|
Chairman Briefs EDA-I
Representatives
And ELF-RC Cadres in
Eastern Sudan
By
ELF-RC Office for Information and Culture
ELF-RC Chairman and EDA central
leadership member, Mr. Woldeyesus Ammar, on March 15 and 16 organized
two separate meetings for Kassala region representatives of EDA-I member
organizations as well as for ELF-RC representatives and political cadres
in Eastern Sudan and briefed them on latest developments in the Eritrean
opposition camp and related matters.
At the meeting of 15 March arranged
with EDA-I Kassala region representatives from the Eritrean National
Salvation Front (ENSF), the Eritrean Democratic Party (EDP) and the
ELF-RC, Mr. W. Ammar explained in detail the successes achieved at the
recent EDA congress and the points of disaccord that emerged in electing
leadership for the umbrella of the opposition camp.
In a meeting of 16 March 2007 with a
sizable number of full-time cadres coming from various ELF-RC
institutions in Kassala and the surrounding towns, the Chairman dealt
mainly with the same EDA issues he discussed with EDA-I representatives
a day earlier.
At both meetings, the ELF-RC Chairman
explained that the very idea of a congress for EDA was the initiative of
those organizations that today compose EDA-I, and it was with their hard
work and insistence that a decision was reached last April to hold a
congress in which each organization would come with more representatives
in addition to adequate number of observers from the civil society at
large. For sure, the congress was needed to decide on very important
issues with the aim of strengthening and invigorating the alliance. The
issues included the following:
1.
Introducing much needed changes in the Charter.
2.
Defining relations of EDA with civil societies and the public.
3.
Agreeing on fair and well studied proportional representation of
member organizations.
The Chairman said that the EDA
Charter was revised in a very satisfactory way that the members of
today’s EDA-I always advocated. However, little was done with the rest
of the other important issues like proportional representation and
relation with the civil society. It was clear to see that certain forces
within EDA were from the start very reluctant on those subjects. Even
the invitation on time of members of civil societies was dragged till
the last moment. At the end, the presence of only a few observers at the
congress was not to the full satisfaction of ELF-RC and other
organizations.
Mr. Ammar also said that this was
one of the clear failures of the EDA executive office and its chairman
who was severely criticized by the central leadership for inaction in
different areas and for a totally failed record in its reports presented
to the leadership.
He further stated that one of the
important subjects was the need of electing a leadership that would move
the alliance some steps forward and make it look better than it ever was
in the eyes of the people. It was believed by many Eritreans outside the
leadership that coming out of the congress with the same old leadership
would be as sad as ending the congress in a split of EDA into camps.
Mr. Ammar explained that the
arguments presented by some of EDA-II leaders about election for the
leadership of the alliance on the basis of simple majority (or 50+1)
were not only “laughable and absurd but also shameful to be repeated by
apparently seasoned politicians in the opposition”.
The meetings in Kassala were ended
after comments and questions presented by meeting participants were
fully exhausted.
The EDA-I
organizations in Eastern Sudan have formed their Action Committees that
will be holding joint meetings for their cadres and branch members in
various cities and refugee camps.
|
