Tough and Complex Challenges Ahead for EDA

The 18-22 January 2005 Khartoum meeting of the Eritrean opposition forces has adopted a common charter. Although making all possible compromises and emerging as one bloc is a step forward, that was not an end by itself. The final objective is how to make the vast majority of our people rally behind a national charter in order to remove the dictatorial regime and march forward. Therefore, what is ahead of us is much more important than what has been achieved by signing a joint document. We say the charter is only a guideline for now. Translating that theoretical guideline into real action is all what is important. In other words, the challenges ahead of this alliance are indeed very difficult and complex. The lessons learned from the shortcomings of the ENA would have to benefit the new alliance to succeed.

Let us start by asking questions to ourselves:

How can we succeed to rally our entire people behind the newly born Eritrean Democratic Alliance (EDA)?
How and through what means is it possible that we prepare our people to rise against the dictatorial regime?
What preparations are required and what tangible programme do we possess to rehabilitate life in the devastated homeland as soon as we remove the evil regime?
How shall we enhance and empower the role of the people and the civic society?
What shall our real priorities be?

To be able to answer these and other similar tough questions, EDA will require a structure and work methodology that takes into consideration the nature of each component of the new alliance.

First and foremost, there would have to be full appreciation of the fact that the EDA is composed of organizations and not of individuals. As such, policies and statements of the alliance would have to honour the agreed upon stipulations and should in no way adversely affect a member organization. This is important for the unity of the alliance that would have to stick to consensual decisions until full trust is built among members. Initially, the ENA functioned relatively well through consensus but problems started to emerge when that principle was put aside before full trust was built and obtained.

On the other hand, EDA will have to execute its decisions through the member organizations and not by individuals without any formal organization. The new alliance will have to encourage Eritreans to belong to any political organization of their choice or to establish mass organizations or civic associations and contribute to the struggle for democratization in close coordination with the EDA and its member organizations. However, it is well understood that the alliance shall make good use of intellectuals and expert individuals in research work and data collection for specific tasks like the formulation of policies and work plans. Thus, to be effective and to make us succeed, the EDA will have to necessarily take these facts into consideration while building up its own structure.

Members of the EDA are different not only in their political programmes but also in their sizes, location, institutional and financial capacities, number of qualified cadres and many other important yardsticks. And as such, they cannot be expected to play equal roles in the alliance. Therefore, work plan and work methodology of the EDA will have to take these factors into consideration. For instance, the executive offices of the new alliance will have to be filled by people and organizations that can deliver and not for other considerations.

Furthermore, the leadership of EDA will be required to openly and boldly evaluate in its meetings the achievements or failures of each executive office of the alliance and assigned roles of member organizations. This will help the removal and replacement by others of leadership elements that fail to deliver.

Needless to say, Eritreans have the thirst for transparency. It is now time for us to be open and transparent to our people at least through EDA. Therefore, it is suggested that EDA should let every debate and position held by every organization be known to the people in detail and through the channels of the new EDA. Likewise, we suggest that some of the leadership meetings of EDA must be open for Eritrean journalists, media outlets and civil societies that wish to attend them. This would reduce dependence on disruptive ‘rumours’. It would indeed constitute an element of our political maturity and one step forward. It may event avert fragmentation in our ranks which are usually based on wild rumours and falsehoods.

Admission of new members was one of those contentious and ill-managed issues that bedeviled the old alliance. Admission qualifications and procedures in EDA would have to be clearly stated and then strictly - and without exception - put to practice. Narrow calculations and interests within the old ENA led not only to violation of existing admission procedures but also encouraged organizations to split from within. This is a learned lesson that should not be repeated.

Regarding admission of members, we believe the following factors must be taken into consideration:

1.        EDA should receive to its membership only political organizations.

2.        A body requesting membership in EDA must show that its political programme is different from any of the existing EDA member organizations. It case its programme is similar to another organization, EDA should be in a position to encourage the requesting body to merge with that EDA member organization with similar programme.

3.        EDA should admit to membership only an organization that adopted its   programme and elected its leaders at a congress whose outcome is open for public review and scrutiny.

4.        Any new organization that does not allow EDA participation as observer at its congress should not be considered for admission.

5.         A body requesting EDA membership should manifest that it holds open public meetings and its views and activities are made public through its information organs.

6.         A requesting member must show it is able to contribute to EDA fund requirements. This fact should be applicable to all existing EDA members.

7.        A requesting new member must commit itself to join other EDA members in promoting public diplomacy by making sure that its members attend peaceful demonstrations and other public gatherings.

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