My Disappointment on www

Why on Aiga Forum?

Why the Ethiopians say the Eritrean issue is all about Eritreans in public and works in maneuvering problems on Eritrean opposition undercover by entertaining such an irresponsible article on their biggest www.aigaforum.com?

Except for very few, I believe that PFDJ is the enemy of the whole Eritrean people. But why the writer of the article “Eritrea – Pushing the Panic Button to Its Peaks” on www.aigaforum.com (date not mentioned but it is probably on Feb 16 or 17, 2010) wants to brand all highland Eritrean Tigrinyas as PFDJs or the other side of the same coin and aigaforum shows its support by posting the article on their website. As you can see from his article the writer is a user that he would be grateful of the Tigray Tigrinyas and accuses all the Eritrean Tigrinyas of romanticizing hollow pride, identity crisis, contempt and disillusionment. In my opinion, he praised the Tigray Tigrinyas just because they hold a government and he is looking for extra backing for himself or his group from the Ethiopian side. Otherwise they are all Tigrinyas. In case he is considerate to the Tigray Tigrinyas because they accommodate article 39 on their constitution that is all about the Ethiopians. In case of Eritrea it will or will not be the truth as it is up to the people of Eritrean to decide.

I do not have any dilemma about Ethiopians in building an ethnic based federal system except to be glad as far as the people of Ethiopia are happy. To avoid ambiguity, I also have no problem if Eritreans chose to have the same kind of structure. But what matters to me is whenever we talk about ethnicity I notice people trying to lay all the burdens of the evils of the PFDJ towards the “Eritrean highland Tigrinyas minority” (quoting from the writer’s article). The writer argues the 700,000 Eritrean Tigrinya highlanders are minorities among the 5.2 million Eritreans but he did not say a word about the 6 million Tigray Tigrinyas who are also the same among the 80 million Ethiopians. I wonder why the writer couldn’t challenge this simple logic when he said “the Eritrean Tigrina minorities” in Eritrea. I feel he wanted to thrill his Tigray Tigrinya bosses.

By the way why do we must need or why it seems to be fare to blackmail the highland Tigrinyas in order to talk about or comprise a decentralized ethnic based government in future Eritrea? Why don’t we attack the PFDJ with out mentioning ethnic Tigrinya? Why don’t we also keep our breath for a second and think about those Tigrinya Eritreans thrown at every corner of the planet because they are not PFDJs? What about those in prison? Can’t we able to discuss or agree in a professional manner why we need or we do not need our future Eritrea to be ethnic based without degrading the Eritrean Tigrinyas? I myself would say still we can. If we can do this why we knowingly want to dishearten other fellow Eritreans and need to create a gap among ourselves.

As a typical example I am born from a Tigrinya family in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and my parents took me to Eritrea immediately after independence when I was a teenager. I had stayed for 8 years in Eritrea and it has been 9 years since I left the country. While I was in Eritrea I had the chance to know the true colour of the PFDJ and that is why I have decided to join the struggle against it. I did not even know I was an Eritrean until I came to Eritrea let alone to know I am Eritrean Tigrinya. While I was in Ethiopia I used to remember when people called us “Tigrie”. I had no clue whether I am Ethiopian Tigrinya or Eritrean Tigrinya. Hence, I would like to ask the writer of the article on where would be my position according to your blind and narrow judgement? I hope it will not be with the always bad doers “the minority Eritrean Tigrinya highlanders”. If you say so… do you think I care? I don’t care except keeping the flame of democracy alive. Do you assume I need to be the fan of self determination up to secession to be a genuine Eritrean opposition? I don’t think so. I believe it is not rational to label all Eritrean Tigrinya highlanders as “naturally terrible” just because they are instinctive to Tigrinya families. This argument is not only totally twisted but also extremely undemocratic. After all, if the writer is not silly no one has ever chosen his family; we only had the chance to know our ancestors after birth. Had it been possible to pick up our roots, many people in the world could have chosen to belong to other ancestors than they have today.

Simultaneously, it is very surprising to find out aigaforum the well known Ethiopian government owned website showing us such a gesture knowing that the EDA umbrella organization head quartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia has all kinds of Eritrean opposition organizations including organizations with “minority Eritrean highland Tigrinyas”. I just can’t understand the motive behind the publication of the article on this giant website. If they are trying to tell us that they are supporting the notion of the writer on his weak attitude I would only say it is not reasonable. Or as we are in their land as an opposition, if they are trying to enlighten or dictate us by means of such articles and opinions that we should have an ethnic based federal government in future Eritrea I will say (as they always speak in public) it is only our (“Eritreans”) business to establish any kind of government the way we want. As far as they (Ethiopians) were free to decide on their political fate I ask them to give us a space to do so.

In this historical period especially when we are targeting at a national conference I basically couldn’t see any good reason and I believe it is not wise to cooperate in posting such an article that could let down those “Eritrean Tigrinya minorities” who are struggling against the inhuman PFDJ regime. In fact, I do not need to be told the Ethiopians have the same political programs with the ethnic based Eritrean opposition organizations however I only would like to counsel them to extend any extra compassion to them in private.

Hoping to get an explanation for the critical question in my mind about the backstage drama of posting the above mentioned article from the aigaforum website administrators, here I invite my readers to examine the full article posted at www.aigaforum.com. It was on the front page until on February 20, 2010. In connection with part of the writer’s article about the upcoming PFDJ demonstration and in case he wishes to know my stand on it he can listen to my interview with Radio Selam based on Washington DC, on the 21^st of February @ 2PM Washington DC time at www.wust1120.com - Selam Radio.

Mussie Zena:- zenamg@yahoo.com