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PFDJ’s Latest Farce
On February 3, 2005, the United States Commission on
International Religious Freedom designated three countries, including
Eritrea, as additional ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ for their
violation of religious freedom.
USCIRF recommended the following actions be taken against Eritrea,
“Recommendation 1. The United States should engage in
vigorous advocacy of religious freedom and other universal human rights
at all levels of involvement with the government of Eritrea and should
draw international attention to religious freedom abuses in Eritrea,
including in multilateral for a such as the United Nations Commission on
Human Rights.”
“Recommendation 2. The U.S. government should
conduct a review of its development assistance to Eritrea with the aim
of redirecting such assistance to programs that contribute directly to
democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Increases in other forms
of development assistance should depend on measurable improvements in
religious freedom.”
“U.S. development assistance to Eritrea is being scaled down to
approximately $5 million a year, focused primarily on important health
issues, including HIV/AIDS. Major programming of the U.S. Agency for
International Development to promote democracy, the rule of law, and
good governance came to an end with the outbreak of war between Eritrea
and Ethiopia in 1998 and was not renewed, due to the subsequent
crackdown on political dissent in Eritrea. An increase in development
assistance for the promotion of democracy, human rights, and the rule of
law would be an appropriate U.S. response to progress on religious
freedom concerns, …”
On May 5, 2005 USCIRF issued a press statement on Eritrea stating that,
“Although the 180-day deadline has passed to take action under IRFA, the
State Department has yet to announce what policy steps it is going to
take,” said USCIRF Chair Preeta D. Bansal. “The Commission calls on the
State Department to take action and has made some specific
recommendations in that regard.”
USCIRF reiterated that the US government is obligated to act under the
1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), and reiterated USCIRF’s
February 3, 2005 recommendations.
The Need for Farce
Although 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) was introduced
under former President Clinton, the President Bush administration has
put religious freedom at the forefront of its international policy
agenda, partially due to the Republican’s grassroots support within the
‘Christian Right’ community. The Sudanese government has felt the full
brunt of this Act over the Southern Sudan issue, although the Sudanese
issue might be complicated by various other issues.
US mounting pressure on the Eritrean government has forced the Eritrean
government to expel USAID. But expelling USAID was the last resort PFDJ
had to pursue as His Excellency Patriarch Antonios, Head of the Eritrean
Orthodox Church, refused to play PFDJ’s desperate act of politics.
As we have noted in disconcert for the past couple of months, PFDJ’s
hitman within the Tewhado Church, Mr. Yoftahe Dimitrios, has been busy
without success in his quest to have the Tewhado Church condemn the
Christian youth that gather at the (Mekane Hiwot) Medhane Alem Church
under the pretext that the youth have veered from core Tewhado
teachings.
But PFDJ’s concern has nothing to do with religion. The (Mekane
Hiwot) Medhane Alem Church attracts up to 3,000 youth every week. The
PFDJ regime has been waging a war against the youth at an intensified
pace for the last five years, hoping to pre-empt any possibility of
youth uprising against a despotic regime. In PFDJ’s real or imagined
paranoia, the 3,000 youth that gather at the (Mekane Hiwot) Medhane Alem
Church may turn into an instant uprising demanding all kinds of basic
human rights and freedoms.
In today’s Eritrea, the PFDJ regime knows that anger among ordinary
Eritreans has reached critical mass and that it will take only a small
spark to begin a chain reaction.
For those following PFDJ’s farce, the increased persecution of the
smaller Christian denominations, which tend to be attended by the
younger generation, has put the PFDJ regime on the US black list of
violators of religious freedoms, along with other basic rights and
freedoms. As a result of this violation, USAID has decreased its
development assistance, although it continues to provide emergency (food
aid) assistance. Although USAID may have used its leverage to
advocate for upholding of basic human rights and freedoms, it doesn’t
escape anyone that the PFDJ is also frustrated over the US government’s
lack of pressure over Ethiopia to finalize the demarcation of the
border. As a sign of its ever tenuous position, the PFDJ has done
what it does best – shoot its own foot by expelling an arm of the US
government.
But PFDJ knows that it can’t win a stare down with the US government.
That would be guaranteed self-destruction! The only farce left for PFDJ
to engage is to force the Tewhado Church to condemn the smaller Church
denominations, especially the (Mekane Hiwot) Medhane Alem Church. As we
have read on Asmarino.com dispatch section, His Excellency Patriarch
Antonios refused to close this church and to condemn the other smaller
ones. As a result, PFDJ’s desperate scheme to shift USCIRF’s
condemnation to the Tewhado Church failed.
But PFDJ is in a very desperate state of turmoil. PFDJ must resort to
breaching the most basic tenets of modern nations – separation of
politics and religion. Based on latest reports, PFDJ’s hitman, Mr.
Yoftahe Dimitrios, upon the order of its benefactors, and something that
can not be executed without the direct order and knowledge of PIA
himself, has executed what can only be regarded a Coup d’etat against
His Excellency in violation of every Church Law.
PFDJ’s Next Move
The purpose of this farce is simple, with His Excellency
Patriarch Antonios removed, the illegal replacement ‘Patriarch’ will
sign away every PFDJ request, including Tewhado’s Church condemnations
against the smaller denominations and, especially, the (Mekane Hiwot)
Medhane Alem Church.
The puppet ‘Patriarch’ and ‘Holy Synod’ will make a formal, but in
reality a coerced, request to the PFDJ regime to take the necessary
actions against those ‘subverting the main teachings of Tewhado
Church’. The coerced Tewhado Church may put out a statement even
disavowing the jailed priests of the (Mekane Hiwot) Medhane Alem Church.
PFDJ hopes to use the coerced Church statement to reinvigorate its
pursuit of the young in the hope of quelling any possible youth
resistance against it. But the bigger purpose of Tewhado Church’s
coerced statement will be to present to the US government and USCIRF
that PFDJ’s action against the these denominations was carried out upon
the Tewhado Church’s ‘formal’ request.
Naturally, the nature of the coerced request will not be lost with
the US government nor with USCIRF. But PFDJ hopes to give the US
government an excuse to bypass the USCIRF recommendations on the basis
that PFDJ’s actions were carried out on behalf of the Tewhado Church.
We must continue to engage in an active letter campaign to point out to
the US government that the latest farce is simply continuation of the
ever worsening basic human rights and freedoms in Eritrea.
On Foreign Aid
As the old adage says, ‘Kitsheta Zidelekha Adgi Hatiata Tsebtsibela’.
The latest barrage of comments and analysis on PFDJ media and by
Higdefawiyans on the dangers of Foreign Aid can only be characterized as
addressing the symptoms rather than the illness itself.
It is suffice to say that Eritrea is in its current desperate
socio-economic conditions because of what PFDJ is doing, and has very
little to do with what international donors are justifiably demanding –
the rule-of-law and respect for basic human rights and freedoms. PFDJ’s
claim that the current socio-economic condition is wholly caused by the
stalemate over the border issue is total hogwash. Min. Haile
Woldetensae, and his colleagues, had the correct solution to this
problem in the year 2000 – i.e. five years ago.
At a time when Eritrea has been receiving good rains, for the PFDJ
regime to engage in rounding up farmers at a time when they should be
tending their land is absolutely criminal. The result is obvious –
precipitous fall in private food ( subsistence) production. Although
the government might boast some increase in ‘Warsai-Yekealo’ food
production, it will not make up for private food production. This will
necessitate begging, that is right, not the sugar-coated PFDJ’s jargon
one-way ‘partnership’ – call it whatever one likes, but it is
still begging. PFDJ’s and Higdefawiyan’s typical schizophrenic
behavior.
The most pragmatic question should be, how do we implement and
foster institutions and rule-of-law that allows ordinary Eritreans to
engage in developing domestic resources, thus disengaging us from the
need to beg foreign donors. As Eritreans, we are not interested in
excuses! Eritreans are interested in positive results – results that
PFDJ has utterly failed to deliver – pure and simple! We need
the mind and caliber of the likes of Minister Haile Woldetensae and
colleagues for this task.
Berhan Hagos
August 29, 2005
For Full USCIRF statements and press releases
February 3, 2005
http://www.uscirf.gov/mediaroom/press/2005/february/02032005_recommendations.html
February 7, 2005
http://www.uscirf.gov/mediaroom/press/2005/february/02072005%5Frice.html
March 15, 2005
http://www.uscirf.gov/mediaroom/press/2005/february/02072005_rice.html
May 5, 2005
http://www.uscirf.gov/mediaroom/press/2005/may/05052005_eritrea.html
On Aster Yohannes
http://www.uscirf.gov/mediaroom/news/news%5Farchive/2005/may/05112005%5Fuscongressman.html
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