My motto: Exclusion ends in
violence. Inclusion ends in justified election.
Good bye year 2002. Welcome year 2003.
In year 2002, elections of administrators and manageress
in villages of the different zobas in Eritrea were held. I registered
it, as the first step to democratization in Eritrea. Eritrean people's
say was counted, at the village level. In year 2003, we expect, elections,
for regional and national level. Let God help and give wisdom to
our leaders to bring the whole Eritrean people as one family. When
I pray to God to give wisdom to our leaders I mean to include all opposition
groups and individuals without exception. On the other hand, I pray
to God, to give wisdom for the leaders of the opposition groups, they
to be governed by law and order of the land and they to pay respect
for the existing government, such that, the Eritrean government to be
able to perform its duty normally.
While we talk of elections, as the only way to solving
our political problems, our country, Eritrea, is facing unpredicted
danger of drought. Our people needs humanitarian help and at the for
front those who advocates human right are expected to act practically.
Following are elections waged by the Eritrean government
and the opposition groups. The former is legal, the later is illegal.
I am brining this issue just for the record, to remember how 2002 was
look alike for us. Past is past and we have to look forward with hope
and dedication to do positive for Eritrea. As long as our aim is to
bring happiness to the Eritrean people, we have to be courageous enough
to forgive even if we don't forget it. The ultimate aim has to be, to
construct one Eritrean family. And that has to be done without excluding
even a single Eritrean person. Here follows the record for year 2002.
Elections Waged By The Eritrean Government (source
shaebai.org)
Elections of Administrators of Zoba Debub (Southern
Region) of Eritrea.
There are 197 villages in Zoba Debub (Southern Region)
of Eritrea. It means that one administrator and one deputy for each
village has been elected. Out of a total of 394 Administrators and
Deputies elected 47 were women of whom 4 are Administrators and 43 Deputies.
Now, we know that a pilot election in the Zoba Debub
( Southern Region) of Eritrea is tested and the result seems promising.
The elected administrators term is for one year and their activities
is going to be monitored closely. This is going to be the base for future
elections in Eritrea. On this occasion, I would like to congratulate
the Eritrean government for its recognition of the basic human rights
and that is conducting elections and counting the say of the people.
I hope soon this trend to follow to the national election. By doing
that the Eritrean people's say will be counted at the national level
as well. Therefore, I say good luck for those who took responsibility
to administrate and wishing overall success to the Zoba Debub.
Asmara, December 3, 2002 (ERNA News)-- Elections
for administrators and managers began in Zoba Anseba on December 2 in
the subzobas of Hamelmalo and the environs of the administrative region
of Gezgeza, according to ERNA from the place.
During the opening of the election, Mr. Yemane Gila'u
called upon the inhabitants of the region to elect a person who will
work for the development of the region and is capable of efficient administration.
In the election conducted in Gezgeza one administrator and one manager
were elected and five village counselors were appointed by the people.
The election was just and fair according to observers from the place.
According to the program of the election committee,
the election will be held in 106 administrative regions and will continue
until December 31.
Gezgeza is situated 30 km east of Keren and has a population
of about 3,000.
Akordet, December 8, 2002 (Shaebia News) --- The people
of Zone One in the city of Akordet started the rally cry of "Sererai!
Sererai!" after the election committee made clear the rules,
regulations and the process of the election for administrators, their
deputies and the mediator committee to the people.
The first man to nominate the first candidate for Zone One's administrator
did so for Sererai. This was followed by ear piercing shouts
of approval from men and ululating of women. We were witnessing the
culmination of the whole electoral process for the election of one administrator
and a deputy of one of Akordet's zones. Though overwhelming support
for candidate Sererai was evident from the beginning, as election
had to proceed formally and regularly, the process continued.
The electoral committee asked the man who nominated
Sererai to give the reasons for his choice. "Briefly, Sererai
is like 'gemel rebaE' and 'meftH engliz'! You all know 'gemel rebaE'
(the dependable and strong male camel) carries everything and 'meftH
engliz' (adjustable spanner) unfastens and loosens every problem. So
I vote to him to lead us," the man said and again thunderous shouts
of agreement from the voters followed.
Candidate Sererai's full name is Hamid Mohamed Idris.
Right after the man who nominated him, the people began to call him
either "gemel rebaE" or "meftH engliz" according
to their tastes for each metaphor.
We wondered what "gemel rebaE" meant to the people? We soon
found out that Gemel rebaE is that strong male camel that bears the
unbearable and harsh situation and carries the whole family and its
possession from place to place in the nomadic mode of life of our people.
RebaE is powerful enough to carry the "agnet" (the traditional
oval shaped portable hut of the pastoralists), the children, old men
and women, bride and all her belongings, etc. In the eyes of the people,
Sererai deserved such praises because symbolically to be a RebaE
is to be enduring and tolerant in as much as every individual in society
can never be fully satisfied equally regardless of the administrator
is put in place.
"MeftiH engliz" is a sort of simple device like a spanner
or adjustable wrench, which might have been first introduced to the
common people during the British Period. Perhaps the British who administered
Eritrea in the 1940s may have widely used such wrenches and spanners
to dismantle the factories, economic enterprises and other infrastructural
legacy of Eritrea that was constructed during the Italian period. The
people believe that nothing is impossible with these type of devices;
even heavily corroded large nuts and bolts and joints of steel could
be unfastened. And thus, for the people, such a symbol as "meftiH
engliz" was befitting to one of the caliber of Sererai who didn't
shy away from tackling the people's problems and his skill to come up
with a solution for every problem was known to all.
Sererai became the first candidate of the people.
Other candidates included Su'ad Mohamed Ali, Aberash Woldemariam,
Mohamed Ali Osman, Mohamed Mohamed Omer, Teages Solomon, and Asenai
Idris. It was from all these candidates, that the people were to
elect one administrator and his/her deputy.
The electoral committee prepared three ballot boxes
and showed the people that they were all empty before the start of the
election. Every voter was provided with a sealed polling card in which
the voter would write.
ERITREA: Opposition alliance establishes leadership,
vows to topple Isayas (source IRINnews.org)
ADDIS ABABA, 24 Oct 2002 (IRIN) - Hiruy Tedla Bairu, the new secretary-general
of an alliance of Eritrean opposition forces, has said the aim is to
set up a "democratically elected administration" in Eritrea
as soon as possible.
The conference, which brought together some 14 opposition
groups, also elected Abdella Idris - leader of the Eritrean Liberation
Front independence movement - as AENF chairman.
Although the alliance insists it is a peaceful political
group, Hiruy said that military action would be up to the leadership
"as a matter of policy". He said they planned to call on the
Eritrean diaspora in Europe to help topple the Eritrean government.
"The country needs a massive social movement,"
he said.
At the end of the conference on Tuesday, the AENF approved
a charter which sets out its strategy, including a whirlwind diplomatic
tour to win the backing of the international community.
The alliance - which was holding its fifth regular
conference since its establishment in 1999 - also wants to hold a national
conference in "two to three months' time", although it has
not fixed a venue.
Hiruy, the son of Eritrea's first leader under
the federation with Ethiopia, said his group would use radio and cyber
campaigns to target the Eritrean leadership.
But Eritrean government sources dismissed the conference
as a "non-starter". "It has no significance in Eritrea,
neither for Eritreans," the sources told IRIN.
The AENF has also been criticised from within for being
too close to its neighbours - Ethiopia and Sudan. The Eritrean Liberation
Front-Revolutionary Council (ELF-RC), which was involved in the Addis
Ababa talks, walked out, claiming that forging alliances with former
foes of Eritrea would undermine the party.
Conclusion, year 2002 is passing away leaving its legacy
to year 2003. Are we just counting ages?. Some people say time is moving
we are at standby. Yes, it is true, time is successive while place is
contingent. It means that we can live side by side, contingent, and
we can't replace one another, in place, but in time. When some people
say there is no change, they mean in substance. If there could not be
change of substance, then how could be change come? To bring change
there must be complete transformation of the state of condition. It
means that there could not be the same thing at different times, but
it is possible to have different things in the same place at different
times. Therefore, if we know that we can be contingent, but not successive,
in places we exist, then it is up to us to be harmonious and coexistent.
And if we know that, we can be successive with time, but not contingent,
then it is up to us to give time to succeeded one another. I welcome,
the activities, that are interested to bring the Eritrean people as
one family and abandon this evil dogmatism of ELF and EPLF divisive
politics.
I wish to all of you happy Christmas
and good New year.
God bless Eritrea and Eid Mubarak for my Moslem brothers
and sisters.
Tesfamicael Yohannes
Oslo, Norway
The following note is, from the book "ROGUE STATE", by William
Blum.
quotation from "Perverting Elections".
"It shall be unlawful for a foreign national directly
or through any other person to make any contribution of money or other
thing of value, or to promise expressly or impliedly to make any such
contribution, in connection with an election to any political office
or in connection with any primary electionÂ….
Title 2, United States Code Amended (USCA), Section
441e(a)"
Additional information about elections in Eritrea,
Hagere Eretra/al-Dawla al-Iritra (State of Eritrea)
Executive:
President: Issayas Aferworki (1993) PFDJ
The president is an interim president not yet elected. The government
is formed by the PFDJ.
Parliament:
The Hagerawi
Baito (National Assembly) has 104 members, 60 members appointed
and 44 members representing the members of the Central Committee of
the People's Front for Democracy and Justice. According to the IPU parliament
has 150 indirectly elected members. The National Assembly was composed
in february 1992.
AFP reported that Eritreans have elected 399 representatives in the
country's six regions in a lengthy process that will lead to the formation
of a constituent assembly. The regional elections began on 4 january
1997 in some parts of the country and were completed in others by 1
march 1997. Only the People's Front for Democracy and Justice
(authoritarian) is allowed.
