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People’s
Party: Adopts New Ways and Approaches to Realize People’s Vision
Department of
Information and Culture
Eritrean
People’s Party
Sep 22, 2008
We had a
vision
When we
launched our armed struggle for independence, we had a vision. A vision
that had motivated us even to the extent of paying our precious lives
for it. A vision, which was centered on removing the oppression of
colonialism and building a nation that would foster peace, justice, and
prosperity.
To
accomplish our vision we had to achieve the unity of our people
At the
outset of the revolution, we were cognizant of the powerhouse of our
colonial enemy and its collaborators; we knew they were many and
stronger by many folds than we were. Yet, we had to confront them. Faced
with such predicaments, Eritreans had no other option but to defy the
colonial force by strengthening their unity. Thus, it is with this
spirit that we embraced national unity as a central agenda, campaigned
for it, and struggled for it. Even though the national unity had faced
some setbacks because of the civil war that occurred between different
members of Eritrean political organizations, it still never lost its
significant weight within the Eritrean people’s minds and hearts. Such a
boundless conviction and longstanding support for national unity was
more evident when Eritrean people adamantly opposed and condemned all
civil wars that were taking place in the 70s. Further, our people took a
clear position to mediate the warring factions by maintaining their
impartiality, by refusing to bow down to either side, and by resisting
taking sides. But the most notable moment in our revolution occurred
when Eritrean people invoked the traditional expression, “Kiltekhum
Deqna; Kiltekhum Yemanain Tsegamai Aynna” both are our sons;
both are our left and right eyes, with a goal of ending the civil war
and sustaining the unity of Eritrean people: and so they did. It was
such a unity, struggle, and perseverance of Eritrean people that finally
achieved the independence of Eritrea, the vision that we all had dreamed
about.
We had
to make many friends and fewer enemies to realize our vision
The
revolution had to campaign not only to register the support of Eritreans
residing inside and outside Eritrea but also to enlist the support of
Eritreans who were backing the colonial army in the fight against the
struggle. We also had to succeed in exposing the atrocities and
brutality of the enemy upon our people in the international arena; we
had to call upon the international community to stand on our side. We
had to undertake a series of diplomatic activities for relief aid on
behalf of Eritrean refugees, in which as a result we registered the
support of many humanitarian agencies. And we had achieved the desired
results on all these fronts.
Throughout the course of our struggle, we knew it was our revolution
that had needed assistance and sympathy from others and not the vice
versa. It was not a favorable circumstance for the revolution; in
effect, some neighboring countries took advantage of it and tried to
compromise our struggle for their own domestic political crisis. The
measures they took were detrimental to our cause: from arresting and
handing over of our freedom fighters to enemy authorities to
confiscating and appropriating aid destined for our revolution. However,
we carried ourselves with dignity, tolerance and patience through all
these experiences. Eventually, such a perfected tactic paid off and
circumstances were reversed to our advantage: that is the neighboring
governments and their people’s positive support began to materialize and
sustain. For example, they allowed us a gateway to the outside world to
bring our food supplies and munitions; they provided us a place to treat
our war injured and sick freedom fighters; and they permitted us to use
their identification cards. They made us as comfortable and relaxed as
we would at our native home.
Further,
we had to design a policy constituting the differentiation between the
Ethiopian people and regime in power. The policy made it clear that our
enemies were not the people of Ethiopia, but the group that was holding
power. Such a policy overtime served as a basis in the fight against
colonialism by establishing a common cooperation and action between
Eritrean organizations and Ethiopian forces opposed to the regime. This
policy among other things enabled us to defeat colonialism and realize
our vision. What is holding us back now from pursuing and fulfilling our
vision?
The
regime that clouded our vision
The
house we built with immense hardship, long and step-by-step endurance
has been completely demolished, our visions and dreams has been clouded
up with gloomy future, all because of the regime of PFDJ. This is a
regime devoid of any vision; a regime that only knows how to stay in
power. Therefore, our fundamental problem is that we have a regime in
power that functions without a vision. Such a regime has turned
everything we built, every history, name, and culture we endured and
preserved into nonexistence.
A regime
comprised of people with self-importance and inflated personalities, has
put the country into a persistent path of war and tension with
neighboring countries. This regime continues to undermine international
legal bodies and enablers such as OAU, Arab League, and United Nations
with no concern to the nation. In the end, the ineptitude of the regime
became apparent after it banned all international and humanitarian
relief operations in the country despite acute shortage of food in the
country. Its reckless decision has brought a depressing consequence to
the welfare of Eritrean people: poverty, displacement, and plight.
The
longstanding policy of making many friends and fewer enemies followed
throughout the course of our independence struggle has been outright
dismissed by the current regime. Its policy has been creating many
enemies and fewer or no friends at all instead. Its ill-advised and
misguided foreign policy left Eritrea detached and alienated Eritrea
from all diplomatic norms. This is a government not long ago boasted
about how colonialism brought poverty, suffering, and death to our
people. Now, the regime itself has become the cause of unimaginable
poverty and plight to its own people.
To
understand the gross incompetence and appalling character of the regime,
one need only recall the recent utterance of the regime to the large
influx of Eritrean refugees, including charging and labeling Eritrean
youth as an outcast of society or some sort of pariah, as if Eritrean
youth hold some kind of beliefs in conflict with the Eritrean society.
No, Eritrean young people are fleeing from the regime’s persecution and
death; no, Eritrean youth are not wondering across deserts and oceans
for the purpose of earning American dollars as the regime would like us
to believe. Eritrean youth are running for their lives. Eritrean youth
are going to places where no other Eritrean had ever gone before, not
even during the colonial era. The problem is that we have a leader with
no vision. If there were peace, justice, democracy, and prosperity in
Eritrea, our youth would have no reason to subject themselves to such a
dangerous and harsh conditions. To be sure, why Eritrean youth are
fleeing leaving behind their country and the family they love, we need
to look no farther than the economic crisis and political suppression so
pervasive in the country. The dictator as usual might think and say
otherwise.
People’s
Party reorganizes new ways and approaches to realize people’s vision
EPP is
not introducing or initiating a new vision. EPP believes Eritrean people
have a longstanding vision in existence. However, it does believe that
the vision has been impeded and stifled by the regime of Isayas.
Therefore, the intention of People’s Party is to reclaim Eritrean
people’s vision by introducing new ways and approaches to the struggle.
Today,
People’s Party envisions the future. It believes not to entangle itself
in the histories and past differences. Evidently, the era of EPLF vs.
ELF and colonialism vs. anti colonialism and other differences make no
rational contribution to our present condition; it is history. In the
present-day Eritrea, the ultimate and immediate goals include achieving
the vision of justice, peace, democracy, human rights, and diversity.
The People’s Party believes that we are faced with two choices:
confronting Isayas’ regime and removing the obstacles and impediments it
created for our vision or deny the truth. People’s Party chooses the
former. In other words, the People’s Party envisions pursuing the vision
that Eritrean people had already started but could not achieve it –
because of Isayas’ regime. To make our case clear, the People’s Party
calls upon organizations with the same programs to merge into one party,
while organizations with different programs to operate under one
umbrella organization or under united/coalition front. The People’s
Party believes such an approach is fundamental for attaining our vision.
People’s
Party advocates for new reorganization, new thinking, and new approaches
that would enable the new generation and Eritrean women to participate
in the process of change. This is also decisive in accomplishing our
vision.
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