When the end nears, authoritarian regimes take the lives of other victims alongside their own. Even when some, who don�t give up on them, throw a rope to save them from drowning, they grab it and pull the would-be savers dawn with them. This is what the PFDJ character (and lately others) embodies: egoistic, arrogant and suicidal.

For years, patriots pleaded to the PFDJ leaders to reconcile, to reform and to be just. Instead, they chose to widen the social differences and saw mistrust among the people. Instead of reforming, they transformed into a full-fledged cultist authoritarian regime. They wasted the resources of the nation and tried to kill the spirit of its people by enslaving them. Time and again they proved that they are not about reconciliation and stability; but about confrontation and chaos. Such were the situations over forty years ago. And that was why on September 1 of 1961, the defiance echoed to all corners of Eritrea; today that defiance still rages on.

The Day Awate Defied�.

A man of great valor and a great sense of dignity, Awate led the way and the reclaimed the honor of Eritreans. That honor is still being raped; and as long as injustice rules, the victims will not roll over and die; they will defy and they are reclaiming their honor once more. Individuals might tire and give up, and capitulate; whole societies do not. Those who claim what is rightly theirs do not tire. The spirit of Awate�s defiance rules supreme.

The PFDJ and their leader tried to erase our memory. They wanted to make us disown our guiding spirit. They wanted to replace Awate � the bravest man Eritrea bore was portrayed as an outlaw. For years, the PFDJ literature wronged the most gallant man in our history. For years, they denied that September 1 ever existed. They denied that Awate and his rifle existed. They denied the most deafening sound the mountains of Adal ever echoed on that blessed September Day. They could not erase the memory. They saw their failure written all over. Why did they do it?

It is the philosophy of the PFDJ and its boss:  Eritrean history (always tampered by PFDJ revisionists) is not large enough to accommodate two supreme heroes let alone tens of them! If so, a single person would be dwarfed; and that is not acceptable in the cult culture of the PFDJ - the cult leader is the only great hero. Awate should not steal the limelight.

In the mid-eighties, the EPLF started to celebrate September- why after so long Awate-bashing years?

Many give credit to the Sagem group, an early eighties offshoot of the ELF, that joined the EPLF. They claim that Sagem did influence the narrow views of the PFDJ�s predecessor to improve a little bit. However, Sagem was too insignificant in the PFDJ hellhole to influence the Cult. Others believe it was a pragmatic move by the PFDJ and was taken after the military elimination of the ELF by a joint TPLF-EPLF assault in 1981. The sole control of the Eritrean field by the EPLF and its need to own the history of the ELF paved the way for the gradual transformation in recognizing the heroism of Awate. 

Though some leaders with super egos felt like political bastards in relation to Awate; others felt they owned the man alone. In the other hand, the PFDJ presented itself as the only organization that contributed to the independence of Eritrea denying recognition to the struggles of other organizations. However, nothing will change the fact that the independence of Eritrea was a natural end result of what Awate launched.

The PFDJ tried in vain to erase the memory of Awate from Eritrean and when it failed to succeed in doing so, it changed strategies; now it is trying to own him alone. Naturally, the cult leader is presented as the only continuation (if not a substitute) of Awate. The PFDJ believes now is the right time to monopolize the legacy of Awate; and systematically make the transformation- Awate, Awate, Isate, Isate, Isaias. Isaias. Done.

How about the rest�.

A few months ago, Mohammed Ahmed Abdu passed away in Khartoum without visiting his country after spending a lifetime struggling to free it from the yoke of Ethiopian occupation. Similarly, countless heroes and heroines left this world silently without any recognition. They could not even get a small plot in the Eritrean land to be buried in. We live with shame. Yes, we live with shame.

The Sudan is full of old men, brave heroes of the liberation struggle, living their last days in destitution, in exile, away from the land for which they wasted their lives. Others, some almost blind because of old age, distribute political leaflets to the populace, something they did for decades - never giving up and always determined to continue the struggle-they can�t let go off!  The walking human records of our history are leaving one after another and our leaders seem to be drowning in their petty �designer� power struggle projects. It is a shame.

Two weeks ago, another great man died in exile. Idris Mohammed Adem, a man who refused to bow to Haile Sellasie when he aborted the federation died in Saudi Arabia and was buried there.

Sheikh Idris was a man who had a clear vision on what needs to be done. He left his parliamentary position, and �went to the students� in Cairo. He knew the solution lies with the students. Searching for a brave patriot who would lead the struggle, �he identified Awate�. He put together the two most important components for a successful struggle: student energy to lead politics and a rebellious patriot to lead an armed uprising - that can only be planned by a seasoned politician. The ELF came into being.

After the formation of the ELF, Sheikh Idris, together with the late Idris Gelawdeos and the late Osman Saleh sabbe became members of the Supreme Council whose internal differences was reflected on the military wing of the ELF inside Eritrea. Regardless of some people�s differences with some aspects of the way the Supreme Council handled the political administration of the nascent ELF, Sheikh Idris had a goal, a clear vision and a watertight plan to execute it. Things didn�t go well after the independence of Eritrea. What we see in Eritrea today is not what the struggle was all about. However, for those who were struggling to push the �Amhara� out, there was a full success there. But for those who struggled for human dignity, justice and equality, the job is still unfinished.

There is anger�

Some people fled Haile Sellassie�s regime and came back to their country after he was deposed. Later on, others fled the Dergue regime and they returned to their country when the Dergue was uprooted. Some left Haile Sellasie rule and have not returned yet. Others fled the Dergue regime and are still condemned to exile. Worse, others are fleeing from the PFDJ regime; the regime wishes they get lost forever or die out (Just like tens of opponents of the PFDJ regime).

The incumbent is playing a waiting game and an evil wish: �they will all die in time�. Wrong. The spirit lives on. What they are suffering for will be achieved regardless of whether they witness it physically at home or die in exile like their predecessors. Eritrea is independent; but Eritreans have yet to be freed.

How can a government welcome Haile Sellasies� puppies while patriots linger in exile? Why would a regime be so cuddly with the remnants of the Dergue and shun patriots- in many cases patriots who instilled �nationalism� in today�s rulers? Thanks to the cruelty of the PFDJ, our patriots are living and dying in exile while many who sucked the nation�s blood are strolling on its avenues with the blessings of the current government. Thanks to the fear instilled on our people by their own children, the PFDJ, parents watch helplessly while their children become toys for the ruthless rulers. Worse, some selfish individuals, driven by their greed are collaborating with the regime against justice. What is happening in our country is wrong, unjust and must end.

The Way Forward�

Still, the regime in Asmara is bent on taking the whole country down the drain with it; it is our responsibility to prevent that. It is evident that reconciliation, inclusion, reformation and justice are subjects far from the regimes priorities. Ironically, the regime insults our intelligence by busying itself sometimes reconciling Sudanese and other times Somali factions when it divides is own citizens. It is upon the free willed Eritrean patriots to take charge and do what it takes. It is upon our armed forces to protect the people and not the regime. It is upon our misled nationals to stop receiving bribes from the regime in terms of land and houses. The nation belongs to all citizens and people have got to be aware of the consequences. Kab leba teqebali leba � people should not receive what is given to them by a thief and the PFDJ is a big thief . Keep defiance alive� persistently.

If this could reach Secretary Kofi Anan!

We don�t want to repeat what we wrote about the PFDJ�s hysterical campaign to be counted in the USA�s �Coalition of the willing� to unseat Iraq�s dictator. That maneuver failed because no one trusts a dictator who pretends to be against another member of his dwindling species of dictators. 

Recently, the media indicated that president Bush asked the UN to take up the task of securing Iraq. Unless Iraq is secured, it would not be easy to reconstruct the country and establish rule of law and democracy. It seems now that the task of building a multi-national peacekeeping force for Iraq is now in the hands of the UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan.

Eritrea has already started to lobby: the PFDJ wants to send thousands of soldiers to Iraq within the UN peacekeeping force. The motive is obvious; and the scenario is anybody�s guess.

First, the parents of the soldiers would be asked to sign a several-thousand dollar worth bond to guarantee the return of the soldiers after they end their services in Iraq � no one who gets a chance to go out of the country is willing to return as long the PFDJ is ruling. Secondly, the PFDJ would make arrangement to pay the soldiers in Nackfa (after imposing heavy opportunity-tax on the salaries of the soldiers) and hand the hard currency to Hagos Kisha�s tellers and treasurers. Thirdly, and this is the worst, the PFDJ would believe it is a peacekeeping government and that the UN and the international community is rewarding it for its brutal governance!

We don�t believe the UN will accept Eritrea�s offer simply because the government lacks legitimacy and has failed to make peace with its own citizens and it would not be trusted to meddle in the affairs of a complicated country like Iraq.

As can be seen in the State Department�s report, and other reports by international organizations including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and others, Eritreans are being subjected to grave injustice and violations of their basic rights. On September 18, it will be two years since elders in their late seventies and eighties (who tried to reconcile the leaders), together with high-ranking government officials (who challenged the regime to implement the constitution and hand power to the people) were jailed. So far, none of the jailed was officially charged and they all continue to be denied visitation rights. 

Any regime that doesn�t respect its elders and its own members unless they are submissive and willing to surrender their rights is not a trustworthy regime. Such regime should not be endorsed, even indirectly, by a world organization like the UN. That is why we don�t think the hysterical campaign by the PFDJ to gain �legitimacy�, by sending troops to Iraq, would bear fruit. On the contrary, we think the UN should consider deploying peacekeepers in Eritrea to protect the people from the transgression by their own authoritarian government, the PFDJ.

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