To: All members of EPP, its collective leadership and its chairman Mr. Weldeyesus Ammar Congratulations! On your successful founding congress of the Eritrean People’s Party (EPP)! Progress towards democracy seems unambiguously underway. The Eritrean dictatorship appeared invincible, invulnerable and strong with its military forces, police, execution squads and security and iron grip of the whole nation’s life and economy, while the democratic forces and the opposition appear hopelessly weak, disoriented and vulnerable. However history tells us sooner or later democratic forces unite to identify the Achilles heel of dictatorships destroying all its layers and armors. Furthermore history reveals, a notion something people waiting for change eagerly do not like to think of, that removing dictatorship and introducing sustainable democratic changes happen slowly and are costly. The Eritrean people endured unbearable losses of life and continue to suffer humiliating loss of dignity, human rights and extra judicial detention and killing in the last 17 years in contrast of the thirty years of struggle for independence. Compounded by independence euphoria and false hope of constitutional government the Eritrean people, the traditional and new opposition forces in and out of the country appeared at loss of finding any meaningful means of challenging and confronting the dictatorship. The efforts and voices of all opposition organizations, movements and civic societies seemed to neutralize each others efforts instead of finding a formula of strength and change. The beginning The 6th congress of ELF-RC ushered the good news of new strategies for building a strong democratic force block by block to remedy the problems and ills within the natural base of the forces of change. The proclamation of dissolving the ELF-RC so all nationals can have an opportunity to be the building blocks of the new party were the beginning to the right direction. Though transition to party seemed a logical path and wise decision, dissolving a twenty five years old organization was not easy decision by any standard of the history of ELF/EPLF or other political forces Eritrea has seen before. Living through the discussions, seminars and debate of the last two years I expected to see progress from the founding congress of the People Party. Yet I find the out come of the EPP founding congress by far beyond my expectation and capable of unfreezing and unleashing the potential of our people, young men and women educated and common people alike. I find, the EPP founding congress to be by far the best Eritrea has seen political endeavor and process that clearly defines a framework of all the various fundamentals and democratic transition components. The framework laid-out by EPP if every Eritrean political entity and individual rallies behind it has a potential to be the fundamental base to solve the diverse challenges we face as molti nationalities, religions and political organizations nation. The first of these components is an integrative framework of the different social processes of transition from the mind set of Jebha and Shaebia to the mind set of a one country. The components in the resolutions of EPP not only address new direction of conflict resolutions but envision how justice, freedom and democracy can be achieved in Eritrea. .
A second component of the integrative framework is the courageous and magnanimous resolutions that came of the EPP founding congress. The founding congress offered us with clear and unambiguous solutions to issues that have been not easy to discuss in the traditional opposing organizations. These are the issues of the frozen Eritrean constitution, the question of the national Flag and the issue of the boundary (Dob). The above issues have been thorny barriers between the old and new opposition groups, between the young and old generation and they have been a safe heaven for the dictatorship to manipulate, to fan the flames and conflicts within our society. Furthermore, the EPP congress ascended the level of political maturity with its call to respect all bilateral and multilateral agreements, covenants and pacts of ELF-RC with the various organizations, in complete contradiction to the nothing recorded nothing kept promises or pacts of DIA and PFDJ. The founding congress of the EPP resolutions presented the ideal situation of transition process that is orderly, uncomplicated and disconnected from unforeseen events. The call for peaceful democratic means of struggle of the EPP resolutions correctly reflects the cost of violent means of resolving political differences and is vindication to our society’s painful history of internal bickering and killings, alas without denying the opportunity of self defense and realistically calculated faster means of regime change (emphasis mine). There is no doubt the EPP has benefited from the extensive consultations with Eritrean political groups and individuals by ELF-RC leadership and the party formation Commission in the efforts of uniting the forces opposed to the dictatorship in our country. We are at a historic time, with the opening of challenges and potential of happy events with the resolutions EPP presents our people. I hope all of the branches and Zone members of ELF-RC are happy with the final product of their aspirations and hard work. I like to express my utter satisfaction that all of the mandates and recommendations aspired, recommended and mandated by the USA Zona conference of ELF-RC members in Indianapolis were fully reflected in the final product of the founding congress of the EPP. Addressing of important issues of land appropriations, unity frame work, participating and empowering the young, participating and empowering the women, most importantly giving equal opportunity and empowering the new members, Civil discourse in solving our political differences these and more mandated by the conference in Indianapolis were satisfactorily addressed. At the end let me finish with heartfelt fare well to ELF-RC and with a promise that its legacy and history will be kept in our hearts as long as we live. At the same time I say well-come to EPP saying the events of last month have given us reason of great hope and yet remind us of the challenges ahead. With this I call on all of our compatriots to rally behind our resolutions and our calls of unity.
Memories to our martyrs Our people will overcome |
