A DIVIDED HOUSE CANNOT STAND
A REPLY TO MR. FESSEHAZION ZEMICHAEL.
By Asfaha Woldemichael.
In case you conveniently forgot, ELF (later ELF-RC) was not born in
Europe or in the cool homes of Sweden. It was launched by its founders
and was watered and nurtured by the blood of the fallen heroes who
followed Hamid Awate’s path. One of them was Abdella Nasser who recently
passed away- my condolences to his family and to brother Ahmed Nasser.
May God bless his soul. This organization has seen the thick and the
thin and yet, all Eritreans including yourself embraced it, regardless
they are from Ashera or Mendefera. However, whether or not it was
modernized, your recognition is irrelevant because that issue is beyond
you and me. Forgive me though, I didn’t know you sunk that low.
With regard to my father’s name or my grandfather’s name, your
intrusiveness is somewhat childish at best. Traditionally, we use first
names and our fathers’ names. I am not the first one to follow the
tradition. But you have decided to drop your father’s name and retained
your grandfather’s name. For your information, I don’t give tinker’s
damn what names you pick. By the same token, it is not your business to
tell me what to choose Mr. well read. Any name of my choosing would not
change an inch from where I am. May be you needed to drop your father’s
name to have an acceptance in EFDM. And what was all that bumbling about
if I am from Ashera or Mendefera? Please stop acting like a fool.
You had the luxury to use derogatory language against organizations and
individuals. Will you please read a book on fascism and find out if you
can qualify your statement? The equation you missed is that we have no
country to dictate or for you to divide along its lowest common
denominators. So, this is why unity is a critical factor in getting to
the promise land. Once you get there, then it is the will of the people
to do whatever they want to do with their own country. The opinion you
dished in your article is the exact mirror image of your organization.
You cannot think beyond politics of deconstruction and division. Unity
for us is not mixing a sector of one society with the other like you
said. Unity is making certain that people who live in one geographical
land mass or a country believe they have a stake in their unity. This
unity creates a strong Eritrea where its nationals will have a wiggle
room to freely run their own affairs. This is not federalism. It is
decentralized governance. You mentioned on passing that I forgot I leave
in a federal system in the U.S. Indeed I do but what you overlooked was
that those states of today were separate entities. They did not emerge
as federal states from a unitary govt.
You also taut your knowledge about federalism and conflict- resolution.
That may be so. But everything you read or heard is not to be taken as
applicable in our case.
Concerning our ethnicity, I have already put that to rest by the
statement I made in my previous article. But you wanted to dwell on it
again and went too far with it unnecessarily as if we needed
authorization or certification from anybody.
Help me understand why you implicate Hiruy Tedla here? What would
I ask Mesfin Hagos about? Are you ok or am I
missing something? In any event, I didn’t know you are that much
engulfed by your emotions not to be able to separate apples from
oranges. You said, in an overarching demeanor, rights are not taken
they are given. There is nothing new about that. It all depends on
whom you want to take the rights from. If it is from the “fascists” in
ELF-RC to use your choice of term, we don’t have them for ourselves. If
it is from the fascists back home, that is why we say our strength is in
our unity in order to take back what our people have lost. Not only for
Mendefera or Adebra, for Ashera or Embasoira but for the
whole country. After that you can slice or dice the country the way you
dream. I hope your dream will never come true though.
For now, I prefer to close the conversation with you. But before that I
have a couple of assignments for you: (a) reading your own article once
every four days for two weeks, (b) reading the program of ELF-RC and the
resolutions and recommendations of the 6th. Congress of last
year once or twice, that may hopefully help you refine your language.
Now, refining ones language is not meant here to improve the English
language. It is meant to be a little civil in your choice of words. As
far as the language itself goes, I would care less how good or bad
anyone could write. No one will take you to court because of your
inability of the language.
Brother Fesseha, what you said about me or the leaders of the
organization may be short- term feel good cheap attack. But trust me,
you have done an irreparable damage to yourself before the world. The
aim of your message is clear. Nevertheless, I doubt you could send your
message across effectively. If you are their point man for this purpose,
they have the wrong messenger.
When I first read your unfiltered bunch of contemptuous phrases, I
wanted to deny you a reply. However, I did. This may as well be my last
correspondence with you. Nevertheless, for all what you said about me I
have forgiven you.
Glory to our martyrs
Our unity is the ultimate defense of our rights.
Good luck.
Asfaha.
|
