A wake up call to all Eritreans

GIC

May2,2006(KHARTOUM)-The third ordinary meeting of the Eritrean Democratic Alliance has approached to the end which began on last Tuesday, April 25, 2006 in Khartoum, Sudan. The Eritrean Democratic Alliance is expected to issue a statement within the coming twenty-four hours that highlights the main resolutions and recommendations the meetings has concluded. The most important resolution, the alliance is expected to adopt, is setting time for conducting a comprehensive congress at the end of the year in which all Eritrean political, academic as well as so civil society sectors would take part to seek ways of enhancing the struggle of the Eritrean people for democracy, equality and justice. It is worth mentioning that the Eritrean Democratic Alliance has not been able to overcome all the problems and differences that have been impeding the course of the previous Eritrean united opposition bodies like the Eritrean National Alliance and many others that had preceded it. Moreover the Eritrean Democratic Alliance has been confined to its self and has become unable to reach its voice into Asmara at the time the other regional oppositions knock at the gates of their respective capital cities every day. Examples are many; however, referring to the Chadian, Sudanese and Ethiopian oppositions would prove the paralysis of the Eritrean opposition. The Sudan, for instance, has been able to resolve its crisis in its Southern part through the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of Nevasha, and it is about to strike a peace agreement with the Darfurian armed rebels. As a result, the Sudan will be left only with the crisis of the Eastern Front which is tremendously influenced by the Eritrean regime. Such visible influence of the Eritrean regime on the rebels of Eastern Sudan will have consequences that are hard, at the moment, to predict on the course of the Eritrean position parties; but most likely would have negative impact on the regional activities of the Eritrean opposition powers unless they wake up and take advantage of the remained little time. The Chadian opposition, for instance, has been able to besiege the Chadian regime in N’djamena within few weeks.

 The Eritrean political opposition powers, if continue by the same mind set and orientation of being absorbed into the secondary issues rather than focusing on the essential, fundamental national issue, would make the already existing gap between them and the mass become wider and deeper.

They will lack any influence that qualifies them to be a figure in the regional political equation. The prevailing vacillations of the Eritrean political arena indicate that the Eritrean political powers would be out of the regional political game unless a prompt change takes place in its current approach of handling the democratic cause of the Eritrean. If they don’t take decisive measures that would help them get out of the dark tunnel into an atmosphere of openness, transparency, tolerance, and seriousness, they would be within the dustbin of history within a very short period of time. For instance, the third ordinary meeting of the Eritrean Democratic Alliance has lasted for about a full week discussing in closed sessions; and the Eritrean people have no any clue about the agenda of the meeting, the spirits of the participants of the meeting and ways of handling the meeting. Every thing is, in the world of the Eritrean opposition, done in a very confidential way.

 Usually, meetings of political powers are attended by observers from influential national, regional and international actors that belong to various domains of life-like media people, academicians, politicians, technocrats and the like. However, such a norm is not yet introduced in the world of the Eritrean opposition power; a matter which should be considered in a very serious way. The Eritrean opposition powers must give up Keeping it self to it self and should work hard to speed up the pace of facing the formidable challenges up to liberate the Eritrean citizen from the brutal oppression of the one-man regime in Eritrea.

The expected comprehensive conference of the Eritrean Democratic Alliance at the end of the year would definitely necessitate adopting a new approach that aims at getting rid of the secondary contradictions, controversies, differences and misunderstandings that are prevailing among the member political opposition parties.

It seems that the time frame is not important to the Eritrean opposition. For instance, the Eritrean opposition actors just meet for the sake of meeting and not to discuss a certain specific point in order to put an out line that would help them resolve their problem. The Eritrean political oppositions always suspend and postpone meetings from time to time as if the time as well as the regional factors will always be in their favor.

Now, the Eritrean regime has begun to get out of its regional isolation. Abdulla Jabor, Head of the Organizational Bureau of the PFDJ, has met with the Sudanese vice-president Ali Osman Taha, one of the main decision makers of the Sudanese politics. Moreover, he has also met with the Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir in the presence of the Chief of the Sudanese Intelligence and Security Apparatus, Salah Gosh and Duty Secretary General of the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement, (SPLM) Yaser Arman who is in charge of the Eritrean file yesterday evening. The Eritrean regime is working hard to strike the regional balance into its favor at the time the Eritrean opposition powers are restricted to wasting time and energy in dealing with secondary issues.

The Eritrean opposition must deduce lessons from its history of failure in order to make use of the remained regional golden opportunities in an effective way. This fact necessitates on the Eritrean opposition to seek ways of getting rid of the influence of the traditional way of thinking and irrational fanaticism.

Besides, the Eritrean opposition powers should recognize that there are some people who run transactions by the name of “nationalism.” Such people always try to sow seeds of regionalism, religions, and ethnicity amid the Eritreans through categorizing Eritreans as if (they) were given divine rights to hand out “nationalism” into Eritreans. Such people make up the real jeopardy that threatens the course of the Eritrean opposition; and the opposition powers should pinpoint them and trash their materials as they are already excluded from the course of the Eritrean opposition.

It is true that  the recent activities of the various sectors of the Eritrean people is appreciative, particularly Eritrean civil society organizations and media outlets have begun to have visible stamps on the activities of the Eritrean opposition street.

Nobody would disagree that the Eritrean Democratic Alliance has had good, to some degree, achievements ever since it has been set up in March, 2005; however its accomplishments have not yet been up-to-the expectations, ambitions and hopes of the Eritrean people. Wake up, Eritreans and work seriously and put aside all the secondary differences and focus on the crux of the Eritrean big dilemma: Getting rid of the dictator regime in Eritrea.