I recall my article by the same title (Part Six)
April 23, 2001 at asmarino.com.
Today’s topic is “culture of secrecy and suspicion”
In part six of the series “ Focus on election 2001” the debate was concerned
on establishing a system of governance in Eritrea instead of basing
the administration on trust to a personality of a leader. The debate
emphasized that the personality of a leader is seemingly correct and
a choice for stability and harmony of a country as long as the personality
is alive. But taking in consideration no personality is alive forever,
the devastating collapse of nations to chaos after the removal of the
personality either because of natural or man made consequences is a
lesson at present circumstances.
A leader who is loved, respected and trusted by its people has the right
to stay in office long until his retirement or natural death. A wise
leader using the chances given to him or her introduces a system and
save the country from chaos after his or her personality failure. An
egocentric and selfish leader fails to introduce a system and considers
all those who advocates for a system as his or her enemies and accuses
them for lame excuses by saying they are “jealous on me, they want power”
or accuses them as “reactionaries” who want to destabilize his or her
administration. The accusations are “long list” and defend for his or
her positions are cumbersome. Personality is very self centred and egotistic
by nature. It is based on fear to other personality and does all the
means to wipe out the contender personality from his or her administration.
Personality is ruthless and cruel in suppressing freedoms and believes
only on itself and has no trust on others. That is why systems are delivering
much better and stable results to societies we know by democratic system
of governance.
In Eritrea, fortunately enough we have a leader dedicated to the cause
of liberation and freedom of its people. The introduction of the slow
but progressive decisions to introduce freedom of press, draft for election
and draft for forming political parties are good sign which I say are
necessary at this stage but not sufficient to invite us to engagement.
I don’t say we failed but I can say we are far away from success to
bring reconciliation among the different sectors created due to the
long struggle for independence and the complex situation we are now
at the moment. There are factors that bring us together as one family
and there are other factors that separate us apart. Let us look at the
factors which I presume will be of interest to debate.
The independence of Eritrea is not a compromised issue of Eritreans
and that brings us together. Our commitment to fight external enemy,
except handful reneged, we are one, indivisible and we have solid unity.
In this respect we are like one family. On the other hand, the construction
of Eritrea, the peaceful coexistence of its people and the progress
we want to achieve are the positive factors that bring us together.
The aforementioned factors and other basic facts for our existence consolidate
our participation and our commitment to our country leaving aside the
few egocentric and selfish persons who are boycotters on the excuses
of opposition forces and other puny arguments.
It is a duty of every concerned Eritrean to defend the hard won independence,
the precious unity of our people and the progress we are looking for.
I think we the Eritrean people have to be adamant to accept the present
government as the only reliable and whom we can trust to lead us to
our final goal of prosperity, tranquillity and the construction of civilized
and democratic Eritrea. The appeal to accept the existing government
as the only alternative at this particular time can be argued by several
reasons. This article does not intend to cite all the factors, but some
of them. The first one argument is; Eritrea is a new country it needs
enough time at least 15 to 20 years to establish institutions for governance.
It is not easy to transform from guerrilla movement in bush to modern
administration in towns. What the Eritrean government doing in transforming
our society from a colonized mentality to a sovereign people is not
a simple task. Still the brutal governance of the colonizers has left
a scar of secrecy and suspicion in our mentality. Yet we didn’t managed
to completely say that we are free. If we look to the way we debate,
the lack of respect to other's free opinion, the character assassination
that we learned from our colonizers, the suspicion to the potentially
assumed contender and the utmost important diplomatic approach that
we were denied to exercise by the colonizers has left us to be suspicious
and all the time on defence. I say that the lack of diplomatic approach
in our response to other’s free opinion stems from the fact that we
are born and grown up in a society that was suppressed not to express
its own feeling as an individual person, but as collectively colonized
people. The colonization of Eritrea by different colonizers cemented
to our mode of life in fear, secrecy and suspicion to others. Above
all the colonization made us to be emotionally angry, aggressive and
we didn’t see diplomatic approach brings us a solution. We try to solve
our problem not diplomatically but by taking aggressive attack and by
hit and run tactic. Therefore, taking in consideration that we are new
nation and what the Eritrean government doing is to our benefit that
is to transform our society from the oppressed and colonized mentality
to civilized and free people, we have to lend our support to the Eritrean
government to accomplish its task successfully.
The second factor is the most essential to development and to harmonic
coexistence the economical factor. To tell you the truth, with out reservation,
about the economical status of Eritrea, if it would not have been of
the natural factor that the Eritrean people is hard working people by
now the country Eritrea would have collapsed. I am going to come back
with this sensitive topic some other time in detail, but for the time
being I would like to mention what seems me relevant related with our
today’s topic is the culture of secrecy and suspicion in our economical
policy. Eritrea as a newly independent state all capable bodies were
expected to actively engage in the construction of the country. On the
Eritrean government side it is doing its best in building health sector,
schools, agriculture, construction of buildings, dams and roads. That
is to the credit for the government. The participation of the people
in Diaspora, particularly in contributing money is difficult to express
it in words. With out the heroic participation of the Diaspora I could
not imagine if the country Eritrea would have existed by now.
Now let us talk of the sensitive issue that I promised to come in detail
some other time but briefly for our today’s related topic. Why is the
Eritrean government blocking or hindering the public not to participate
significantly or to be precise enough freely in the economic sector
of the country? You can tell me that it is new government it lacks experience
to let the people participate freely in the economic sector. Or you
can come with other different arguments I just let it to be free for
you to mention it. I tell you that The Eritrean government is doing
a grave mistake and that is going to discredit it in the future by not
liberalizing the economic sector. May be the government’s suspects of
creating difference in class formation of our society or does it want
to establish a controlled economical sector that do balance the nature
and development of Eritrea? I my self is confused person on the economy
policy of the government. It is said, “ we begin by confusion we end
up in more confusion”.
I believe that and it is correct to mention about evaluation of the
past 10 years events of our country. I had a discussion with my friend
here in Oslo about the issue of evaluation and the imperative task in
realising to Asses our situation in different sectors. My friend comes
up with in lighting idea of creating a ministry that handles the issue
of those Eritreans in Diaspora. As long as the Diaspora is playing a
crucial and significant contribution of money to the benefit of the
country the potentiality could be possibly exploited in far much better
way by handling it with ministerial level. We hear there are some grievances
especially by the Diaspora. I don’t think that the sympathy of the Diaspora
to the Eritrean government will go forever. There is limit to suppressing
grievances. Therefore, a ministerial level of handling the issue of
the Diaspora will be paramount to recognizing of the right of the Diaspora
in the say of the country. I say a fundamental humane right of the Diaspora.
Finally, though it is possible to mention other factors and say this
or that I prefer to have a gradual pace so that to stay on the on going
discussion for long time. I believe that we need to talk, discuses and
not to shortcut it at one time. The debate has to be too much and constantly
flowing as a stream. Let everybody say freely, but gently and diplomatically.
If we Eritreans believe that we are free people and respect the freedom
of every individual person I am sure that in short period of time we
are going to transform ourselves from emotional and aggressive character
to free, independent and tolerant people. But above all we have to accept
first and utmost the freedom of an individual person. We have to respect
that every individual has its own meaning and say on the common issue
of our country. It is only by respecting the freedom of an individual
that we save Eritrea from chaos. I have mentioned in my pervious article
that the urgent task of us is to build a system. A system that grants
the freedom of every individual and that maintains the stability, unity
and development of our beloved country mother Eritrea. By this occasion
I would like to express my joy in celebrating the 10th anniversary of
independence of Eritrea. It is my sincere wish Eritrea and its people
to have peace, freedom, tranquillity and happiness. Congratulation for
the hard won independence.
God bless Eritrea
Tesfamicael Yohannes
Oslo, Norway