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Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.

Frederick Douglass

The most fantasy panorama witnessed in Eritrean leadership system is that ignoring the obvious or possible changes that may occur in human behavior, culture, politics, economy and environment. Logically, as far as human creature is in constant motion; within that motion change is inevitable that positively or negatively affects the attributes of peace, justice, economic and political interests, human dignity, moral will being, and environmental health. The leadership of People’s for Democracy and Justice in Eritrea succeeds neither to preserve the positive merits of the armed struggle for independence nor to cope the modern advanced governance system to rule citizens with justice, respect and dignity.

The most desperate achievements of PFDJ for the last two decades in Eritrea:

1)   Killing the spirit of creativity, innovativeness, independent and critical thinking of citizens;

2)   Creating robust environment where people to live in fear, mistrust, confusion, hatred and frustration;

3)   Marginalizing the significance and contribution of Eritrean intellectuals in nation building process;

4)   Establishing a totalitarian, military and hostile state that reaches at the edge of committing self-suicide;

5)   Eliminating the justice system that enables the leadership to “enslave”, violate, torture, detain, displace and murder innocent citizens

In various occasions, President Issias Afewroki, the core architect of the national strategy, was questioned about the process of democratization in Eritrea. In his response, the government would not bring any priority to civil and political rights of the citizens rather he stated to insist more in economic, social and cultural rights of the people. However, the tactic he has adopted is confusing and obscure which enables the leadership to use it mostly for the purpose of public consumption. The government builds “schools” without mobilizing interested and innovative students, qualified teachers and teaching resources; builds “hospitals” without putting enough medicines, medical equipment and competent physicians; builds infrastructure without using proper business activities, and free movement of citizens; and builds dams without allowing the young citizens to plough their lands freely. His baffled strategy causes more economic disaster, social crisis, blind justice, endless migration, political uncertainty and unnecessary physical and mental torture.

The national motto- “Our national asset is our human capital” could not move beyond political rhetoric, but in practice the system deliberately works to marginalize the input of intellectuals and academic freedom that could pave for national development. It systematically uses ignorance as strategy to exclude the wider population from real social, political and economic life of the country. As citizens, no matter their educational level, most of Eritreans have least knowledge about their true history, political character, economic development, justice system and other government activities that has been intentionally done to keep them in confusion, illusion and fear. Misinformed citizens are usually less competent to comprehend, interact and decide what is best to their futurity. The traditional values of Eritrean armed struggle- “HaFash (Mass) yNqah (Enlighten), yWedeb (Mobilize/organize) and yTateq (Equip)”, which was a workable strategy to defeat a well armed Ethiopia, has been eradicated.

The new approach the government is opting to maintain its power is: “HaFash (Mass) yDenqar (Misinform), yBeten (Disorganize) and yRad (Terrify). The media outlet is strictly controlled; and education, as source of enlightenment, is demolished to block the horizon of new thinking. Thousands of Eritreans are being dispersed everywhere like “honey bee without a queen”; and the rest majority citizens inside the county are being terrified to live in fear because of continuous persecution. Virtually, the present Eritrea, under PFDJ leadership, cries for not having well qualified and motivated teachers, lawyers, theologians, engineers, political scientists, physicians, architects, accountants and economists. The futurity of Eritrea is uncertain since the educational institutions fail to be a source of enlightenment, creativity and discovery. Rather the educational system becomes a tool to demolish the spirit, value and credibility of academic circles.

Being in silence or avoiding/pretending the problem as not in existence will add more thickness to the growing problems, and hurt the well being of the state. More objectively speaking, Eritreans are divided by narrow conflicting political interests or perspectives, but they must be united by humanity and “prior national question” to heal the chronic pain that knocks each family. Home to home liberation is the best strategy which could effectively work in closed and violent system to enlighten Eritrean families. Enlightening each Eritrean family means enlightening the whole community that can help to transform the perception of the people at national level. Home to home liberation is not pricey, risky and time consuming. The strategy needs one dedicated and enlightened ambassador of change and justice in each family that could help to liberate the citizens from ignorance, fear and despair, because uninformed society cannot bring healthy and sustainable democratic changes. Together we can bring change and difference!!

Written by Adhanom Tewelde

adhanomtewelde@gmail.com