Why a fearful city wouldn’t whisper to Mr. Downey?

By Mulugheta Abraha

It is amazing to see that a journalist who visited Eritrea only two times can analyze the current situation in Eritrea and tell us all what went wrong in Eritrea. The journalist in question was nowhere when a disaster struck in Eritrea. He had no first hand account of what the country had to go through to survive as a nation. He reported nothing about the hardship that we as Eritreans endured during the trying times of the last six years. He failed to grasp the basics of Ethio-Eritera conflict and why we are still at war with Ethiopia. He tells us that Melles will be dead at home if he abides by the rule and recognizes that Badme is in Eritrea and Isayas wants war because he fears the constitution. How more biased can the analysis be?

Mr. Downey acts as the “bado seleste” expert of the coffee shops in Asmara and tell the world his “shocking’ discovery of what went wrong in Eritrea based on whispers. He tried to hide the pre-conceived purpose of his trip by exaggerating irrelevant things like someone whispering him to “change money”, a whisper that according to our expert can land Eritreans in jail. Well, we all know that exchanging money in Eritrea is a strictly enforced rule just as is the rule of bringing foreign fruit to the USA. Unless Mr. Downey was being whispered to illegally exchange money, no one in Eritrea whispers about changing money legally. Yet, for Mr. Downey the friendly advice was mistaken for a whisper that gets you in jail. This is where Mr. Downey already starts to loose credibility.

Instead of going out to see what the young Eritreans are doing in the fields, he chose to tour the coffee shops for rumors that can never be substantiated or looking for deserters to shop around for personal tragedies. He claims to have talked to Eritreans who are requesting the US to sanction the Eritrean Government. Hmmm, that sounds very fishy and un-Eritrean. How does Mr. Downey attract those individuals with such outspoken requests? It wouldn’t surprise me if he had already received a list of “individuals” that he needed to contact to help construct his stories. Otherwise, how can a “fearful Eritrean city” open up to talk to a total stranger with no fear? Very fishy, Mr. Downey. First you put words in the mouth of a virtual Eritrean then you that same request by stating “The only conceivable way to force Eritrea and Ethiopia to make peace is to threaten to suspend their foreign aid”. This shows how cruel Mr. Downey’s game is.

He continues to tell us how people didn’t pay his coffee bill this time unlike 7 years ago, never mind that few months back another journalist told us that he was surprised when his coffee bill was paid by Eritreans who sat next to his table. He goes on to say that 7 years ago Eritrea had no beggars but now Eritrea became a beggar nation. It is true that beggars were banned from the streets in Eritrea in order to promote self reliance. It doesn’t mean that Eritrea back then had an over production of honey and milk which took care of the beggars. It was done only because the government had focused its attention on reducing the number of beggars that existed in the overcrowded streets of Asmara when they liberated the country. This time the government and its resources are engaged in a very different game and one can understand that certain things may not run as well as we wish them to run. I am sure the situation would have changed back to normal if we are allowed to exist as a normal nation without constantly being shadowed by another disastrous war. Is this an excuse? Yes, a valid one!

The biggest problem we have in Eritrea is not beggars on streets or high level of crime. Look at the homeless and beggars that occupy the streets of NewYork and other cities of your wealthiest nation on earth. If the number of beggars is the measure for how things go wrong in a nation, the US and Ethiopia would probably rank among the highest. Eritrea is one of the poorest nations on earth and a journalist with common sense wouldn’t use the issue of street beggars for political games. That is just too cheap.

Regarding the hardship that the youth in Eritrea is enduring, we have a much better appreciation than you do, Mr. Downey. We are the families and people directly affected by the hardships and sacrifices our youth are paying to secure the integrity of our country. Those are our brothers and sisters that talk to us openly with no whispers. You may see it differently but for us that is the price we are forced to pay for the lack of justice and principle of the so called civilized Western world. If your country only had spoken out publicly that a legally binding border decision will have to be enforced according to international laws and agreements, you would have not had a chance to throw your garbage articles at us. In the absence of a principled world leader however, Eritreans have no other option than to endure the hardship that you have only touched upon. Our young brothers and sisters will not be able to lead a normal life unless the border war with Ethiopia is resolved. Just like the boys and girls of the US will not come back home from Iraq until the situation is normalized, the young Eritreans who are rebuilding the country and guarding the nation from aggressors will never be able to get back to their normal life until we are allowed to live without fear of being re-colonized again. That is our fate and we are doing the best we can to survive under the circumstances. Yes, Eritreans are being tested for how long we can stretch the limits for resistance, perseverance and determination by prolonging the no-war & no- peace situation endless. However, if passing the test is what it takes to safeguard a nation that we have received as a gift from our martyrs, I am confident that Eritreans will surprise the world again.

In the process there will be many ups and downs that we do not expect to learn from you or any other western journalist. Eritreans have mastered the art of survival in trying times not by screaming loud or kneeling down but mainly by objectively analyzing their situation and act accordingly. It is very unnatural to expect that every person will stick to the end. If there are other means to live, many will choose that route. But for everyone else, Eritrea is the only choice. Believe me, if Eritreans feel like they need to get rid of President Afeworki and the current government, they are not going to need any articles like yours. However, the reality is our people have never questioned the integrity and leadership of our government. We may have questioned the harmony in our leadership but never did we question the integrity and capability of our leaders. The fact that you have painfully agreed that this leadership even in times of war remains “virtually incorruptible” is one of the many aspects of our government that we Eritreans do not take for granted.

We know better than to steer trouble in the name of democracy and freedom of speech for it is not going to get us anywhere in Eritrea, in the context of the current situation. Democracy for us is not a religion with a culmination of multiparty elections, it is a process and a culture that we have to cultivate, provided the right circumstances is prevailing. You like it or not, Eritreans recognize the challenges we are faced with much better than anybody else. We know how to prioritize our challenges and align our meager resources accordingly. In the process, we will undoubtedly make mistakes and may regret certain decisions we take but at the same time we will learn from them. That is much better than to follow blindly what the rich nations have dictated to other poor countries with no success to claim. Nor will we trust the puppets that you breed in the West under the disguise of opposition parties. Refer to the puppets of Iraq and where they are right now.

No outsider should dictate how to run our country. We believe that we are better off with a corruption free government that has the good of the country at heart, than corrupted puppets trained by the West and Ethiopians. This is the reason you see no resentment/uprising in Eritrea, as you wish to have it. Not because there is a dictator that rules Eritrea without the consent of our people but because the people have a better understanding of the situation than you and other outsiders. Please, do not underestimate the intelligence of our people when it comes to judging who is right for Eritrea.

Mr. Downey, while you are trying to grasp the magnitude of suffering the Eritrean youth have to endure under the harsh circumstances we find ourselves in, we try to see the fruits of Warsay-Ykealo projects. While you are meeting with puppets to discredit our government, you will see us debate our situation internally while financially supporting our government and people. While you call our leaders “dictators”, “cruelest of Africa”, “Homegrown Despots”, you will see us stick with them and fight for our survival as a nation. While you say “the renaissance is over” we will work hard and pay the highest price to prove you wrong. While the dogs bark the camel marches on. Are you surprised? Well, that is what Eritrea is all about.

If you really care for Eritrea, fight for its existence first by pressuring your government to respect international rule and justice so that the border can be demarcated. Don’t mess around with our internal affair; we are responsible for taking care of that.