From: Samson Negassi (samson_negassi@yahoo.co.uk)
Date: Sat Jan 17 2009 - 08:54:07 EST
Hi Michael,
Thank you for your comments.
--- On Sat, 17/1/09, Michael Abraham <mikeabk1@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Michael Abraham <mikeabk1@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [DEHAI] Why the bad News?
To: samson_negassi@yahoo.co.uk
Cc: dehai@dehai.org
Date: Saturday, 17 January, 2009, 6:46 AM
Samson: You sound like a well informed person on
Eritrea’s external political enemies. And thank you for posting your
thoughts. But I have to comment on the important matters you did not talk
about.
The mounting external pressure faced by Eritrea is a fact,
but it is only one side of the story. The other equally urgent question is the
deterioration in the lack of trust, unity, compassion and lack of tolerance
among Eritreans of varying ideological and political persuasions. I may sound
like an idealist fool, but I am convinced this state of affairs is the worst
enemy of all. And the only sure way to reverse this dangerous trend is by
allowing people freedom of expression and freedom of conscience and by honoring
human and democratic rights without delay.
External enemies would encourage the continuous absence of
the values that bond Eritreans together because without them a nation is prone
to being divided and therefore too weak to defend its independence and
sovereignty. (Ethiopia faces the same dilemma today.)
None of the fleeing young Eritrean compatriots accepts the
notion that the tight grip over the people was making the citizens more
nationalistic. It is of course having the opposite effect and that is why the
number of defecting people continues to grow.
I would have enjoyed reading your journal better if you had
also made some mention of our internal predicament. May be next time. But I
firmly believe the question of liberty and democracy are also questions of
national security.
Michael Abraha