Shabait.com: Eritrea’s Granma?
By Seyoum Tesfaye
On March 11, 2005 Shabait.com carried an editorial entitled” Travesty on Human rights”. This is not a run- of- the- mill Editorial by an aspiring independent website or by a miniscule political group trying to flex its underdeveloped political muscles. This editorial represents the view of the authoritarian regime in Asmara. It gives us an insight into the deeply held but well camouflaged political and ideological orientation of the ruling elite in power. It must be scrutinized with the intensity it deserves.
I should go further than that and state a definitive and authoritative editorial of this magnitude will not make it to the front page of Shabait.com unless it had the approval of the highest authority in the land. In other words this is not an aberration or a mere slip up. This is not the misguided articulation of a mid level functionary in the Eritrean Ministry of Information. This can only reflect the official ideological summation and perspective of the top leadership of PFDJ and the president of Eritrea towards the US.
If the desire of the Eritrean government was to consolidate its siege mentality it has done an excellent job. But if the editorial was written with the slightest intention of advancing the interest of the State of Eritrea and its people it should have been stamped DOA (dead on arrival) before it went to the printer. What this ill-conceived editorial affirms is how reckless and irresponsible the regime has become and how it practices the art of self- immolation. The editorial stands as a prima-facie evidence of a regime bent on self- destruction and working hard to perpetuate the isolation of the State of Eritrea just to stay in power.
The editorial could have been written by the ideological cousins of the Eritrean ruling regime in Harare, Tripoli and Havana. I would not have been surprised had I read this rendition in the front page of Granma-in Havana. But in Asmara and in the year 2005, 15 years after the collapse of the communist camp to read this retrogressive analysis by the leadership of a nation in the middle of strategic national challenges is baffling. Beyond being undiplomatic the editorial conveys the incapability of the clique at the top to subdue its inflated ego in the interest of the nation.
It is obvious that in addition to the shortage of food and gas Eritrea must also be suffering from the shortage of mirrors. The ruling elites have not been able to get a true reflection of itself for quite sometimes. Forget deep introspection and admitting gross mistakes, it is an unacceptable human behavior too alien for our super human national leaders. How else can one explain this feeble effort to conceal the large scale human right abuse that is being imposed on all segments of Eritrean society? The egregious human rights abuse in Eritrea is not a fiction written by US Department of States.
The rational presented by this ill-conceived editorial is that America had committed such heinous crimes internally and externally, therefore, it has no right to issue a human rights report on Eritrea or any other nation. The central message of the editorial is summarized by a swiping summation in paragraph eight:
“It is not a secret, then, that the hypocrisy and the deafening cries of the US about human rights that we are hearing in day in and day out, is aimed at ensuring economic dominance and political hegemony over the rest of the world by vertically polarizing peoples, countries and societies, and further weakening them and ensuring their obedience.”
The editorial has a universal and ideological tone. This is the equivalent of Castro’s regular proclamation of standing alone against the imperialist US. Yet it is coming out Asmara! Dictators learn from each other: When everything fails instead of making peace with their own people they always have the time tested tactic of projecting all problems on a global bogyman. Is this fall back to the rhetoric of the 1970 reactivated by the recent visit to People’s Republic of China or a solidarity message to affirm the budding relationship between Eritrea and Cuba? We have to wait for the other shoe to fall.
Given the further elimination of private business in Eritrea and the expansion of the control of the ruling party and its business entities on the macro and micro economics of Eritrea can the official declaration of a Communist State be far off? Combined with the sustained assault being waged against Eritrean religions by the State and the exploitation of free labor under the guise of national service should we be surprised if the leaders of the State of Eritrea were to proclaim their true ideology? Could this be the foreign policy manifestation of the fully implemented anti-free enterprise and anti-liberal democracy policy of the regime?
I am not in the business of defending America’s past or present blunders. But I find it incredible when a confirmed tyrant uses America’s mistakes to fend of genuine criticism and accountability about its own human right record and the wholesale repression of the people of Eritrea. If the logic is that since you messed up frequently allow us to do so it is the weakest rational one can come up to cover up its atrocities. What the president of Eritrea and his inner circle fail to grasp is this logic has not saved other more organized and well financed dictators with more savvy and sophistication. What makes the Eritrean regime think it will be different in its case? The die is cast.
Let me concede the hard facts: the destruction of indigenous Native Americans, the ugly reality of slavery in America and the delayed introduction of voting rights for American women and African Americans are deep scares that cannot be washed away or sanitized. I might even go further than that and add the internment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War as the ugly side of US history. But these are not facts hidden under an authoritarian archives or limited to government approved official narration.
I am not aware of a definitive or a legally sanctioned government imposed interpretation about these tragic chapters in American history. There are Americans who are much harsher in their criticism of America’s past and present national blunders and misguided foreign adventures than the writers of Shabait.Com. These writers do not need a permit to write or speak out against the American government nor will they be thrown into a dungeon just because they demanded accountability and expressed commitment for a constitutional government. You cannot say this about the regime in Asmara.
More importantly the people of America are well aware of these facts and are free to discuss these historical scares without interference from their elected government. American book shelves are full of hundreds if not thousands of books on these subjects. With the exception of few dyed- in- wool racists most American have come to terms with the ugly side of American history. By contrast Eritreans have not been allowed to speak, leave alone publish a critical book or articles, about the mistakes committed by the present leadership during the war of liberation, the border war with Ethiopia and the on going repression by the authoritarian system. It will not be wrong to classify the present Eritrean national leadership as the most virulent anti-democracy element in Africa.
If the publication of the editorial was to shore up the evaporating local support it might have produced some marginal political dividend. This temporary spike will be so negligible and short lived. If this outburst was to exhibit some sense of diplomatic machismo it failed miserably. The regime has done more to damage itself by this ill-conceived editorial than it can comprehend. Leave alone those of us in the camp of the opposition even its own best defenders cannot explain the rational behind this kind of self flagellation.
As far as this editorial advancing the fundamental national interests of Eritrea and its people it will be an exercise in self -disillusion. It was never intended to achieve an agenda critical and vital to the people of Eritrea: building a mutually productive working relationship between Eritrea and USA. On the contrary it goes against Eritrea’s short and long term interests. So why will the regime produce this kind of ill-conceived statement at this time? Is it itching for open diplomatic rupture with the US government? Does it believe this kind of outburst will force the US Department of States to stop issuing its yearly human rights assessment? Does this give the Eritrean regime added political leverage to expand its influence within the international diplomatic circles? The short answer is no.
The two critical agenda’s facing State of Eritrea and Eritreans at the present time are: Finalizing the border demarcation and finding a peaceful way to establish a democratically elected representative legal government. The first agenda cannot be actualized without the direct and indirect critical role of the US government. Based on frequent articulation by Eritrea’s mercurial president this much must be obvious to the leadership in Asmara. Why pay three lobbying firms an exuberant amount of money if this fact is not obvious? Why squander Eritrea’s hard currency and still shoot yourself in the foot?
It seems that the US government has in a low key but in a firm way made its principled stand on the border demarcation clear to the ruling regime in Addis: The decision of the EEBC has to be implemented without any preconditions. In spite of the Eritrean regime’s leadership acting like an enfant terrible the US has supported the demarcation decision. So why then publish this kind of irresponsible editorial at this time? In my way of thinking the editorial and its timing stands against the fundamental interest of Eritrea. At the time when Eritrea need all diplomatic leverages to finalize the EEBC’s decision the illegitimate regime in Asmara decides to throw a tantrum of this magnitude. Is this the way to advance Eritrea’s sovereign interest? Is this quality leadership? Why all this empty posturing?
Who will be sent to Washington DC to explain–away this blunder? What creditability do the “light weight emissaries" of the tyrannical regime have left to rectify a diplomatic and political blunder of this magnitude? Eritrea’s diplomatic arsenals and skills have been so depleted and discredited by the outlandish and irrational behavior of the top leadership of the nation it will not be wrong to consider Eritrea a diplomatic orphan.
I am not sure what the US reaction will be to this outlandish editorial. I know what I would like it to be: The American government can draw the following summation from the editorial:
For a while I have felt that the US has been misreading the true nature of the Eritrean regime and depth of its betrayal of the Eritrean peoples expressed desire for constitutional governance and rule of law. The US reaction to the never ending repression and total destruction of the fabric of the Eritrean society has been moderate, measured and based on quiet diplomacy. The reaction of the Eritrean government to this kind of moderate approach has not been positive and accommodating. It did not reciprocate by the releasing of political prisoners, un-banning all independent papers, implementing the 1997 constitution, allowing opposition parties to practice inside Eritrea, by introducing true free market economy, toning down its belligerent and bellicose behavior. In fact has become more obtrusive, negative and reckless. Why keep appeasing this kind of behavior?
There is a growing puzzlement shared by many Eritreans: Why the US government, after raising the banner of Liberty as a global battle cry, does not publicly rebuke the authoritarian regime in Asmara and send a clear positive signal to the people of Eritrea in their darkest hour?
The underlining question is does America’s pronouncement of expanding liberty include the people of Eritrea or are the people of Eritrea once again to be marginalized in the interest of a bigger global agenda? Will the US put pragmatism over its publicly declared Era of Liberty and still go on tolerating the Isaias regime?
Stay tuned!
Seyoum Tesfaye
Atlanta, Georgia
March 20, 2005
Disclaimer: All opinion expressed in this article reflects my own individual perspective. It does not represent any institution or organizations opinion.