Yemane Gebreab

On the surface, this might sound like an innocent question.  But dig deeper and you see its ramifications.  On principle, we are not opposed to telling what time it is and, in fact, we are willing to show flexibility, mtES�Saf on the matter.  Having said that, though, it should be remembered that the subject should be treated with caution as it has a potential to divide people.  Taboos we had successfully buried could resurface.  As if, just yesterday, we didn�t struggle together without asking, �what time is it?� to ask, now, �what time is it in your local time?  What kind of watch do you have?� is dangerous.  We expect the malcontents like you, the Woyane and the non-existent Opposition would ask such an untimely question but when senior cadres and leaders of the Front join in this pastime of asking �What Time Is It?� I should warn you that we are not just going to ignore this question, we will confront it head on and, without mercy, foil it. If you are claiming you know a better time teller than that of our office, we will break their watches.  You just watch it. Victory to the Masses!

(5) Hagos �Kisha�

In the short time it takes me to answer your question, the naqfa would be devalued and the exchange rate for the dollar could change.  Time is very important in one aspect only; time is interest and interest is money.  We are for the Interest of the people and that is why we charge them high interest calculated in real time, compounded hourly. So time is money and I don�t have time to waste so come back when you can fill the PFDJ coffers with some money to make up for my lost time. Time is right only when you can count it in Dollars. It is time to count Dollars, Lires, Riyals and Sterlini.  They can have all the victory they want but No Money to the Masses!

(6) Ahmed Nasser

Before I tell you what time it is, I have to point out that here, I am not representing the views of the ELF-RC or the Alliance.  And of course, I should point out that whatever answers I may or may not give you are, of course, subject to the findings of a sub-committee that will decide the time, democratically, once the Committee on Time Telling meets and includes your question in the agenda.  The ELF-RC is thoroughly democratic, as you know, meaning, within the context of democratic centralism, and it doesn�t take your question lightly.  It is precisely for this reason that the ELF has passed a resolution, (Resolution 75 sub 12) in its earlier Conference between Two Times which, for understandable reasons, was slightly delayed.  But this is not new to our struggle.  As far as the ELF-RC is concerned, ten o�clock always follows nine o�clock and precedes eleven o�clock.  This is a scientific fact that cannot be changed by the dictatorial regime in Asmara and there should be no compromise on this matter, even on nano-seconds.   The Eritrean people have struggled for decades to assert their right to tell the time and, with time, and appropriate timing, so it will be timed.  Anesru lijemahir!!

(7) Herui T Bairou

Your question reminds me about the time I was in Agordat, when I was nine years old, and this friend of mine, I still remember him, Mustapha Zul-saA came to me and he said, �What Time IS IT?� Ah, we had a good laugh.  The thing about watches is, what matters is the small hand, the hour hand, which is the strategic hand.  The minute hand, or, worse, the second hand, are not that significant as they deal with tactics.  What the PFDJ is doing is declaring that all time is the possession of the state and that the second hand is as important as the hour hand.  Can you believe that?  All this in the name of New Eritrea while they insist on all of us wearing one watch that tells time only in Tigrigna. Don�t even get me started about their policy on time in regions west of Adi Tekelezan.  The only time that matters is December 2001.

(8) General Uqbe Abraha

Time? It is time to synchronize all our watches and meet and declare, in unison, what time it is.  When new recruits came to us in Mahmimet, the first thing we did was take their watches. We knew our struggle was long and we didn�t want them to worry calculating the time left for victory. We wanted people to redefine their view of time and all of them to agree on one thing: the right time is whatever my commanding officer says is the time. Ah, those were the good old days.  Victory to the masses!

(9) Abdella Idris

The only time I know is the time on a time bomb.  It is time for war, that is what time it is.  It is time for people like you to stop talking and asking silly questions and start shooting.   This is how I will tell you what time it is.  I will go to Isaias, I will point my gun at him and shout, �Arden!� and when he is on the ground, I will take his wrist-watch from his bloody hands, then I will tell you what time it is.  Then I will smash the watch to little pieces and start anew, with my own watch, whose brand will be distributed to all Eritreans. As long as the dictator Isaias is in power, Eritreans will not be able to lift their arm and look at their watch�

(10) Haile Menkorious

I would like you to get together with all your journalist friends and pose your questions in writing.  Then I will answer all your questions�Let�s do it next week.  Actually, I have reconsidered my position: I think answering questions of �WHAT time is it?� may accidentally answer the question of �What TIME is it?� or, even worse, �What Time IS IT?� and I would prefer that my answers be not be misconstrued by the Woyane with whom we may or may not be in a state of war.  Victory to the Eritrean people!

(11) Petros Solomon

Wait, wait! Don�t say a word: I know why you are here.  You want to ask, �What time is it?� Right?  It is time to go fishing.  Just kidding.   Remember I was the Revolutionary Guard and once halewa sewra, always halewa sewra: I see, hear, and feel everything.  Time and space to me are not linear but on a continuum with no beginning or end.  I can warp time.  I can be young and old at the same time.  What I know is that people my age should retire from telling time and pass on the responsibility to younger people with better vision.  Are you aware how specially appealing and attractive what I said is and that, now that I have shown my distaste for telling time, I will be begged to be the professional time-keeper?  In fact you should give me your watch because you seem to be restless counting hours. Hold on, I have a call, it won�t take more than a few minutes�  �hello?  Yes, yes.  Just like we agreed.  Right.  Bye.�  Right on plan�now, what was your question?   Oh, yes, victory to the masses!

(12) Seyoum �Harestai�

The peasants are poor. They don�t even have roosters to tell them the time. Their land is all taken by the dictatorial regime in Asmara. In solidarity with the peasants, I will ask you to get me a rooster and I will let you find out the time at sunrise. I lived for years in Adi Khwala prison. People tell me it was ten years. I don�t know because I didn�t have a watch then and I will not use my watch until the dictatorship is rooted out.

(13) Girma Asmerom

I had an Oris watch and I liked it very much. Romers are better than Oris but I hated Romers because they said Haile Sellasie owned some shares of the Romer Company. Imperial Ethiopia used to count time using the Royal Watch, which was Romer.  Now it will be unfair for me to even think of reading time in this Japanese watch. I reject the idea of telling time until Oris reclaims its glory of the sixties and seventies. I was a footballer in Addis Ababa and, at half time, I would wipe my Oris with my sweat and it was the cleanest watch ever. I kept it all those years and now it is in the Embassy premises in Addis with the thieving Woyanes.

(14) Dr Bereket Habteselasi