Resisting change and the illusion of some opposition organizations
By Wolde Gebremedhin
22 September 2004

Uncertainty, luck of confidence, a shortage of intellectual convictions, a strange desire to only few circles and wishful power could among the problems in the opposition camp.
The splinter groups could not pick themselves up from the ugly mud they soaked themselves and their cronies in. Therefore, they cannot go on and on beyond the point where they were no longer wanted. They are going to the point that whatever good they think they are doing for the country. The Eritrean people have been feeling restless and angry for long time hence wants a change of political leaders and democratic government. Unless they miraculously manage to gain the trust of the Eritrean people, which I am very much doubt, they must fear that it will bring about the demise of their own organizations and create more trouble to themselves and their cronies will cry for the rest of their lives. Because, I promise you, by hook or crook, a reckoning will come sooner than they ever imagined in the end. They should know too that if the publics do not fully and wholeheartedly co-operate with them, their fake and rootless unity would break before their sponsor, Weyane the number one enemy of Eritrean people, pays them their salaries. I don't advice them to reach the most ugly and dangerous stage, unless they are as stupid as they looks.

They are ruthless failure leaders offering virtually no concessions to democrats. Hiding the source of the conflict under the rag as if you did nothing to inflame the adversary and look for help by crying alone may not stop the adversary from coming back another time to expose the dirt under the rag. Their disease is treachery and they are gambling on our sovereignty. Their illusionary polices and treasonous activities are grotesquely loaded against the masses and favor our enemies. They are the hardest, stupidest, stubborn and arrogant leaders that delight themselves in being so. There has never been an apology for all the mistakes they made and there is no cover-up any more. They are attacking and trying to destroy the devoted and democratic leaders in front of our eyes. They and their cronies totally lost their creditability and they can never regain it.

But unlike the splinter groups and their partners, ELF-RC is sticking to the conventional wisdom of democracy. Watching what Isaias has done to both the economy, the constitution and above all the lives of our innocent brothers and sisters and the sovereignty they sacrificed their precious lives for. It should be easy for ELF-RC and other democratic organizations to come up with sound bites and articles of simple law and faith to inspire million of Eritreans and form a democratic government by the people for the people. The challenge these oppositions make is for life and death of the soul mother Eritrea and millions of her loyal and oppressed children that will believe in and cherish for the rest of their lives Surely, Eritreans are tolerant who deserves freedom.

The splinter groups' gambling on our sovereignty is a license to steal Eritrean freedom and history. So where is the public debate on our country's affair and a strong fight to save our people and our country? Therefore, what we need is a leader whose voice is more eloquently than Ahmed and his partners' surely not the hardest contest to win. In the meantime, the splinter groups are still managing to keep their head above stormy water despite the continuous attempts to sell our sovereignty and sink the rest of our country and us. If they are not in power, they don't care about Eritrea at all. Our brothers and sisters gave their lives for our freedom. Hence we have to fight for this freedom for as long as it takes. I will along many others, not only consider a program of civil resistance if and when necessary but will strongly resist such betrayal in every way possible. What more evidence do we want to keep our freedom from being destroyed?

In effect, the Isaias has fallen but we don't have a strong united opposition yet to topple the regime by all means possible. Therefore, we should look forward to a new and renew the opposition era to bring justice and stability far removed from the dark days of hunger, disease, corruption, dictatorship and treasonous era of 4+1. Then though deceit and secrecy the 4+1 ensured that our eyes, ears as well as theirs were shut and at least until the tragedy of our country. By the time the public forced them to open their eyes and ears, all the Eritrean treasures were fully taken by Weyane as they had done in 2000. Therefore, what is needed is not a political replacement for Isaias' government but a vision of hope, an alternative to the destruction of Eritreaness, Eritrea and its values by the deaf, dump and callous regime of Isaias. We have to think beyond the collapse of Isais' regime.

We were and are confronted by all the cruelty and the incompetence of political life in our country for decades. But now the reaction by the followers of the splinter groups tends to be shameful: we laugh, and when the leaders and their political system in place do not amuse us, we indulge and cry.

The splinter groups dug themselves a bigger hole by taking over-large risky to favor Weyane and in the process destroying Eritrea. They are trying to divide the nation and incited war among the different tribes in Eritrea. We must think of Isaias when we are struggling for democratic change lead by Ahmed Nasser and his partners. No body believes that Ahmed Nasser and his partners led organizations bring democratic change in Eritrea except those who sold their soul to confuse others. History is littered with examples of failed leaders like Ahmed Nasser and others who lost many battles because they prepared for the last war instead of the next one.

In conclusion, my fear is that these opposition party leaders who have become more interested in who is up, who is down in their parties rather than whether their parties or another is ready and able to govern the country. They all want to return the country to some sort of normalcy so that they and their close friends can have a slice of the bread in high places, historical palaces and in the end rob the country to secure their retirement somewhere in the west. That is all they want hence we must make sure this time that these greedy hyenas don't get to the power through the front nor the back door. In such a moment, democratic organizations have the chance to show that they reorganize the national interest and will promise to do what they can to serve the people. All opposition leaders must stop accusing each other and agree on joint manifesto to hammer a common political platform for Eritrea's future.

Glory to our martyrs.

Wolde Gebremedhin