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From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Fri Nov 19 2010 - 09:25:51 EST
<http://www.eritreacompass.com/eritrean-news/54-politics/459-six-degrees-of-
separation-paulos-tesfagirogis-and-eritreas-enemies-part-2.html> Six Degrees
of Separation -Paulos Tesfagirogis and Eritrea's Enemies-Part 2
Thursday, 19 November 2010 09:15
Written by Sophia Tesfamariam
http://www.eritreacompass.comSophia Tesfamariam
Click here to read Part 1
<http://www.eritreacompass.com/eritrean-news/54-politics/458-six-degrees-of-
separation-paulos-tesfagirogis-and-eritreas-enemies.html>
Let us continue reading from his 1991 thesis. Again, exposing his flip
flopping stances Tesfagiorgis wrote:
".In the case of Eritrea and Ethiopia, for example, while the NGOs, other
donors and interested parties should encourage the democratic transitions
that are emerging and support institutional safeguarding of human rights,
they should also help assure that the new countries receive strong economic
support, bilateral as well as multilateral, so that their aspiration of
ending hunger and bringing about economic development can be fulfilled."
Hmmm!
Contradictions. you bet, the man is full of them.
For example, when the Government of Eritrea announced the Warsay-Yikaalo
Program for Development in 2002, Tesfagiorgis and his coterie burnt the
midnight oil churning out reports about it-misrepresenting it of course.
Some groups and individuals, like the runaway ex-diplomat Adhanom
Ghebremariam labeled it 'Wefri Barinet", equating it with slavery. Every
single initiative undertaken by the Government and people of Eritrea was
ridiculed and undermined. In his 1991 paper, the flip flopping Tesfagiorgis
wrote about "empowerment" and popular participation", he said:
".Empowerment comes through popular participation. Participation involves
communities from the very beginning in all activities that affect their
lives. Participation is a confidence-building process in that, the
beneficiaries develop confidence in themselves as they decide on ail that
affects their lives and their environment, as they come to realize that they
are part of a whole and that by their actions they contribute to the welfare
and development of their country.."
So what did he mean?
"..Ideas that transform the community do not have to come from the
beneficiaries themselves all the time. Indeed, it might be difficult for a
people who for decades have been denied their dignity, their right to decide
for themselves, their right to think and act as human beings, to suddenly
seize the opportunity to take new initiatives. It is better that ideas come
from beneficiaries, but ideas may also arise in NGOs that operate locally
and that know the problems and internal dynamics of local communities very
well. Initiatives may also be taken by local government. The principle
remains, however, that the beneficiaries should be involved in the
definition of the problem, in the formulation of measures to be taken and in
the execution of the plan which affects their environment, and that they
should do so voluntarily and consciously."
As for initiatives, the people of Eritrea and their government are perfectly
capable of coming up with innovative and practical initiatives to develop
their country and today, they are reaping the benefits of their sacrifice
and hard work.something Tesfagiorgis and his ilk are incapable of fathoming!
What Tesfagiorgis and his condescending elitist recruits don't seem to
understand is that, the Eritrean people, active participants in the struggle
for Eritrea's independence, are better poised to decide the direction they
want for their country and do not need external paternalistic prescriptions.
I would go further and say that there is no population in Africa today that
is as conscious as the people of Eritrea, or a population that is committed
to developing their country. Their participation, with the exception of a
few, in the development of Eritrea economically, politically and socially is
both, voluntary and conscious.
In February 1990, the EPLF liberated the strategic port city of Massawa and
on 24 May 1991 Eritrea became independent. His ex-colleagues tell me that
Tesfagiorgis regretted his "miscalculation"; that he did not think Eritrea's
independence would come so soon. but he had no qualms about asking for
pardon (through his sister) and returning to Eritrea in 1992 to set up his
new NGO, the Regional Center for Human Rights in Asmara.
Tesfagiorgis did not set up the Regional Center with funds raised from the
vast Eritrean communities around the world, nor did he get seed money from
the Government of Eritrea, or any of the regional governments. He also did
not receive his funds from the African Union or the United Nations and he
certainly didn't have any money of his own, so how did he set up that
Center?
I recently came across a letter that was written by one of his previous
recruits that can tell us a little bit about Tesfagiorgis and his funding
sources. On 23 March 2010 letter Mohammed Kheir (member of the Berlin 13)
wrote the following:
"..Paulos, you have been closely affiliated with the then Eritrean
Democratic Party (EDP) since its establishment and you have been promoting
its causes and all organisations that are related to it. You are a highly
competent person who, through ERA, has built a huge worldwide network which
you still use to fund your various activities. My misgiving is directed
towards your apparent desire to monopolise your funding sources, an
undesirable trait. You tend to monopolize your contacts to get funds only
for those organizations that you are affiliated with."
Well, Mr. Mohammed Kheir is right about Tesfagiorgis having a huge worldwide
network, but who is funding him? I found records from the National Endowment
for Democracy, Fund for Peace, and Canada's Rights and Democracy that show
some of his funding sources. Here is what I found:
In 1992 Canada's Rights & Democracy Center gave Paulos Tesfagiorgis $28,615
for:
". This project is an exploratory mission to examine the current situation
in the Horn of Africa, particularly with regard to laws and regulations,
human and material resources in the setting up of a new NGO to help avert
human rights violations and development failures. The work will initially
focus on Eritrea and later expand to other parts of the region."
In 1993 the Fund for Peace provided Tesfagiorgis' Center with $53,000 to:
".enable the Regional Centre for Human Rights and Development based Asmara,
Eritrea, to strengthen its program of support for institutional developments
of the local NGO community, publications of and independent newspaper,
monitoring the referendum on Eritrea's independence, and increasing popular
participation in the development of Eritrea's constitution."
In 1993 Canada's Rights & Democracy provided Tesfagiorgis' Center with
$25000 for creating:
".an independent Citizens Referendum Monitoring Group composed of 35 women
and men from nine of Eritrea's ethnic groups and ten provinces to ensure a
fair and free referendum for Eritrea scheduled on 23 to 25 April 1993."
Dan Connell in his book "Against all Odds" wrote:
".When a post war initiative to launch a Regional Center for Human Rights
and Development garnered a nearly $1 million in foreign funding, the
government summarily shut It down."
Did he say "post war initiative".funny chap. Connell knows very well that it
was not about the money. He's been around Eritreans long enough to know that
Eritreans are not jealous of others in that way. There is a saying in
Tigrinya that goes something like this. "Miblae mibl'u si, zib'e adina
yiblaayo"-loosly translated as if it is there to be eaten, then let our
hyena eat it". I don't think there is any Eritrean that is loosing sleep
because Tesfagiorgis is getting "funding" but we cannot allow him to
denigrate Eritrea and her people, just to get ahead.
So what did he expect to do at the Center? Tesfagiorgis spelled it out in
his 1991 paper:
".The new NGO, which can foster the development of a healthy civil society,
will necessarily be political but non-partisan, having no affiliation with
political parties and not contending for state power. It will have real as
weIl as formaI independence from the State. Its effort will be to influence
public policy and to join hands with similar NGOs, professional
associations, other grassroots movements. Therefore, it will have to resist
becoming involved in activities that might diminish its strength and
integrity.The new NGO will also need to foster strong links with Northern
NGOs in a real partnership, a partnership based on shared values, principles
and objectives."
So, according to Tesfagiorgis, his NGO which was to be established in
Eritrea would not be linked with the Government of Eritrea, but it was
somehow okay for it to be linked and funded by foreign governments.
Brendalyn P. Ambrose in her book "Democratization and the Protection of
Human Rights in Africa" says:
".to be effective, human rights NGOs must be autonomous of governments.
While some NGOs might be genuinely committed to social justice and
development, at the same time the emphasis on NGOs has created opportunities
for some egocentric and fraudulent individuals to set up such organizations
in order to access western funds. That will not benefit poor Africans. For
this reason, there should be mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the
performance and effectiveness of NGOs.."
I'll let the reader decide where Tesfagiorgis fits.
The fact that Tesfagiorgis was recruited by the NED before Eritrea's
independence raises a lot of questions for me. What is it that Tesfagiorgis
promised to do in exchange for all that money? Why did the NED choose him
etc. etc. I suppose we will never really know everything. Let us see take a
look at what Gregory Elich has to say about "human rights" and "democracy"
groups. In 2002, he wrote:
".As always when the West targets a foreign leader for removal, news reports
ignore complexity and context, while the real motivations for intervention
remain hidden. Concern for democracy and human rights is selective and it is
always the nation that displays too much independence that evokes concern,
even in cases of a functioning multiparty system and wide ranging media. On
the other hand, no one calls for democracy and human rights in oppressive
nations as long as the political environment is conducive to Western
investment.The pattern is consistent. Any nation that embarks on a path
diverging from Western corporate interests and places the needs of its
people over the demands of Western capital finds itself the target of
destabilization, sanctions and intervention."
So are Tesfagiorgis and his handlers attempting to destabilize Eritrea? I
say they are.
When a group of "like-minded" Eritreans calling themselves "Academics,
Intellectuals and Professionals" appeared in cyberspace with their letter of
ultimatum addressed to the President of Eritrea
When another letter signed by 15 high level government officials and when
their accusations against the President of Eritrea surfaced in cyberspace,
When these coup-makers dubbed "reformists" by the western media wee suddenly
conducting interviews (some writing up their own) in the so-called
"independent press"
When we find out that the "free press" was not so free or independent and
that they were not only trained by visiting journalism professors hired by
the US State Department, but that the same visiting professor (Neil Skene)
was running the anti-Eritrea campaigns
When these "journalists" find their way into the United States just days
after September 11 and establish NGOs to join in the anti-Eritrea chorus
When orchestrated "uprising" by Asmara University students makes headlines
in the mainstream US and UK media
When there are sudden defections by Eritrean Ambassadors and their stories
were being broadcast by the BBC and other western media,
When several Eritrean "human rights" and "democracy" activists and NGOs
suddenly mushroomed in cyberspace,
When a flurry of "Alerts", "Press Releases" and "Statements" by nondescript
NGOs and personalities showed up in cyberspace and in the mainstream media,
When Haile Menkorios, a veteran of the Eritrean struggle for independence
and the Eritrean Ambassador to the United Nations is "offered" a job by the
UN Secretary General of the United Nations,
When the anti-Eritrea rhetoric reaches a screeching crescendo- as sure as
the sun was going to rise in the morning.Eritreans were sure that there was
a Washington originated destabilization order at work and Paulos
Tesfagiorgis was right smack in the middle of it all.
Why do western governments establish NGOs, such as Tesfagiorgis' Regional
Center in Asmara, in some nations? Gregory Elich tells us why:
".Although NGOs may appear to be independent organizations operating outside
of government, many receive the bulk of their funding from Western
governments, shape their policy in consultation with Western officials, and
act in every way to further Western interests. As they work to undermine and
destabilize nations and to further Western corporate interests, they cover
their hostile actions with nice-sounding phrases such as "human rights" and
"civil society." It is a perfect arrangement. For U.S. and British leaders,
it allows them to engage in illegal and hostile actions against another
nation while assuming a pose of innocence."
Need I say more?
But it wasn't just an NGO that Tesfagiorgis was planning to introduce into
newly liberated Eritrea; in his 1991 paper Tesfagiorgis hinted that he was
also going to establish an "independent press". Let us take a look at what
he wrote:
".The NGO of this new type would publish communications providing concerned
citizens with the opportunity to debate and to expose their ideas, ideals
and desires as weIl as to exchange information, thereby restraining the
State and its organs from excessive abuses, Such communications -- perhaps
in the form of a weekly newspaper.Such a free press, in the context of the
rule of law, can guarantee the strengthening of civil society."
Speaking of free press.a while back, Paulos Tesfagiorgis and the folks at
Asmarino.com told us about ERENA, an "independent" radio program that was
produced by Eritrean journalists in exile. One of them was sent o Japan by
the Government of Eritrea for training but decided not return to Eritrea,
and instead called RSF and they arranged for him to get asylum in France.
Anyway, this is what Tesfagiorgis and his partners want us to believe about
Erena, that it is:
".independent of any political organization or government.Radio Erena is
offering news, cultural programmes, music and entertainment."
What exactly is Tesfagiorgis' campaign if not political? What is RSF's
annual listing for, if not for politics? How can it be classified as being
independent when it is financed by Reporters San Frontiers who are
themselves funded by NED? Did I say six degrees.
As for Erena, the East Africa Forum reported the following on 07 June 2010:
".An independent radio station Radio Erena ("Our Eritrea"), established by
Eritrean journalists in exile and Reporters Without Borders, started to
broadcast news from Paris to Eritrea by satellite in June 2009."
So much for independent press!
Just remembered something I had read the other day about the "free press" in
Eritrea. It came from a man who has obsessed about Eritrea since
independence. Kjetil Tronvoll of the Oslo Center in Norway has been
facilitating the EQL' s "conferences" and "seminars". He also happens to be
a good friend of Tesfagiorgis and their relationship goes back many years.
Tronvoll wrote the following about Tesfagiorgis' Regional Center and the
independent press in Eritrea in a recent article he produced in
collaboration with Human Rights Watch. He wrote:
".A case in point is the closure and prohibition of the dissemination of
independent information during the referendum process, as the only
'independent' NGO established in the country after EPLF takeover was
suddenly closed down when it wanted to publish a newspaper debating the
referendum and Eritrea's future development plans. Later initiatives to
establish independent newspapers were also repressed."
Since Tesfagiorgis' NGO itself was not "independent". How could his
NED-funded NGO possibly publish an independent newspaper in Eritrea? When
the westerners are funding it, it is considered independent. When the State
funds it, it is not. So, what do we make of the hundreds of thousands of
NGOs in the United States that receive Congressional funding?
After conducting a two year long campaign against Eritrea, in 2003, adding
insult to injury, Tesfagiorgis was awarded the Thorolf Rafto Prize for his
"human rights" work. The western media sent out their usual flurry of
reports and the many cyber NGO's that he had set up sent him congratulatory
messages. Afrol, an internet news site was one of the related news sites
that reported on it. It said:
".the Foundation informs that he has been a central figure in the
independence fight against Ethiopia - headed by current President Issayas
Afewerki - which led to Eritrea's independence in 1991. As leader of the
Eritrean Relief Association (1976-1990), Mr Tesfagiorgis was responsible for
securing access to food supplies and health services for the civilian
population in the liberated areas.After liberation, he finished his law
studies, and then went on to co-found a 'Regional Centre for Human Rights
and Development' in Asmara."
On a hunch, I decided to check these Rafto laureates and see who they are
and what they did to deserve the award. I found some well known
personalities such as Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese opposition leader,
Malahat Nasibova a journalist associated with the Turat News Agency in
Azerbaijan, Elena Bonner, the wife of Andrei Sakharov the famous human
rights activist, Rebiya Kadeer, President of the World Uyghur Congress who
is said to describe herself as the "laundress turned millionaire etc. etc. I
don't know that they would not have been awarded on their own merit.but it
bothers me that, like Tesfagiorgis, they were all NED grant
recipients.coincidence?
That reminds me of something else that has been nagging at me. Almost every
Eritrean has a copy of Dan Connell's book "Against all Odds" in their
bookshelf and most of us have read it more than one time. How many times in
the 334-page book does Connell mention this Paulos Tesfagiorgis that the
folks at Rafto tell us was a "central figure" in Eritrea? Not a single time,
zero..Connell mentions ERA several times but even though Tesfagiorgis was
the head of ERA for 14 years, he never mentions him by name. Grassroots
International, the NGO that Connell established in 1983 was helping Eritrea,
but never in the entire book does Connell mention Tesfagiorgis.why is that?
Yet today, they seem to be carrying out all the anti-Eritrea activities
together. In 2000, he stayed close to Tesfagiorgis and his coterie,
conducted seminars, workshops, interviews etc. etc. denigrating the
Government of Eritrea and H.E. President Isaias Afwerki. He even went to
South Africa with Tesfagiorgis to recruit the young Eritrean students who
were sent there by the people of Eritrea to pursue their education. He is
present at almost all of their European seminars and conferences and even
attends and presents at the annual Eritrean Studies programs. Why would a
"journalist" spend a quarter of a century on a tiny African country and its
people? I'd like to know. Today, Tesfagiorgis is back and so is Connell.
Allow me to share an excerpt from an interesting message that was sent to me
by a friend who was one of the people "invited" to join Tesfagiorgis' new
"movement". The message was from Professor Araya Debessay, who was a member
of the group of self professed "Academics, Intellectuals and Professionals"
and authors of the Berlin Manifesto and is now a member of Tesfagiorgis' new
"movement". In his message, the good Professor wrote:
". The lesson we need to draw for the future is that we need to be careful
with the statements we issue. We should be directing our sharp arsenal, our
pen, towards PIA and his entourage and not against those who are committed
to end his ruthless regime, no matter how much reservation we might have
with their approaches and the steps they take. The challenge on CDRiE is to
constructively help these groups to do the right thing, and that is only
possible if we maintain a healthy relationship with all the opposition
groups."
Thanks for the warning Professor. but you got it wrong.you see, Eritreans
didn't mind dissidents. they just didn't want professional ones!
I'll end for today with this, from Gaim Kibreab, another professional
dissident:
".Can a political organisation that is dependent lock, stock and barrel on a
self-interested external power and which lacks the means of generating
revenues from alternative sources, including from its constituency be able
to lead the process of democratic change by developing and implementing an
independent political programme? Since there has been no such precedent in
history, the burden of proof lies on those who want us to believe such a
miracle is possible."
Tesfagiorgis and his coterie of globe trotting treasonous individuals and
groups should know that we are watching and every time they direct their
"sharp arsenal" at the people of Eritrea and their leadership, secretly or
not, somewhere, somehow, they will be archived-in ink and pixels-for
posterity and we, the people, will respond!
God Save Eritrea from her own selfish children!
