Dear Generation Hope 

This is further to the promise I made in my last essay � �to ponder on fundamental issues�. Please bear in mind the caveats therein too. 

I envy people who write with so much confidence that they can diagnose what goes on in the mind of someone like the President of the State of Eritrea who, these days, seems to be hell bent on shooting every toe on his two feet. 

I envy them regardless of whether they actually believe what they write (leaving no room for doubt) or they are simply attempting to drum up support to oppose the president.  

Perhaps it is as simple as some make it out to be. Absolute power corrupts, and this man�s actions can only be attributed to that; the erratic whims of a tyrant who has had unchallenged authority for so long that he knows no other way even in the face of acute suffering to others or eminent disaster to himself. 

Perhaps it is something else. Perhaps he has a vision for the nation and its people which he is willing to pursue at any cost. A high risk strategy of trampling on every value held dear by Eritreans if it stands (or is perceived to stand) as an obstacle to this vision.  

But then I ask myself, what vision can it be that merits risking the nation�s integrity? What vision can endure the current suffering of the people of Eritrea and still deliver? What vision is worth squandering the post-independence good will from the people towards the president and his government? 

It can�t simply be a case of wanting to stay in power for the longest period of time. Despite everything that has been said about the man in the last year and half, I am convinced he never faced a credible contender from within PFDJ (even after the war with Ethiopia); nor would any of his ex-PFDJ, born-again detractors have blinked an eye if he had schemed to prolong his rule without resorting to the extreme measures he took, so long as they were allowed to tag along.  

I am stumped.  

Perhaps the man is simply out of touch; surrounded by sycophants who tell him what he wants to hear and he really believes that there is nothing drastically wrong with the state of affairs in our fledgling nation.  

Something tells me this is a cop-out explanation. As much a cop-out as the one that psycho-analyses the president to conclude he is motivated by deep rooted hate and a desire to humiliate the Eritrean people. 

I am still stumped. A plea of insanity on the president�s part, as cited in Gedab�s latest tidbit, is starting to sound as plausible as any of the above explanations. 

No matter what though, please let us not fail to learn appropriate lessons. Let us keep asking, nay keep demanding from, all those who want us to organize and mobilize under their umbrellas, what exactly they have to offer.  

President Isaias Afwerki and the PFDJ have killed once and for all the era of following our leaders with limitless trust. Let us force our aspiring leaders to think out and clearly articulate what they stand for, what they expect from us and what we can expect from them and the organizations they represent. In this vein, I will continue from where I left in my last essay. 

ON STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE 

Does your party�s strategy for effecting change in Eritrea include or exclude armed struggle?  

If your party believes armed struggle against the GoE is warranted, how do you answer those (including myself) who assert that nothing can justify another phase of war and destruction in Eritrea? 

If your party believes armed struggle against the GoE is warranted, would the objective be to overthrow the GoE only or would you also instate a replacement? Who, how, when and for how long? 

If your party believes armed struggle against the GoE is warranted, what would be its legitimate targets? Specifically (a) would your party membership have a say on what is a legitimate military target or not? (b) Would the economic infrastructure of the PFDJ be a legitimate target?  

In this post-cold-war era, armed struggle is unlikely to attract external support (even if it is against a despot) unless tied to the third party�s own interests. If your party believes armed struggle against the GoE is warranted, which countries/organizations are likely to provide material or moral support to you and why? 

If your party believes armed struggle against the GoE is NOT warranted: 

Does your party have either a concrete plan or a general strategy for bringing about the changes in governance it espouses? Was there any input from your ordinary membership into this plan/strategy? Does the plan envisage a get together of some sort with other opposition parties (reconciliation conference, national salvation front, etc). Does the plan envisage a role for the independent civil and political organizations that are being continuously formed among Diaspora communities? 

If your party believes armed struggle against the GoE is NOT warranted: 

Does your party believe a regime change is essential or can the changes you seek happen with the PFDJ in control of the reigns of power? In other words, can the PFDJ (with or without Isaias at the helm) be persuaded or forced to a negotiated transition?  

Assume president Isaias Afwerki�s self inflicted draining of public support continues, what is the most likely scenario for hand over of power to a representative government elected by the people? Does your party see a role for the armed forces in this transition?  

If hand over of power to genuine, elected representatives of the people of Eritrea were to take place according to your party�s plan, how long would the whole process take?  

How do you see the role of the Diaspora in bringing about democratic governance in Eritrea? 

Dear Generation Hope 

I will stop the questioning here for today. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Awate.com on the new facelift and to urge you and all Awate.com readers to respond generously to the Team�s fund raising campaign. This site has done more than most to inculcate the culture of discourse among Eritreans without lowering the bars of tolerance and mutual respect too much. It deserves our support.