Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 23:45:33 +0200
<http://stesfamariam.com/2014/09/13/eritrea-the-carpetbaggers-and-scalawags-
final/> ERITREA: The Modern Day Carpetbaggers and Scalawags-Final
Posted on
<http://stesfamariam.com/2014/09/13/eritrea-the-carpetbaggers-and-scalawags-
final/> September 17, 2014
by <http://stesfamariam.com/author/sophietm7/> sophietm7
On 5-7 September 2014 Jay Faber's Counterpunch article, "Imperial Civil
Society, False Fronts for Wall Street", Jaber writes about "compromised
NGOs" such as Avaaz and Amnesty International, the foundations and other
entities that fund them, and how they have become "imperial civil society"
cow towing to Wall Street, and being used to "justify privatization,
austerity, and military aggression by NATO and the US".
In his article, Jaber writes about the relationship between these
international NGOs, Corporate America and the Government. The two salient
points presented are:
1. ".With corporate and government funding, often laundered through banks
and foundations, international NGOs inspire pathos by constantly producing
images of despair-thus allowing them to dominate discourse from an emotional
vantage point. As a market-oriented institutional apparatus, this vast
bureaucracy works hand in hand with military and finance authorities, thus
functioning as Trojan horses on a par with transnational organized crime.As
a fifth column of fascism, imperial civil society - funded by such entities
as Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Ford Foundation, and Soros Open Society
Institute - operates worldwide (in tandem with official false fronts like
USAID, National Endowment for Democracy, and U.S. Institute for Peace) to
subvert sovereignty and derail democracy in favor of US hegemony."
2. ".Overthrowing and destabilizing governments, using NGOs like Avaaz as
provocateurs, puts authentic non-profits and journalists at risk. Indeed,
the imperial network of financiers like Soros makes NGO entrepreneurs in the
pro-war champagne circuit accomplices in crimes against humanity. As
frontline opportunists in the psywar waged against public consciousness,
these false fronts legitimate "humanitarian warfare" and "free-market
environmentalism," employed against indigenous peoples and independent
states."
So the reader might be asking what or how that has anything into do with
Eritrea and in this sitting, the author will present the facts and allow the
readers to make their own determinations.
The Carpetbaggers
<http://sophietm7.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/carpetbaggers-and-scalwags-col
lage-2.jpg> Carpetbaggers and Scalwags collage 2The bulk of the articles,
reports, books that advance the narrative on Eritrea disseminated through
academia, media and policy making institutions in the United States and
Europe have been generated by a handful of individuals and the "NGOs" that
they are associated with. There may be others, but these are the repeat
offenders.and the "wonks" who have made Eritrea their forte-lucrative one at
that.and who work and collaborate with each other on the Eritrean Project.
* Tricia Redeker Hepner- Funded by the Social Science Research Council
and the Wenner-Gren Foundation began her research of Eritreans in the
Philadelphia area and today, as Eritrea expert at Amnesty International has
been at the forefront of the anti-Eritrea campaign. Her involvement with
Eritrean politics is fishy from the get go. How is it that a young American
college graduate on her very first trip to Eritrea finds herself entangled
in Eritrean politics?
* Dan Connell- Grassroots international, RootsNet and the Cape Ann
Forum and Freedom House-Recipient of several grants including the MacArthur
Foundation. This is the same Foundation that funds Human Rights Watch and
other "NGOs".
* Frank Smyth-Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ)-Too
numerous to list here-Annual Report <http://stesfamariam.com/#_edn1> [1] has
details of the individuals and corporations that fund this outfit-with Dan
Connell, is a staple in the Eritrean political scene
* David Bozzini-self professed expert on Eritrea- Funded by the Max
Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, which is funded by the federal and
the 16 state governments of Germany
* Victoria Bernal- Bernal has been the recipient of grants and
fellowships from Wenner-Gren, Fulbright, the Rockefeller Foundation and
others
* Maryan Van Reisen-European External Policy Advisors (EEPA)-self
professed expert on Eritrea-Clients include the European Parliament, various
organs of the UN, various NGOs <http://stesfamariam.com/#_edn2> [2]
including Caritas, Human Rights Watch, Action Aid, Save the Children etc.
etc. Might explain the reluctance of the UN to conduct an independent
investigation into the trafficking of Eritrea's youth. As we shall see
later, Van Reisen, like her counterparts, also has an interest in prolonging
the agony of asylum seekers and Eritrean migrants.
* Jennifer Riggan-Came to Eritrea through the Peace Corps as an
"English Teacher" in 1995-but now is an expert on Eritrea, and like the
others "prepares affidavits and testifies on behalf of asylum seekers.
Eritrea's education system is her main target
* Sara Dorman-Came to Eritrea as an assistant professor in the
Department of Political Science at the University of Asmara. The new
graduate claims "They needed a political scientist and I needed a job. It
seemed like a great way to bridge the transition from student-hood to the
real world". Today, she "studies" the behavior of Eritreans in social media
and judging from the papers produced about Eritrea in the past, she will
insist on painting a bleak picture of Eritrea and its leadership.
* Kjetil Tronvoll-A Norwegian researcher with the Oslo Center for
Peace and Human Rights (OCPHR) is in a new "Struggle for Freedom in
Eritrea", and has worked closely with the EQL-His papers, books and articles
on Eritrea are too numerous to list here. He is also one of the first
western anthropologist to enter Eritrea in 1991-to conduct "research". An
avowed anti-EPLF westerner, he insists on defining Eritrea and the needs of
her people.
Those who have followed developments in Africa and especially the Horn of
Africa for the last 25 years are familiar with these agencies and their
"work" in Africa, but none has experienced as an aggressive campaign by
groups funded by the "false fronts", as the State of Eritrea and its
people.(Zimbabawe comes close)
The carpetbaggers, dual hatted researchers, "anthropologists" by day, and
"hired intellectuals" by night, have become a staple at every conference,
forum, meeting, seminar, workshop etc. held about Eritrea. The many "by
invitation only" conferences and presentations are made at academic
institutions and forums and are never known with the Eritrean people in
Eritrea or in the Diaspora. The idea is to "sensitize" the American and
European public so that any actions of their governments will then become
easily accepted.
Sometimes, one gets the feeling that Eritrea is a European state. as those
around the table are almost always Caucasians, with the members of the
Eritrean Quislings League (EQL) serving as the "Eritrean faces". Most of the
papers are placed in "academic journals" and other repositories not easily
accessible to the general public, and if they were, the Eritrean public was
not aware of their existence. Heck, even the Eritrean Studies Association is
run by scalawags and carpetbaggers.hence its slow demise.
In "GOOD INTENTIONS-Norms and Practices of Imperial Humanitarianism"
<http://stesfamariam.com/#_edn3> [3], Maximillion Forte and his colleagues
discuss:
".the many ways in which the new imperialism involves partitioning the world
into tutors and wards, saviours and victims. Underlying the seduction of
imperial elite-lore are established modes of socialization and
enculturation, ranging from the elaborate and persistent demonization of
chief opponents of US empire to the lionization of military actors commonly
rendered as heroes.Western NGOs, and especially those in receipt of
government funding and whose work abroad meets with the approval of the US
and/or the EU, have been instrumental in promoting topdown solutions that
strengthen "civil society" at the expense of states in Africa, Asia, Latin
America, and the Caribbean."
Well, Eritreans know a thing or two about "elaborate and persistent
demonization of chief opponents of US", as Eritrea has been subjected to a
number of defamation and vilification campaigns coordinated by the western
media and NGO networks. It was not difficult for Eritreans to see through
the gimmicks and ploys (as they mimicked others-especially the regime in
Ethiopia) in their band wagon campaigns (terrorism, "religious freedom",
Diaspora Tax, forced labor and now human trafficking). There was nothing
creative or imaginative in their copycat campaigns. More importantly, their
campaigns proved how disconnected they were from Eritrea and her people.
Eritreans in the Diaspora were introduced to the carpetbaggers and scalawags
in 2001 when they organized, participated in and advanced the orchestrated
campaigns against the State of Eritrea and its leadership. While Eritrean
"civil society" groups were mushrooming in cyberspace, the carpetbaggers
were setting the groundwork for their long term agenda against Eritrea.
Silencing/co-opting of the Eritrean academics, scholars and intellectuals
was the first step.
While these "research" papers were accessible to the many Eritrean academics
and scholars at the various educational institutions in the United States
and Europe-but for some reason-they have not been able to respond to the
deluge (see below for a list of some of the published items on Eritrea). As
has been stated in the past by this author, the silencing of Eritrea's
academics and scholars, to turn their backs on Eritrea and its newly
established government, was the first transparent method used by Eritrea's
detractors as they set out to undermine Eritrea's economic, social and
political development.
It was a simple case of using the Peter Principle-wherein, the carpetbaggers
label the Eritrean Intellectual/Scholar, and then, as if to prove that
he/she is not what they say he/she is, decides to remain silent, or worse,
participate in the anti-Eritrea chorus. Let us take a look at what Patrick
Gilkes, the British advisor to the regime in Ethiopia wrote the following in
1991:
".Much, indeed, of the writing on Eritrea has been at the level of the
polemic or a product of the 'guerilla groupie'.A surprising number of
eminent scholars and journalists have taken the leading Eritrean movement,
the EPLF, at its own evaluation, and its historical claims as fact.The
results have impoverished the literature on Eritrea and have created a
distorted national mythology."
Judging from the literature on Eritrea that has been disseminated through
academia and the media, the distortion was by design-and by silencing the
Eritrean intellectual- the new narrative on Eritrea could be produced and
the silence of the Eritrean academics, intellectuals and professionals was
guaranteed.
So what is the purpose of writing about Eritrea and Eritreans, when there is
very little input from the majority of Eritreans in Eritrea or in the
Diaspora? The carpetbaggers pretend to care more about Eritrea, or presume
to know what is best for Eritrea and its people, than the Government of
Eritrea and the people of Eritrea, yet very few Eritreans in the Eritrean
Diaspora communities around the world have ever heard of these "researchers"
or read any of the papers they have produced on Eritrea-with the exception
of the scalawags in their coterie.
The author also finds it interesting that with over a million Eritreans in
the Diaspora, these "researchers" rely mostly on information laundered by
the NED sponsored individuals and groups or, asylum seekers and refugees,
who can hardly be considered as being credible or neutral. The many
articles, papers and books about Eritrea were written mostly to influence
American and European public opinion.
The Scalawags
The EQL has over the years discounted the role of the CIA in Eritrea and
have tried in vain to convince the Eritrean people that the cyber "struggle"
is being waged on their behalf by genuinely caring individuals and groups.
Prima facie evidence points to the contrary. There is very little doubt that
members of the Eritrean Quislings League are groomed, financed and promoted
by Ethiopia, Washington and its allies in Europe.
The 14-year long defamation and vilification of Eritrea and its leadership,
the
<http://sophietm7.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/anti-eritrean-people-hooligans
-620p-1.jpg> Anti-Eritrean-People-Hooligans-620P (1)coordinated media
blitzes, and the many articles and reports being generated about Eritrea,
her people and her government come from individuals and groups who are
directly or indirectly funded and supported by the Albert Einstein Institute
(AEI), the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), Amnesty International
(AI), Human Rights Watch (HRW), Committee for the Protection of Journalists
(CPJ) and George Soros' Open Society and others. So no matter what their
stated agendas and covers.in the end.He who pays the piper picks the tune!
<https://sophietm7.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/csw-adn-release-eritrea.jpg>
CSW adn Release EritreaEritreans are also familiar with the many petition
sponsored by Avaaz, whose vast network is used to garner support. These
groups who do not represent the people of Eritrea or the Eritrean Diaspora,
partner with Amnesty International, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW),
Human Rights Watch (HRW), Avaaz and others to take advantage of their access
and vast networks. The innocent individuals and groups that are signing
these petitions have never even heard of Eritrea, let alone know of its
leadership and the conditions of its people. These petitions and letters
sent though the "networks" have been used as evidence of discontent by some
governments, and agencies such as the US Commission on International
Religious Freedom.
Eritreans are capable of speaking for themselves and do not need others to
do their bidding.
The external "false fronts" also need internal "false fronts" and there have
been many created in the last 12 years. Let us take a look at some of the
groups that mushroomed in cyberspace since the Eritrea Ethiopia border
conflict (1998-2000) and at the various articles and reports produced in the
bid to create "images of despair" and the desperate narratives on Eritrea.
At one point there were over 50 cyber groups and organizations, and that is
when the author baptized them as the Eritrean Quislings League
<http://stesfamariam.com/#_edn4> [4], as it was becoming increasingly
difficult to keep track of their alphabet soup titles and bandwagon causes.
Most have since vanished, and some have transformed into the more lucrative
"refugee assistance" and "asylum services" NGOs.
Arundhati Roy in her 8 September 2014 article, "The NGO-ization of
Resistance"wrote the following:
".In the long run, NGOs are accountable to their funders, not to the people
they work among. They're what botanists would call an indicator species.
It's almost as though the greater the devastation caused by neoliberalism,
the greater the outbreak of NGOs. Nothing illustrates this more poignantly
than the phenomenon of the U.S. preparing to invade a country and
simultaneously readying NGOs to go in and clean up the devastation. They
unwittingly reinforce racist stereotypes and reaffirm the achievements, the
comforts and the compassion (the tough love) of Western civilization.
They're the secular missionaries of the modern world. It depoliticizes
resistance. It interferes with local peoples' movements that have
traditionally been self-reliant..Real political resistance offers no such
short cuts. The NGO-ization of politics threatens to turn resistance into a
well-mannered, reasonable, salaried, 9-to-5 job. With a few perks thrown in.
Real resistance has real consequences. And no salary."
Here is a list of some of the groups established by the Eritrean Quislings
League in the last 12 years or so. Almost all receive some kind of support
from the "false fronts":
1. Eritrean Human Rights Advocacy Group (EHRAG)- -Awate team
2. EHDR-UK/NECS Europe- Dawit Mesfin(Berlin 13) and Elsa Chyrum
3. Citizens' Initiative for the Salvation of Eritrea (CISE)-Paulos
Tesgiorgis grouping
4. Horn Peace Engagement (HOPE)-Paulos Tesfagiorgis (Recipient of multiple
NED grants)
5. Citizens for Democratic Rights in Eritrea (CDRie)-Gaim Kibreab, Petros
Tesfagiorgis and others
6. Eritreans for Justice & Democracy, Benelux (EJDB)-Habtom Yohannes
7. The Association of Eritrean Journalists in Exile (AEJA)- Milkeas
Mehreteab and Semere Taezaz
8. Network of Eritrean Professionals in Europe (NEPE)-Elsa Chyrum
9. East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP)-Elsa
Chyrum founding member and focal person for Eritrea.
10. Human Rights Concern Eritrea (HRCE)-Elsa Chyrum, funded
by NED and others
11. Release Eritrea-Selam Kidane and Berhane Asmelash
12. Agenzia Habeshia- Mussie Zerai
13. Eritrean Movement for Human Rights and Democracy
(EMHDR)-Simon Weldehaimanot, Daniel Rezene Mekonnen, Meron Estefanos, Yonas
Mehari and others. Funded by NED and others
14. Eritrean Youth Solidarity for Change (International
Commission on Eritrean Refugees (ICER)-whose Commissioners include Yebio
Woldemariam, serves as ICER President, Yonas Mehari, Tricia Hepner, Nunu
Kidane, Meron Estefanos
Supposedly, by having many different organizations, they hoped to make it
look like there was "widespread" discontent with the Government in Eritrea.
In 2001, the author had dubbed these "cyber" activists as being
"FUDists"-those who insist on spreading Fears, Doubts and Uncertainty about
Eritrea and its future- unable to respond with hard facts, they chose
instead to resort to scare-mongering to cast a shadow of doubt over Eritrea
and its leadership.
Tricia Redebeker Hepner, has used her position and access at academic
institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom to disseminate
numerous articles, books, reports and papers on Eritrea and works closely
with the EQL and strives to give them the prominence they seek. Writing
about the Astro Turf Eritrean cyber groups parading as human rights and
democracy activists, Hepner said:
".A cursory search on-line for all things Eritrean returns an overwhelming
array of acronyms, each representing a group somewhere along the continuum
of inception to disintegration. After the establishment of mission
statements, by-laws, and listserves, many of these organizations seem to
wither away rapidly. The Eritrean cyberworld is littered with the empty
shells of well-intentioned 'civic societies' whose names are the only
remaining reflection of the passion with which they were conceived.The
ephemeral nature of Eritrean exile organizations demands that analyses of
their activity and any assessment of their potential impacts be undertaken
with caution. Most of these proliferating groups (or individuals
masquerading as groups) exist only in the internet public sphere and rarely
hold meetings or events in real time and space."
But that did not stop Tricia Hepner and her "partners in crime" from
providing them with unfettered access and multiple forums from which to spew
their filth. After all, it was more palatable if it came from Eritreans
themselves.even if the "how to" manuals were produced elsewhere. These
organizations and groups also work very closely with the minority regime in
Ethiopia and have campaigned and petitioned governments and international
organizations to sanction Eritrea, stop development and humanitarian
assistance, isolate Eritrea diplomatically, economically and politically.
Eritrea, whose name was purposefully banished from all western media during
the bitter 30-year struggle, a country whose people were massacred and its
infrastructures brought to rubbles as the powers to be took turns arming
Ethiopia during the long and bitter struggle for independence, peaked little
interest in the halls of western academia, or even the various human rights
and religious institutions, that are falling all over each other to pen
articles, reports, thesis papers, and all sort of research on Eritrea today.
But as soon as Eritrea became independent, using various pretexts and
opportunities, the carpetbaggers descended on Eritrea like vultures, with
their various "research" projects.
Let us take a look at some of the many papers produced on Eritrea,
nationalism in Eritrea and most importantly, its Diaspora populations:
* Eritrea's Diasporain Regional Peace and Human Rights-Simon
Weldehaimanot
* The Eritrean Diaspora: Myth and Reality-Redie Menghisteab
* The Role of Women in Post- Conflict Transformation in the Horn of
Africa: A Case Study of Eritrea-Daniel Rezene Mekonnen and Mirjam van Reisen
* Human Trafficking in the Sinai: Refugees between Life and
Death-Miryam Van Reisen and Meron Estefanos
* The Eritrean Diaspora, the War of Independence-Post-Conflict
(Re)-construction and Democratisation -Gaim Kibreab
* Refugees, Ransoms and Revolt-Dan Connell
* The Eritrean Diaspora: Savior or Gravedigger of the Regime? Diaspora
Responses to the Imposition of UN Sanctions-Nicole Hirt 2013
* The Eritrean National Identity: A Case Study-Peggy Hoyle
* Out of the 'memory hole': Alternative narratives of the Eritrean
revolution in the diaspora-Bettina Conrad
* Reconciling Ownership of Development and External Assist-Rachel
Hayman
* Eritrea's Nation and State-building: Re-assessing the impact of 'the
struggle'-Sara Rich Dorman
* Narratives of nationalism in Eritrea: research and revisionism-Sara
Rich Dorman
* Born powerful? Post-Liberation Politics in Eritrea and Zimbabwe-Sara
Rich Dorman
* Tourism and the Eritrean Diaspora- Anna Arnone
* Diaspora, cyberspace and political imagination: the Eritrean
diaspora online-Victoria Bernal
* From Warriors to Wives: Contradictions of Liberation and Development
in Eritrea-Victoria Bernal
* Pittfalls of Nationalism in Eritrea- Tekle M. Woldemikael
* Introduction: Postliberation Eritrea-Tekle M. Woldemikael
* Soldiers, Martyrs, Traitors, and Exiles-Political Conflict in
Eritrea and the Diaspora- Tricia Redeker Hepner
* Religion, nationalism, and transnational civil society in the
Eritrean diaspora-Tricia Redeker Hepner
* Transnational governance and the centralization of state power in
Eritrea and exile-Tricia Redebeker Hepner
* Mobilizing the New African Diaspora: An Eritrean Case Study-Khalid
Koser
* African diasporas and post-conflict reconstruction: an Eritrean case
study-Khalid Koser
* Modes and Potential of Diaspora Engagement in Eritrea- Clara Schmitz
Pranghe
* Journeys to Exile: The Constitution of Eritrean Identity Through
Narratives and Experiences-Anna Arnone
* Eritrea goes global: Reflections on nationalism in a transnational
era-Victoria Bernal
* Diaspora, cyberspace and political imagination: the Eritrean
diaspora online-Victoria Bernal
* Please forget democracy and justice: Eritrean politics and the
powers of humor-Victoria Bernal
* Sacrificial Citizenship: The Eritrean State and Modes of
Belonging-Victoria Bernal
* DIASPORA, CYBERSPACE, AND CITIZENSHIP-Victoria Bernal
* "We Are the Warsay of Eritrea in Diaspora" Contested identities and
social division in cyberspace and in real life-Bettina Conrad
* "We are prisoners of our dreams"-Long-distance Nationalism and the
Eritrean Diaspora in Germany-Bettina Conrad
* A culture of War and a Culture of Exile: Young Eritreans in Germany
and their Relations to Eritrea-Bettina Conrad
* Shape-Shifting Mediascapes: Social Change and Diasporic Media
Online-Bettina Conrad
* The lasting struggle for Freedom in Eritrea-Kjetil Tronvoll
* The African Garrison State: Human Rights and Political Development
in Eritrea (Eastern Africa Series)- Kjetil Tronvoll, Daniel R. Mekonnen
* Being Eritrean in Milan: the constitution of identity-Anna Armone
* In Between Nations: Ethiopian-Born Eritreans, Liminality, and
War-Jennifer Riggan
* Old Sins Cast Long Shadows -Andreas Mjelva-(Master's Thesis)
* En-gendering theatre in Eritrea: the roles and representations of
women in the performing arts- Christine Matzke (PhD Thesis)
* Extending Sovereign Reach into Diaspora: Croatia and Eritrea in
Comparative Perspective-Donovan Kavish (Master's Thesis)
* Exploring the Eritrean diaspora in Italy and in the United Kingdom-
Marialibera Iavasile
* Etc.
These papers are not widely published as they are not meant to garner
attention of the Eritrean people in Eritrea or in the Diaspora-who will no
doubt debunk the inaccuracies contained in these narratives.
This is also, not by any means, an exhaustive list of all that is being
churned out about Eritrea the various information
launders-"anthropologists", "journalists", "photographers" "humanitarian
workers" etc. etc. who claim they just happened to stumble on Eritrea.A
quick look at their Curriculum Vitae will provide the readers of the many
other publications and presentations on Eritrea. It is mind boggling and
unprecedented.
They write about EPLF's narrative on Eritrean history and why it should be
discounted, but the irony here is that members of the EPLF have yet to pen a
single article or book to tell that story. Eritrea's gallant and
unparalleled struggle has yet to be told in full. So what narrative are they
complaining about? They have also distorted Eritrean identity, culture and
nationalism. These western "experts" and "researchers" also write
extensively about the "militarization of Eritrean society". Interesting
concept coming from the very descendants of those who introduced
"militarism" to Africa and who themselves rely heavily on their own military
capacities to advance both domestic and foreign policy agendas.
The themes are similar-the notion is to undermine every single budding
Eritrean institution. Each one has been targeted for attack and ridicule.
First we were told that the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) was
"anti-intellectuals", and then we were told that the EPLF and now the
Government of Eritrea were "afraid of intellectuals", and then we were told
that they were incapable (not qualified) of governing Eritrea etc. etc.
Since they do not know the people of Eritrea (marrying an Eritrean does not
mean they know what every Eritrean needs or wants), they have relied on
their anonymous "informants" and the scalawags to craft the narratives on
Eritrea. Let us take a look at some of the comments made by these scalawags,
no doubt these sentiments are repeated often amidst the carpetbaggers.
Andeberhan Woldeghiorghis in his self-serving book, "Eritrea at a
Crossroads, a narrative of Triumph, Betrayals and Hope" sheds some light on
his perception of the Eritrean "intellectual" and his contempt for the
people of Eritrea-the peasants-who sacrificed life and limb in defense of
their beloved nation. Woldeghiorghis was one of the many Eritreans from the
Diaspora that joined the armed struggle for the liberation of Eritrea. He
writes:
".During the war, most of the country's tiny educated elite had joined the
liberation army or fled into exile. Eritrean professionals, technicians,
mechanics and workers left home and Ethiopia in droves to escape repression,
joined the armed struggle of seek refuge in the Middle East, Europe, North
America, and Australia. Many graduates and students from the University of
Asmara and Ethiopia, European and US universities flocked to the Field to
fight for liberation.In the field, certain senior members of the EPLF
political bureau viewed successful university graduates with deep
apprehension and disparaged independent thought. They felt more at ease and
self confident in the camaraderie of the dropouts, the less schooled, and
half baked.Having committed 'class suicide' in order to integrate themselves
into a predominantly peasant liberation army and overcome subjection to
constant suspicion, surveillance and subordinate positions in the leading
organs of the Front and the army, Eritrea's revolutionary intellectuals were
instrumental in the internal capacity of the EPLF."
Class Suicide?
But the contempt for the Eritrean people seems to be the one thing the EQL
have in common-other along with self-aggrandizement, greed (power and
money).
Elsa Chyrum seemd upset that the Eirtrean Diapsora was able to garner over
200000 signatures in protest of the illegal, unfair and unjust US-Ethiopia
engineered sanctions against the State of Eritrea. This is what she wrote in
her NED funded HRCE <http://stesfamariam.com/#_edn5> [5] site:
".There has recently been a concerted campaign to rally Erirteans in
diaspora in protest against the Security Council sanction imposed on
Eritrea.Diaspora Eritreans sent more than 200,000 petitions through e-faxes,
emails and telephone calls to all members of the UN Security Council and the
Foreign Ministries of their respective countries..It is possible that some
of these Eritreans believe their own propaganda. It is possible, also that
some of the illiterate citizens who signed unread petitions also believed
that the sanctions affect Eritreans in Eritrea."
No Eritrean is illiterate about issues concerning his or her country. Ms.
Chyrum ought to know that it was not just the tiny "elite" that brought
Eritrea's independence and defended Eritrea's sovereignty-it was the act of
a conscious and patriotic peasant population. It is the same population that
is fighting the sanctions that her funders engineered.
Simon Weldehaimanot is another one that seems to find discomfort in the
ordinary Eritrean. evident in almost all of his writings-I find them to be
nothing more than a collection of other peoples (almost all of them
westerners) thoughts and opinions, as he has none to offer that is original
or his own. The rule of law is a subject that is a staple in almost all of
the papers, books etc. written about Eritrea and Weldehaimanot had the
audacity to write in several of his papers that law is non-existent in
Eritrea. Not wanting to abide by the rule of law does not mean they don't
exist. Eritrea is one of the few countries that had/has its own written
customary laws for centuries and the people of Eritrea are recognized for
their lawful behaviors and cultures.
Weldehaimanot seems to have a problem with the status of judges in Eritrea.
He writes:
".In reality, judges are public servants in terms of their salary and
employment conditions. Thus, they have no prestige as in other countries."
A little education is indeed dangerous.
Seems Weldehaimanot uses forums availed to him to advance the causes of the
EMHDR and EYSC, as opposed to presenting academic and scholarly papers on
the issues he presumes to know about. He says:
".Trade unions and civil societies are two of the many missing institutions
in Eritrea."
In case he missed them while he was busy searching for notoriety and
prestige elsewhere-the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students,
established in 1979, the National Union of Eritrean Women, now celebrating
its 35th Anniversary, and the National Confederation of Eritrean Workers
established in 1979 are examples of grassroots organizations in Eritrea,
right under his nose. I suppose for Weldehaianot, if they are not linked to
one of the "false fronts", they are not legitimate.or worthy of notice by
the "elite".
So who can blame the "false fronts" and carpetbaggers when there are
scalawags that are willing to do their bidding and belittle and undermine
their own kind?
Weldehaimanot's contempt for Eritrea and its people, especially the Eritrean
Diaspora that has been the target of several campaigns by his groups, is
evident in this excerpt from this, one his many monologues:
".Even though the size of this group tends to be exaggerated by agents of
the PFDJ's regime, estimating from the size of the crowd at PFDJ's events,
they are significant in number.Their support of the PFDJ's regime emanate
from different considerations one of which is material interest and
opportunism.Some of these are too gullible or sheer opportunists."
Opportunists? This coming from someone who has literally lived on the backs
of the Eritrean people and US tax payers. It was the magnanimous government
and people of Eritrea that afforded him his education in Eritrea and South
Africa in his early days. Once he was recruited by Dan Connell and Paulos
Tesfagiorgis, other "opportunities" came his way and has had the privilege
of having his entire law school education paid for by the Government of the
United States through its many tentacled organizations and scholarships.
While Eritrean American's born and raised in the United States are
struggling with college tuition and others are saddled with exorbitant
student loans, this scalawag wants to insult the Eritrean Diaspora for not
following his ilk.
Finally, let us take a look at an excerpt from an article to see what
Milkeas Mehreteab, a "journalist", a scalawag awarded by the "false fronts"
for his treasonous activities against the State of Eritrea, says about the
Eritrean people:
".Taking in to account the low level of consciousness, education and over
all awareness and the docile law abiding and meek nature of the majority of
Eritreans, it was not difficult to spread and plant rumors, defamations and
false accusations against the Independent press journalists. In a
tribalistic and ethnicity sensitive and regional crazy society like Eritrea,
the PFDJ cadres start dispersing rumors and MISTR (secret) about the
journalist's ethnicity, family background and genealogy."
Eritrea is known for its harmonious and respectful culture of ethnic and
religious tolerance. From where I sit, it sure sounds like this scalawag is
suffering from a case of debilitating inferiority complex.
To conclude the series, "Eritrea-the Carpetbagger and Scalawags", in this
sitting the author endeavored to present prima facie evidence for the
assertions being made about the repeat offenders in the Eritrean political
scene and hopes that it will raise the consciousness of the impressionable
youth-who are the main targets of the propaganda today. There is much more
that can be said about the carpetbaggers and scalawags, but this will
suffice for now.
Allow me to end with this from Jay Faber:
".With help from Ford, Rockefeller, Gates and Soros, imperial civil society
is admittedly a formidable foe, but not an invulnerable one. Built on a
foundation of fraud, the power of moral sanction they have hijacked can
effectively be turned against them. While false fronts are able to dominate
social media, they do not own our minds; they are merely social engineers
operating under false pretenses that we can reject at will."
>From where I sit.They could all use a healthy dose of humility, lest they
really begin to believe themselves..The carpetbaggers and scalawags are no
match for the conscious and resilient people of Eritrea.
<http://stesfamariam.com/#_ednref1> [1]
<http://www.cpj.org/about/CPJ.Annual.Report.2010.pdf>
http://www.cpj.org/about/CPJ.Annual.Report.2010.pdf Accessed 9 September
2013
<http://stesfamariam.com/#_ednref2> [2]
<http://www.eepa.be/wcm/about-eepa/partners-and-clients/clients/115-non-gove
rnmental-organisations.html>
http://www.eepa.be/wcm/about-eepa/partners-and-clients/clients/115-non-gover
nmental-organisations.html Accessed 9 September 2014
<http://stesfamariam.com/#_ednref3> [3]
<http://www.alertpress.org/volume-4.html>
http://www.alertpress.org/volume-4.html accessed 9 September 2014
<http://stesfamariam.com/#_ednref4> [4] Eritrean Quislings League (EQl)- A
dubious association of disgruntled runaway diplomats, reporters san couth,
pedophiles, rapists, "silenced intellectuals", self-professed "intellectuals
and professionals", and other treasonous mercenary individuals and groups
parading as "human rights" and "democracy" advocates
<http://stesfamariam.com/#_ednref5> [5]
<http://hrc-eritrea.org/concerning-the-so-called-citizens-protest-against-er
itrean-sanctions/>
http://hrc-eritrea.org/concerning-the-so-called-citizens-protest-against-eri
trean-sanctions/ Accessed 13 September 2014
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