Nharnet News

The Chairman: We Eritreans have been suffering of the tragic consequences of the policies of oppression and plunder and systematic subjugation the like of which we as a people have never seen before. The nation has literally been betrayed, humiliated and decimated by the dictatorship. Look, our people’s very right to life and safety has been summarily violated and terror made the rule of the day. The core of the nation’s personality has been severely damaged and the basic elements that make up the social fabric of the nation have been the principal targets of the tyranny. Life in Eritrea has been damaged beyond recognition; the sons and daughters of the betrayed nation have continued to be systematically subjected to dehumanizing measures and continued process of dispersal. The dictatorship has sought to strengthen itself by weakening the people, enrich itself by impoverishing the citizens, and prolong its stay in power by divisive tactics and war policies, holding the country hostage to terror and blackmail.

This situation has to be radically changed, and changed soon. To emerge from this hell, our people need to recover confidence in themselves and in one another, and above all, confidence in the future. Our people need all that and leadership. The creation of a strong, united and focused political opposition with defined objectives, clear joint vision and mission is imperative to offer exactly that. The basic elements of change should be enhanced and activated to ensure that the dictatorship is removed soon and that matters of destiny are back in the only safe hands, the people’s. A lot of work has been going on within the opposition camp to attain that objective in the way of attaining victory in unity and we are entering the New Year with enhanced optimism and rekindled hopes.

2. Question: Many Eritreans do acknowledge the fact that the ELF-RC has never ceased making efforts to bring about concerted national action. When one attempt failed it has always started a new one, never giving in to despair; that is great. But how should the opposition reorganise itself at this crucial times? How can the ELF-RC current proposal for an all–inclusive umbrella organisation work? I think the idea of a united front was in the past misconceived and mishandled. How about if it does not materialize; are we lost? What do you think we can learn from the past in this regard? Does the ELF-RC still entertain the idea of one organization, one leadership as a still viable formula, as some quarters in the opposition seem to do?

The Chairman: Basically, we in the opposition happen to espouse to a lesser or greater degree different political programmes, or different shades of similar programmes emanating from different visions about future Eritrea; Even those groups that on paper seem to champion identical programmes, differ in the historical, political or social background of the persons rallying around them, as well as in tactical issues and matters of performance. Such shades of differences and groupings may erode with time bringing us to a stage when our pluralism undergoes some streamlining.

In the meantime, though, we find ourselves at a juncture in our nation’s history wherein we have to tackle a common task: the removal of the tyrannical PFDJ regime and establishment of democratic system of governance. This constitutes the immediate and overriding challenge that has inexorably imposed itself and kept crying for a solution. We all have vested interest in the removal of the dictatorship and in opening up the arena for democratisation. The ideal and even realistic way of doing so is through rallying around the immediate common objectives and marshalling our energies to consummate them. Now, when it comes to the options available for the setup that best accommodates our differences and offers us the highest focus on the issues at hand, a national united front of forces is, in our opinion, imperative.

As was mentioned by the honourable reader, the slogan of united front is very familiar to our arena, but not the setup, as that never saw light at the Eritrean arena. We cannot talk about a successful or otherwise united front in the past, as none was experimented in whatever form. However, it is not to be denied there is that residue of a negative perception about the call for a united front as dealt with during the armed struggle. I think we need not grow allergic of the label, if it reflects a viable formula of what we need to come up with. In the last analysis it is the short and long term programmes that matter and not the label.

During the national armed struggle the ELF-RC called for the formation of one organisation, one liberation army under one leadership as opposed to the idea of a united front, and we meant it. Ours, though, was not so much out of calculated opposition to political pluralism as a system of governance, as it was out of justified fear from the dangers involved in military pluralism. In those years what we all had in mind was always the armed national organisations, and not simply political parties as we do today. The idea or concern could but go astray if it were allowed to extend into the political realm and assume a one-partist outlook which is not acceptable. The overriding consideration then was that in the reality of an armed national liberation struggle by a small country against a far superior regional force with overwhelming resources and the support of global powers, military pluralism within the Eritrean liberation struggle would lead to internal strife, bleeding, and subsequently create cracks in the body politic of the revolution, thus weakening the chances of defeating the enemy; that was it; and that was what actually happened. We should not fall into the pitfall of assessing an event or a position or outlook out of its historical context and the concerns of the time and in retrospectively puristic stance. Moreover, we should not in my opinion even today entertain the impossible and obviously dangerous idea of maintaining military pluralism in the opposition camp. This would have the country sliding down the road to civil war and possibly fall prey to unholy designs by quarters that would stand to benefit by our divisions in the post-Isayas era.

To facilitate the process for joint national work, we think mergers could be the best option for organisations with the same or similar political platforms; it would be a good contribution to the health of political life and offer the opportunity of more streamlining in the political map of the country. With regard to organisations with a solid raison d’etre, a justification for independent existence, such as one or more basic agenda not championed by others and admittedly reflecting differing visions and programmes about tomorrow’s Eritrea, should but join hands under the umbrella of a united front of any form as an objective necessity to facilitate the removal of the dictatorship and jointly consummate the tasks of transition to a democratic system of governance.

Our proposed formula for the unity of the opposition revolves around this idea. For that we need to rally around fundamental issues of consensus in an atmosphere of harmony and mutual respect, to the suspension of issues of obvious difference. With this in view, we at the ELF-RC have put forth concrete proposals and are prepared for the initiation of joint discussions that should soon lead to concerted national work under the umbrella of a united front. This we believe should organise national work and constitute a guarantee for the success of the movement and set in motion the long-delayed delayed process of reconciliation and salvation. We do not, however, fanatically stick to one formula or name to the exclusion of what other setups might have to offer. With this attitude, we are disposed to listen and try to recognise and take in the best in all that could be tabled.

Contact Us at: webmaster@nharnet.com