NHARNET ARTICLES

TO THE POINT

ELF-RC Looking Ahead, Never Back

In the past weeks, Nharnet brought you the tours the leadership and various delegates concluded in the horn. In all aspects, the tour turned out to be successful even beyond expectations in some aspects. The Europe-wide seminar was remarkable. The presentation by the leadership to the seminar attendees was open, unpolished, detailed assessment of our organization's weaknesses and strengths. In fact, the speech delivered at the seminar was published in Tigrinia. It is a new style of leadership the organization has been able to harvest with the change of the old guard after the departure of the splinter group. Publishing explicit detailed itemized weaknesses of ELF-RC was a new phenomenon even to the Nharnet administration. At the end, it was the wish of the leadership to publicize it and the Nharnet Team was more than happy to share with the public the weaknesses as well as the strengths of ELF-RC. After all, the organization is a popular one, the struggle is a popular struggle for democracy, peace, justice, equality and prosperity. It is a testimony to the transparency of our organization and to the law abiding accountability of the new leadership. The very principles that we pride on have been there for a long time. The new style of leadership added the qualitative ingredients of transparency, openness, accountability and two way communications to its operational methodologies.

The emphasis of the leadership as well as the Sudan and Europe seminars to the role of women and youth in our organization is a step to take our organization to the next level of popular mobilization towards democracy, adherence to rule of law and justice. The only way we can ensure victory is to get women, half of our population, and our youth, the segment of our population who has the most at stake in the Eritrea of tomorrow, to participate fully and take on their historical role in salvaging our nation and safeguard it from the predicament of other developing nations suffering under dictatorships and military juntas. The salvation can only be accomplished by changing the current dictatorial system of governance in our country by a democratic one chosen by the people. Nharnet will launch calls to our women and youth in the near future. The organization will knock doors and conduct membership drive. If not ELF-RC, we ask them to join the opposition camp. We call on the military, the workers, the students and other sectors of our people to join us in reclaiming their beloved country so that they can live freely at peace.

On another front, the leadership is conducting bilateral consultations with the organizations in the opposition camp laying ground work for a united front and reaching understanding on the preliminary steps towards a national conference. The continuous meeting between our dialogue committee with its counterpart of the ENA is an example of the effort our organization to get the opposition camp to a level of cooperation where it can be effective. We assure our readers that the official dialogue took place between the official dialogue committees and the joint presentation in Sana'a did take place and was successful as it is clearly stated on the official Arabic ENA magazine dated January 27, 2004. The joint presentation with the ENA delegation in Sana'a is a testimony of practical cooperation and the fact that it was successful speaks to the accomplishment that can be achieved when organizations work together to the extent they can on the points they agree upon. The cooperation will sustain because the leaders who have worked hard since the beginning of the foundation of ENA and cooperation of the opposition at large will continue to do what they can to improve the effectiveness of the opposition and what is best for our ever waiting people and nation. The joint work is a sign of normalization and cooperation not a sign of weakness of one side or one shouldering the other. Even if it was the case, we do not see any thing wrong if entities within the opposition camp work together complementing one another. Arrogance is a disease that needs to be eradicated from the opposition camp.

Our organization will not be blind sided by the defamation of the few in the splinter group and their ill wishing collaborators. Our members will not waste their energy on destructive elements' trashy mad slinging. As usual, our members can and will respond when warranted. What is being written now is an expression of frustration that does not hold any water. Our focus will remain to correct our ELF-RC weaknesses, strengthen our organization, work with all opposition camp when ever possible and charge ahead towards establishing a democratic system that will alleviate our people from the fear and suffering they live in. ELF-RC under the current brilliant leadership will look ahead and never back.

We thank those who send us their constructive comments, criticisms and views about the contents we publish on Nharnet.

Thanks for your readership

The Nharnet Team