On the eve of the Eritrean opposition movements’ conference, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia allow me to break my silence after a long hiatus. My goal is to explore the behavior and fate of a dictator and provide an opportunity for reflection as we look for an alternative to the current regime in Eritrea, accountable neither to rule of law nor to human decency.   

The current oppressive situation in Eritrea is neither new nor the worst in human history. Yet the regime of Isaias cannot be characterized as a benign dictatorship. Under such brutal regime, even the viability of Eritrea is in question now. How unfortunate it is for Eritreans to be in such predicaments after so much struggle and untold sacrifices. Their tenacity is being seriously challenged under the heavy weight of PFDJ’s oppression, deemed worse than the “Mengistu’s Dergue” regime. What an indictment on a liberation movement that turned to be more oppressive than the oppressor it fought to oust?

Of course the supporters of the regime will continue to “bury their heads in the sand” if they have nothing good to say, they will continue their attitude “see no evil, hear no evil.” Dictators like Isaias come in different names and countries but their behavior is the same as well as their fate. On the other hand, it is very sad that smart individuals like Isaias continue to repeat history instead of learning from it. The fate of the dictators being similar throughout history and across geography; they also end up entrapped by the systems they create.

The fate of a dictator continues to be true as the biblical truth which says, “if you live by the sword, you will die by the sword.” Their life style of brutality, oppression and murder seals their fate too. On the other hand dealing with human heart cannot be as black and white; there is always the possibility for redemption and deliverance. The possibility of conversion and reformation is always within human potential. Even at this stage of Eritrean history, we cannot eliminate such possibility. Yet as human beings looking at history, we can predict that the probability is less, especially with the passage of time.

In addition to the predictable fate of dictators, we need to look at the systems they create which end up entrapping them with no exit strategy. Dictators create a system to prolong their hold to power. Among the systems dictators create are corruption, selfish-individualism, opportunism, divisiveness, mistrust, etc. The entrapment becomes evident even when the dictator sees “the hand writing on the wall,”   those who benefited from such system or who see that their fate entwined with the dictator will use every trick and threat to keep the system in place. Zimbabwe can be a prime example of such entrapment; Mugabe’s recent election defeat, though evident, will not be recognized by the beneficiaries of his dictatorial system. No matter how strong Mugabe might be, his age defies that he is in full control. System players also prefer the status quo for fear of accountability to their misdeeds and use the dictator as a cover.

In Eritrea, though such entrapments are still in the making, the beneficiaries of the system are not fully entrenched. The “freezing and thawing” method of Isaias can be good evidence that he is still in control. The longer Isaias stays in power, system-beneficiaries will become more entrenched developing survival skills. Using the system to amass wealth; plundering the resources of the nation as their private property. Even if the entrenchment does not take place due to a regime change, we cannot underestimate the legacy of corruption and other negative behaviors lingering long after to the point of corrupting the next leadership.

The common behavior of dictators is power-drive, control, low self-esteem and fear (cowardice). First, a dictator has compulsive drive to power, therefore, to achieve his goals using unscrupulous method of “the end justifies the means.” Such method leads dictators to “no turning point” of their brutal method of rule and enforcing their will at whim. Therefore, no threat to his ability to control can survive around him.  A dictator uses the following methods to control and subjugate the citizens – defame, incarcerate, eliminate or exile which is happening in Eritrea before our eyes.

Dictators have low self-esteem and surround themselves with people they can easily control. Since dictators have no equals, no one around them can appear to be smarter, wiser or stronger. Any individual quality that overshadows a dictator is anathema. No wonder, Isaias is surrounded by people weaker than him. Dictators are allergic to assertive people. Of course, the environment is also good for opportunists who for selfish gains “become bed-follows with the devil.”  The cowardly nature of a dictator dominates his rationale behavior turning him into irrational and/or a killing machine, like the Tigrinya saying goes, “feraH ayiHazka” meaning – “may you never fall in the hands of a coward.”  Loyalty and honor are virtues that cannot find home in a dictator heart or head. Dictators are also manipulators; having the media under their full control, they use it as propaganda machine repeating lie after lie, brainwashing their subjects. For example, very few prolific writers are allowed to use their name, lest they shine brighter than the tyrant. A dictator is simply a “high school bully,” who never matured but elevated his aggressive behavior to a national level. A dictator always ends with undignified fate, erasing every “iota” of any positive accomplishments in the course of his life.

When the time for change comes, the hardest part is not to remove an oppressive regime, for everything comes to pass in due time. Undoing the moral, social, cultural, economic and political damage incurred by a dictatorial regime is the hardest. The legacy of dictator lingers long after the demise of a tyrant. The aggressive behavior of ousted dictators continues through the regimes that replaced them. My plea to fellow Eritreans in the opposition groups is to get rid of all the negative behavior and sentiments directed at each other, even at the regime you are committed to replace Eritrea’s expectation is that you transcend partisanship and become true statesmen that can reverse and heal the legacy of the wounds of an oppressive regime. Eritreans should look to the future with hope and optimism to rebuild their shattered lives. Who wants to imitate a tyrant with predictable fate that is undignified ending?