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ERI-TV: an Instrument of lies and
Dictatorship
Department of Information and Culture
Eritrean People’s Party
January 25, 2009
The idea that ERI-TV serves to promote the lies and repressive policies
of the ruling regime in Eritrea is not new. We cannot think otherwise
because no freedom of press is allowed in a country where power is
concentrated under a one-man dictatorial rule. No doubt, dictatorship is
the reason why news media does not serve the interest of Eritrean
people.
For the past decade or so, ERI-TV has engaged in the most manipulative,
distorted, and utterly deceptive effort to sustain the dictatorial
political system through the use of a cooked up news, analysis, and
commentaries. It derides those who differ in their views from the
dictatorial regime as traitors; it presents Isayas’ failure and defeat
in the border conflict as victory; and it claims the unparallel
destruction and desolation to the country as progress, growth, and
prosperity. This massive Isayas’ propaganda machine (ERI-TV) has nothing
to do with responsibility and accountability to the people of Eritrea or
advocacy to the truth. ERI-TV is the greatest danger to truth, justice,
peace, and democratic process in Eritrea.
ERI-TV covers extensive stories that detail the neighboring countries’
domestic issues for the consumption of Eritrean people. Sometimes, as
laughable and arrogant as it is, ERI-TV boasts the existence of peace,
democracy, and respect of human rights in Eritrea as something one
cannot find in Western democracies.
In a failed propaganda campaign and in a bid to save the sinking ship of
the dictator, ERI-TV has begun over the last three days, to sell stories
about patriotism and histories of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
(EPLF). It started to reintroduce Isayas Afeworki as a genius leader;
and it set the motion to narrate the failures and weakness of the former
Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF). Maybe this is the last refuge for
Isayas Afeworki. But we are not playing into the hands of the
dictatorial regime this time. Our issue is one: democracy.
We are not here to sell the divide and rule policy of the dictatorial
regime. We are not here to chronicle the actions and practices of ELF
and EPLF in their old days. Eritrean People’s Party has departed from
the traditions of unproductive and irrelevant debate of ELF vs. EPLF a
long time ago. Eritrean People’s Party simply recognizes the histories,
attributes, and contributions of both organizations as the history that
belongs to the Eritrean people. We have shown precisely and clearly our
position on the issue of ELF vs. EPLF. We believe we should focus on the
present and future; and we must leave the histories of ELF and EPLF as
well as the interpretation of it to historians and social researchers.
In our strong view, the present conflict is not between ELF and EPLF.
Rather it is between dictatorship and democracy; and it is between
Eritrean people and the dictatorial regime that is bent on staying in
power without the consent of the governed. Eritrean People’s Party
believes we must remain persistent on the fight for democracy and avoid
straying into a wrong direction that would give ground to the propaganda
market of the repressive regime.
Again, the thrust of our massage, struggle, and strategy is to achieve
peace, justice, and respect for human rights in our country. Our thrust
is to establish rule of law and constitutional democracy in our country.
Our thrust is to build the nation …etc. Now, what is the link between
ELF, EPLF, and the present crisis of the country? As far as the
democratic struggle is concerned, there is nothing. To start with, the
leaders of EPLF had already declared the end of the role of EPLF in post
independence Eritrea and established instead a new party, the People’s
Front for Democracy (PFDJ). What is the relevance of marketing and
manufacturing stories about EPLF at this time by ERI-TV? The truth is
most ex-EPLF members are imprisoned, exiled, or demobilized. What is the
comeback of the old EPLF to the forefront of the Eritrean politics at
this time? Why is ERI-TV engaged in such fabrications and distortions?
Well, it seems a sign of political frustrations from the side of the
ruling regime in our country. It seems an attempt to revive the waning
public support of the dictatorial regime by highlighting the old EPLF
histories and glories. But the regime should not count on this
propaganda. The days of excuses and cover-ups to prevent the crimes of
Isayas’ regime from becoming public or to silence the voices of
democracy are over.
The ERI-TV propaganda campaign of the recent days was not about the
influx of Eritrean youth to the neighboring countries; it was not about
the total hunger and famine in our country; and it was not about the
hundreds of Eritrean political prisoners kept incommunicado without
charge. It was not about the hundreds of Eritreans kept in prison on
basis of religious and political beliefs. If it were, it would have been
a turning point in the right direction.
If ERI-TV
were for real and truth, it would unfold the plight of Eritrean people
instead of concocting stories to promote the regime of Isayas Afeworki.
That would be a noble thing to do. However, nobody expects ERI-TV to be
impartial and independent. Again, that would change the whole dynamics
in the country. ERI-TV will remain an instrument of the dictatorial
regime, denying the truth repeatedly as it should, and manufacturing
stories and lies that guarantees the dictatorial regime to hide the
horrors, violence, and terror it perpetuates upon Eritrean people
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