ሰላም፡ ደሓንዶ ሓዲርኩም፧ ከመይ ኣለኹም፧

ዝኸበርክንን ዝኸበርኩምን ተሳተፍቲ ኤርትራ ሲምፖዝዩም 2019፡-

ኣቐዲመ፡እንቋዕ ብደሓን መጻእኩም እብል። ኣስዒበ፡ ኵሉ ስድራቤታዊ፡ ሞያውን ብሕታውን ውራያትኩም ኣወንዚፍኩም፡ ካብ ርሑቕን ቀረባን፡ ካብ ዚተፈላልዩ ኵርናዓት ዓለም፡ ኣብዚ ሲምፖዝዩም’ዚ ንምስታፍ ብምምጻእኩም ብልቢ አመስግን።

እቲ ኣብ ኣጋ ዝግታ ሆይሆይታ ሕዳሰ-ምሕዝነት ኤርትራን ኢትዮጵያን፡ ወይ ከኣ ግደ ሓቂ፡ ሓድሽ ዕርክነት ኢሳያስን ኣቢይን፡ ዚተሰላሰለ ኤርትራ ሲምፖስዩም 2018፡ ኣብ ሓድሓደ ንኤርትራን ንኤርትራዊ ዳያስፖራን ዘገድሱ ቀንዲ ጕዳያት ኣተኲሩ፣ ነቶም ኣብቲ ሃገራዊ ዕላማታትና ንምውቃዕ እነካይዶ ቃልሲ ዘጋጥሙና ብድሆታት ንምምካት ኰነ ዚኽፈቱልና ዕድላት ንምጥቃም ዘኽእለና ኣድማዒ ስትራተጂ ኪድህስስ፣ ከምኡ’ውን፡ ኣማራጺ ኣገባባት ከለሊ ፈቲኑ።

እዚ ሕጂ እንፍሎሞ ዘለና ኤርትራ ሲምፖዝዩም 2019፡- ለውጥን ደሞክራስያዊ ስግግርን ድማ፡ መቐጸልታ ናይቲ ዓሚ ታሕሳስ ዚተኻየደ ኤርትራ ሲምፖዝዩም 2018፡- ኣድላዪነት ሓባራዊ ስራሕ ኢዩ። እዚ መጋባእያ’ዚ፡ ዝርርብና ኣብ ገለ ካብቶም ዓሚ ዝዘተናሎም ኣገደስቲ እዋናዊ ጕዳያት ብምርምርን ዘተን ዝያዳ ብምዕማቝ፡ ብዛዕባ ሃለዋት ሃገርናን ህዝብናን ሓባራዊ መረዳእታና ንምዕባይ፣ ብዛዕባ መጻኢ ሃገርና ሓባራዊ ራእይ ንምዅስኳስ፣ ኣብ ሃገርና ለውጥን ደሞክራስያዊ ስግግርን ንምድራኽ ክንገብሮ ዝግባኣና ምድላው ንምቅልጣፍ፣ ንኸገልግል ዚተሓለነ ኢዩ።  

ኣብዚ ከስምረሉ ዝደሊ ሓደ መጐታዊ ሓቂ ኣሎ። ኣብ ታሪኽ ደቂሰብ ለውጢ ቀዋሚ ተርእዮ ኢዩ። ኣብ ኤርትራ ለውጢ ግድነት ኪመጽእ ኢዩ። ብርግጽ፡ መወዳእታ ናይቲ ዓመጸኛ ስርዓትን ሕማቕ ምሕደራን ይቐርብ ኣሎ። ንድለዮ ኣይንድለዮ፡ ንደግፎ ኣይንደግፎ ብዘየገድስ፣ ለውጢ ኪመጽእ ኢዩ። ውልቃዊ ኣመለኻኽታና ከም ተነጣጠፍቲ (activists) ይዅን ተዓዘብቲ ነቲ መስርሕ ብፍጹም ኣይጸልዎን ኢዩ። እቲ ዘገድስ፡ ውልቃዊ ኰነ ሓባራዊ ጽምዶናን ተግባርናን ኢዩ፤ ማለት፡ ኣብ ጽምዶ ንእቶ ዶ ኣይንእቶ፧ ኣብ ጽምዶ ኣብ እንኣትወሉ ኸ እቲ ኣከያይዳናን ስራሕናን ነቲ መስርሕ ለውጢ ዘሳልጥ ዲዩ ወይስ ዘጐናድብ፧  እቲ ምርጫ ንነፍሲ ወከፍና ዚግደፍ ውሳኔ ኢዩ። ኰይኑ ግን፡ ኣብ ጽምዶ ምእታው፡ ኣብ መስርሕ ለውጥን ደሞክራስያዊ ስግግርን ሃገርና ሃናጺ ኣበርክቶ ንምግባር ክንቅረብ ንዓወት ቃልስና ኣዝዩ ኣገዳሲ እመስለኒ።

ሎሚ ሓያሎ ኣብ ዳያስፖራ እንነብር፡ ኣብ ፖለቲካዊ ውድባት፡ በርጌሳዊ ማሕበራት ወይ ጕጅለታት ተጣበቕቲ ሰብኣዊ መሰላት እንነጥፍ ኤርትራውያን ኣብዚ ኣብ ለውጥን ደሞክራስያዊ ስግግርን ዚዝቲ ሲምፖዝዩም’ዚ ንምስታፍ ተኣኪብና ኣለና። እቲ ቀንዲ ኣብዚ እዋን’ዚ ኣብ ቅድሜና ተገቲሩ ዘሎ ሕቶ ንሕና ኤርትራውያን ተነጣጠፍቲ፡ ነቲ ኣብታ ፍትውቲ ሃገርና ለውጢ ንምምጻእ ዚካየድ ጻዕሪ ክንምልእ፡ ርጉእ ደሞክራስያዊ ስግግር ንምርግጋጽ ኣወንታዊ ኣበርክቶ ክንገብር፡ ድሉዋት ዲና፧ ዚብል ኢዩ። ኣብ መወዳእታ ትንታኔ፡ መጻኢ ዕድል ኤርትራ ኣብ ኢድ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ ምዃኑ ከነረጋግጽ ኣሎና። ከም ሓደ ኣገዳሲ ክፋል ሕብረተሰብ ኤርትራ ድማ፡ ንሕና ነበርቲ ዳያስፖራ ኣብቲ መስርሓት ለውጥን ደሞክራስያዊ ስግግርን ኣቀላጣፍን ደጋፍን ተራ ክንጻወት ንኽእል ኢና።  

እዚ ሲምፖዝዩም’ዚ ኣብዞም ዚስዕቡ ሓሙሽተ ቀንዲ ኣርእስቲ ከተኵር ኢዩ፡-

(1) ህንጸት መንግስቲ: ዓለማዊ ዜግነታዊ ሃገር ዶ ትሕተ-ሃገራዊ መንነታት፧

ኤርትራ መሬት ዓደቦ ናይ ኵሉ ኤርትራዊ ዜጋ ኢያ። ንዅሉ ኤርትራዊ ዜጋ ድማ ብማዕረ ትብጽሖ። ክንዲ ዚዀነ፡ እታ ኪትህነጽ እንደልያ ናይ ጽባሕ ኤርትራ፡ ኵሉ ኤርትራዊ ዜጋ፣ ብሄር፡ ሃይማኖት፡ ኣውራጃ፡ ቀቢላ፡ ጾታ፡ ወዘተ.፡ ብዘየገድስ፡ ብማዕረ መሰል፡ ብማዕረ ሓርነት፡ ብማዕረ ዕድል ዚነብረላ ዓለማዊት፡ ዜግነታዊት፡ ስምርቲ ሃገረ ኤርትራ ዶ ወይስ ብነንበይኑ ትሕተ-ሃገራዊ መንነታት እትስራዕ ሃገረ ኤርትራ ኢያ፧ ኣየናይ ኣማራጺ ኢዩ ንህዝቢ ኤርትራ ምዕሩይ ደሞክራስያዊ ምሕደራ፡ ልዙብ ሃገራዊ ስኒት፡ ራህዋን ቅሳነትን ከምጽእ ዚዓበየ ተኽእሎ ዘለዎ፧

እታ ቀዳመይቲ ፓነል ብዛዕባ’ዚ ወሳኒ ጕዳይ’ዚ ከም መበገሲ ናይ ክፉት ዘተ ዘገልግል ርእይቶታትን ትንታኔታትን ከተቕርበልና ተዳልያ ኣላ።

(2) ምብርባር ቍጠባ ኤርትራ፡-

ኵሉ ኣሃዛዊ ጭብጥታትን ሓባሪታት ልምዓትን፡ ሃገራዊ ቍጠባና ኣብዘን ዚሓለፋ ዕስራ ዓመታት ብቐጻሊ ምንቍልቋል ተረሚሱ፡ ሎሚ ባይታ ዘቢጡ፣ ህዝብና ኣብ ዓዘቕቲ ጃምላዊ ድኽነት ተሸሚሙ፣ መሰረታዊ ጠላባት መነባብሮ ከይተረፈ ተነፊጉ፡ ብክቱር ስእነትን ሓሳረ-መከራን ይሳቐ ከም ዘሎ የመልክት። እኩይ መራሒ፡ ሓሳድ ስርዓት፡ ብልሹው ኣከያይዳ ንተኽእሎ ቍጠባዊ ዕቤትን ልምዓትን ሃገርና ኣባኺኑ። ኤርትራዊ ግዳይ ውርደት፡ ስደትን ስቓይን ኰይኑ።

ብዚተረፈ፡ እቲ ህርኩትን ጻዕረኛን ህዝብና፡ ግቡእ ዕድል ትምህርትን ስራሕን ረኺቡ፣ ዘመናዊ ስነፍልጠትን ስነኪነትን ቀሲሙ፣ ነቲ ብርኩት ባህርያዊ ጸጋታት መሬትን ባሕርን ሃገርና ኣማዕቢሉ፣ ሎሚ፡ ከም መብዛሕትኡ ህዝቢ ዓለም፡ ኣፍራዪ ዓቕሙ ኣኻዕቢቱ፡ ኣብ ገዛእ ሃገሩ ከቢሩ ኪነብር፡ ንቡር ህይወት ኪመርሕ፡ ራህዋ ከስተማቕር ምኸኣለ ነይሩ።

እታ ካልኣይቲ ፓነል ብዛዕባ ምብርባር ቍጠባ ኤርትራ፡ ቍጠባዊ ሜላ ኣሰጋጋሪ መድረኽ፡ ተራ ቀጥታዊ ግዳማዊ ወፍሪ ኣብ ልምዓት፡ ከም መበገሲ ናይ ክፉት ዘተ ዘገልግል ርእይቶታትን ትንታኔታትን ከተቕርበልና ተዳልያ ኣላ።    

(3) ለውጥን ደሞክራስያዊ ስግግርን፡-

ኣብ ሃገርና እቲ ውድዓዊ ኵነታት ንለውጢ ብሱል ኣሎ። እቲ በብግዜኡ ብኣረሜናዊ ስጕምትታት እናተጨፍለቐ ምዕባሌኡ ኪጐናደብ ዚጸንሐ ባዕላዊ ኵነታት’ውን እናበሰለ ኪመጽእ ጸኒሑ። ብስለት ናይቲ ውድዓውን ባዕላውን ኵነታት ኣብ ዚመዓራረየሉ ህሞት ድማ፡ እቲ ለውጢ ናይ ግድን ኪመጽእ ኢዩ። ፈተንቲ ብድሆታት ከም ዘጋጥሙ ግን ኪዝንጋዕ የብሉን። ስርዓት ምቕያር ከቢድ ዕማም ኢዩ፣ ብፍላይ ንከምዚ ናትና ዚኣመሰለ ዝሩግ፡ ብልሹውን ጥፉሽን ስርዓት። ብሓፈሽኡ፡ ንዚተበላሸወ ካብ ምዕራይ ‘ሀ’ ኢልካ ካብ ባዶ ምጅማር ኣጸቢቑ ይቐልል። ዋላ እቲ ዚበለጸ ፖለቲካዊ ስርዓት እንተ ሃነጽካ’ውን፡ ብግብሪ ዚሰርሕ ተሓታቲ መንግስቲ ምቛም ኣዙ ጥንቁቕ ኣተሓሕዛን ብርቱዕ ጻዕርን ዘድሊዮ፡ ብኣዝዩ ዚተሓላለኸ ጽንኩር መስርሕ ዚሓልፍ፡ ዓቢ ዕማም ኢዩ።

ኣብ መወዳእታ ትንታኔ፡ ሰብ’ዩ ወሳኒ፤ ቅኑዕ፡ ውፉይ፡ ፍትሓዊ ሰብ። ንሓደ ኣብ ኵሉ ጽፍሕታቱ፡ ካብቲ ዚለዓለ ክሳብ’ቲ ዚተሓተ፡ ብብልሽውናን ብድዐን ዚተበከለ ስርዓት ቀይርካ ብሓደ ኣድማዕን ስሉጥን መሳርሒ ናይ ፍትሒ፡ ልምዓትን ራህዋን ምትካእ፣ ብውሑዱ፡ ሓደ ሓያል ሕመረት ናይ ቅኑዕ፡ ብቑዕ፡ ውፉይ፡ ስጡም መሪሕነት ምውዳድ ይሓትት። ብርግጽ፡ ውሁድ ኣሰራርሓ ናይ ሓደ ተሪር ውሽጣዊ ሓድነትን ሰፊሕ ህዝባዊ ተቐባልነትን ዘለዎ፣ ካብ ፍጹም ቅንዕናን ተወፋይነትን  ዚምንጩ ሓይልን ፍናናዊ ስልጣንን ዚውንን ጕጅለ መራሕቲ ይጠልብ። ብተወሳኺ፡ ተሓታቲ፡ ትርግታ ልቢ ህዝቡ ዚሰምዕን ግሉጽን ምሕደራን ብመሰረት መምዘኒ ብቕዓት ዚሰርሕ ሓቀኛ፡ ጽፉፍ፡ ዘይሻራዊ ሲቪላዊ ኣገግሎትን ምህናጽ የድሊ።   

እምበኣርከስ፡ ለውጢ ኣብ ሃገርና ናብ ሓደ ኣብ ልዕልና ሕጊ ዚኣምን፡ ፍትሒ ዘመሓድር፡ ንልምዓት ዚሰርሕ፡ ራህዋን ቅሳነትን ዘስፍን ሓቀኛ ደሞክራስያዊ ስርዓት መታን ከምርሕ እንታይ ኪግበር ይግባእ፧ ተራና ኸ እንታይ ይኸውን፧

እታ ሳልሰይቲ ፓነል ብዛዕባ ለውጥን ደሞክራስያዊ ስግግርን፡ ከም መበገሲ ናይ ክፉት ዘተ ዘገልግል ርእይቶታትን ትንታኔታትን ከተቕርበልና ብሃንቀውታ ንጽበያ።  

(4) እዋናዊ ሃለዋት ፖለቲካዊ ተናጥፎ ኣብ ዳያስፖራ፡-

ፖለቲካዊ ተናጥፎ ወይ ምንቅስቓስ ኣብ ዳይስፖራ ነቲ ጨፍላቒ ባህርይ ናይቲ ምልካዊ ስርዓት ኣብ ምቅላዕ፣ ኣፍልጦ ኣህጕራዊ ኮም ብዛዕባ ወጽዓ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ ኣብ ምዕባይ፣ ንቕሓትን ጽምዶን ብዙሓት ዜጋታት ኣብ ምብርባር፣ ዚምጐስ ኣበርክቶ ገይሩ ኢዩ። ይዅን’ምበር፡ እቲ ብቐጻሊ ዚኽሰት ምምቕቓል ወይ ስእነት ስኒት መሳርዕ፡ ምፍንጫል፡ ሓድሕዳዊ ቍርቍስ፡ እምንቶ ኣብ ግዳማዊ ጸግዒ፡ ስልኳ ሃሱሳት፡ ወዘተ.፣ ምሕዝነት ናይ ቃልሲ ኣላሕሊሑ፡ ብልሒ ፖለቲካዊ ተቓውሞኡ ኣጕዲሙ፡ ኣድማዕነት ጻዕርታቱ ከም ዘጐናደበ ዚከሓድ ኣይኰነን። ውጽኢቱ ድማ፡ ኣብ ክባዊ ፖለቲካ ናይ ዕንክሊል ጋም-ማን ምባል ኰይኑ።

ምልካዊ ስርዓት፡ ንተቓውሞ ብምሕንኳል ኰነ ንናይ ጥምረት ጻዕርታቱ ብምዕንቃፍ ዕምሪ ስልጣኑ ንምንዋሕ፣ ኣብ ወጻኢ፡ ከምቲ ኣብ ውሽጢ ዚገብሮ፡ ሰፊሕ መርበብ ስለያን ሓበሬታን ዘርጊሑ ምምቕቓልን ዘይስኒትን ዚዘርእ ሸርሕታት ከም ዘሰላስል ስዉር ኣይኰነን። ንሱን ተጻባእቲ ናይ ናጻ ልዑላዊት ሃገረ ኤርትራን፡ ኤርትራዊ ሃገራውነት ንምብላል፣ ነቲ ሃገራዊ ምንቅስቓስ ንምድኻም፣ ተስፋ ህዝብና ኣብ ናይ ጽባሕ ኤርትራ ንምብናን፣ ኣብ መሳርዕ ተቓውሞ ብስም "ደለይቲ ፍትሒ"  ብዚተጸፍዩ ሃሱሳት ኰነ ዚተፈላለዩ ዓይነት ሕብርታት ዚለበሱ ጕጅላዊ ባእታታት፡ ብስዉርን ብግሁድን ዚፍጸም ቀጻሊ ስሩዕ ዘመተ ናይ ዘለፋ፡ ትምዩን ወረ፡ ጠቐነ፡ ጸለመ ኰነ ታህዲድ ከም ዘካይዱ ናይ ኣደባባይ ምስጢር ኢዩ።

ይዅን’ምበር፡ ንሕና ብምሉእና፡ ከም ውፉያት ተነጣጠፍትን ሃገራውያን ውልቀሰባትን መጠን፡ ምስቶም ብመደብ ንድሕሪት ኪጐቱና ዚሕልኑ ተጻባእትን ሃሱሳትን ኣብ ምቍያቝ ወይ ምቍርቛስ ግዜን ዓቕምን ከነባኽን ኣይግባእን። በቲ ኣፍራሲ ዘመተታቶም ካብ ስርሕና ኰነ ዕላማና ክንጐናደብ የብልናን። ከምኡ እንተገይርና’ሞ፡ ኣብቲ መጻወድያኦም ንኣቱ ኣለና ማለት ጥራይ ዘይኰነስ፣ እንተላይ ገስጋስና ከደናጕዩ ወይ ከመዛብሉ ነፍቅደሎም ኣለና ማለት ኢዩ። ኣብ ክንድኡ፡ እቲ ሃገራዊ ምንቅስቓስ ኣብቶም ሃገራዊ ኣገዳስነት ዘለዎም ጕዳያት ኰነ በብግዜኡ ዚቕልቀሉ ፍጻሜታት ቅኑዕ መኣዝን ዘትሕዝ መግለጺታት ከቕርብ ይግባእ።

ብተወሳኺ፡ መራሕትን ወከልትን ኮማት፡ ተነጣጠፍትን ግዱሳት ውልቀሰባትን ኣርኣያ ናይ ኣወንታዊ ኣብነታት ኪዀኑ ይግባእ። ንሕና፡ ንረብሓ ሃገርን ህዝብን ዚከላኸልን ዚጣበቕን ኣረኣእያ ዘነጽር፣ ንቕድሚት ዚጥምት ስትራተጅያዊ ኣጠማምታ ዘዋድድ፣ ኣወንታዊ፡ ሃናጺ፡ ተስፋ ዘስንቕ መልእኽቲ ዘመሓላልፍ ግብራዊ ስራሓት ከነሰላስል ሓላፍነት ኣለና። ሎሚ ካብ ዚዀነ ዚሓለፈ እዋን ንላዕሊ፡ ቃልስና ብዝያዳ ከነሐይል የድሊ።

እታ ራብዓይቲ ፓነል ብዛዕባ እዋናዊ ሃለዋትን መጻኢ ኣንፈትን ፖለቲካዊ ተናጥፎ ኣብ ዳያስፖራ፡ ከም መበገሲ ናይ ክፉት ዘተ ዘገልግል ርእይቶታትን ትንታኔታትን ከተቕርበልና ኢያ።

(5) ምዅስኳስ ሓባራዊ ራእይ ንለውጥን ደሞክራስያዊ ስግግርን፡-

ሓደ ካብቲ መሰረታዊ ዕላማታት ናይ ከምዚ ዓይነት ሲምፖዝዩም፣ ብዛዕባ ታሪኻዊ ኣመዓባብላ፡ ህሉው ኵነታት፡ እዋናዊ ሃለዋት ሃገርናን ህዝብናን ሓባራዊ ፍልጠትን መረዳእታን ምዕባይ፣ ብዛዕባ ናይ ጽባሕ ኤርትራ ሓባራዊ ራእይ ምዅስኳስ፣ ነቲ ሓባራዊ ራእይ ክዉን ንምግባር ዘገልግል ስትራተጂ ምድህሳስ፣ ብመሰረት’ቲ ዚወጽእ ስትራተጂ፡ ዘዐውት መደብ ሓንጺጽካ ኣብ ናይ ሓባር ቃልሲ ምጽማድ ኢዩ።

እታ ሓሙሸይትን ናይ መወዳእታን ፓነል ብዛዕባ ምዅስኳስ ሓባራዊ ራእይ ንለውጥን ደሞክራስያዊ ስግግርን፡ ከም መበገሲ ናይ ክፉት ዘተ ዘገልግል ርእይቶታትን ትንታኔታትን ከተቕርበልና ኢያ።

ኣብ ነፍሲ ወከፍ ኣርእስቲ ብሓደ ኣላዛቢ ዚእለ መግለጺ ብሰለስተ መደርቲ ምስ ቀረበ፡ ክፉት ዘተ ኪቕጽል ኢዩ።

እዚ ኣብዚ ወሳኒ ህሞት ታሪኽ ሃገርናን ሃለዋት ህዝብናን ኣብ ትሕቲ ለውጥን ደሞክራስያዊ ስግግርን  ዚብል ኣርእስቲ ዚሰላሰል ዘሎ ኣገዳሲ ሲምፖዝዩም’ዚ፣ ብዛዕባ ሃለዋት ሃገርናን ህዝብናን ሓባራዊ መረዳእታና ዘዐቢ፣ ብዛዕባ’ታ ናይ ጽባሕ ኤርትራ ሓባራዊ ራእይ ዚዅስኵስ፣ ነቲ ኣብ ሃገርና ለውጢ ንምቅልጣፍ ኰነ ምዕሩይ ደሞክራስያዊ ስግግር ንምድራኽ ክንገብሮ ዝግባኣና ምድላው ብዘነጽር ውጽኢት ኪዛዘም ተስፋ እገብር።

ጽን ኢልኩም ስለዝሰምዕኩምኒ አመስግን።

ዘልኣለማዊ ሓበን ንጀጋኑ ሰማእታትና!

ዕድመ ንናጻ ልዑላዊት ሃገረ ኤርትራ!

ፈጣሪ ንኤርትራን ህዝባን ይባርኽ!

_______________________________

Dear Participants of Eritrea Symposium 2019,

I would like to begin by extending you a very warm welcome. I would also like to thank you wholeheartedly for coming here from far and near, from different parts of the world, to participate in this symposium by postponing your family, professional and private matters.

Convened nearly a year ago as the dust was settling following the rapprochement between Eritrea and Ethiopia, or more correctly, the new friendship between Isaias and Abiy, Eritrea Symposium 2018: The Imperative for Common Action sought to tackle certain key issues concerning Eritrea and the diaspora. It also sought to explore an effective strategy and identify alternative means that enable us to meet the challenges we face and take advantage of the opportunities that arise in our effort to achieve our national objectives.

We are now opening Eritrea Symposium 2019: Change and Democratic Transition to build on the foundations laid last year at the Eritrea Symposium 2018: The Imperative for Common Action. Eritrea Symposium 2019 will carry last year’s discussions forward, serving as a forum allowing us to delve deeper into certain pressing issues through research and dialogue. It is intended to promote a common understanding of the present state of our country and people, cultivate a shared vision of the future of our country, and accelerate the preparations we must make in order to help catalyse change and democratic transition. 

I would like to underscore a dialectical fact here. Change is a constant phenomenon in human history. Inevitably, change would come in Eritrea. Surely, the end of a malevolent regime and malgovernance is approaching. Change will happen regardless of whether we want it or not; whether we support it or oppose it. Our individual stance as activists or spectators is absolutely irrelevant to the process. What matters is our individual and/or collective engagement and action, whether we get engaged and whether what we do when we engage advances or retards the process of change. The choice is for each one of us to make. However, it seems to me extremely crucial for the success if our struggle to engage and prepare to make a constructive contribution in the process of change and democratic transition.

Today many of us activists in the Eritrean Diaspora engaged in political organisations, civil society associations or human rights advocacy groups are gathered here to participate in this symposium on Change and Democratic Transition. The central question facing us is whether we Eritrean activists are prepared to complement the effort for change and make a positive contribution to a stable democratic transition in our beloved country. We must ascertain that, in the final analysis, the destiny of Eritrea lies in the hands of the Eritrean people. And as a significant component of Eritrean society, we in the Diaspora can play a catalytic and supportive role in the processes of change and democratic transition.

The Symposium will focus on the following five main topics:

(1) State Construction: A Secular Civic State or a State of Subnational Identities?

Eritrea is the homeland (Fatherland or Motherland) of all Eritrean citizens. It belongs equally to all Eritrean citizens. As such, is the Eritrea of the future that we wish to see built a secular, civic and united State of Eritrea where every Eritrean citizen, irrespective of nationality, religion, region, tribe, gender, etc., lives in equal rights, equal freedoms and equal opportunities or a State of Eritrea organised along various sub-national identities? Which alternative offers the greater possibility to bring about equitable democratic governance, consensual national harmony, prosperity and tranquility? 

The first panel will present comments and analyses on the decisive issue of State Construction that can serve as a basis for open discussion.

(2) Reviving the Eritrean Economy

All available statistical data and development indicators show that our national economy has, during the past twenty years, experienced a steady downslide to the bottom, registering substantial contraction. Mired in a quagmire of mass poverty and deprived even of basic necessities, our people have been relegated to a miserable existence of privation from extreme want. A malicious leader, a malevolent regime and rampant corruption have squandered our country’s potential for economic growth and development. This adverse situation has made Eritreans victims of indignity, migration and suffering.  

Otherwise, our illustrious and hardworking people, given access to proper education and gainful employment, could have deployed the acquired modern science and technology to boost their productive capacity and develop our country’s adequate natural resources on land and sea and, like most of the peoples of the world, lead normal life in dignity and enjoy prosperity in their own country.

The second panel will present comments and analyses on Reviving the Eritrean Economy, the Economics of Transition and the Role of Foreign Direct Investment in Economic Development that can serve as a basis for open discussion.

(3) Change and Democratic Transition

The objective conditions for change in our country are ripe. The subjective conditions are also steadily ripening despite the brutal measures taken from time to time to suppress its development. Change would inevitably come the moment the subjective conditions ripen on par with the objective conditions. It should, however, be borne in mind that there would be difficult challenges on the way. Changing a regime and replacing it with a better one is an arduous task; especially a dysfunctional, corrupt and bankrupt regime like ours. In general, it is easier to start from scratch than to mend or rebuild a system in ruins. Even when one is able to build the best political system, establishing a functioning, accountable government is a great feat that evolves through an extremely difficult and complex process requiring considerable care and effort.

In the final analysis, the human person, whether a man or a woman, is the decisive factor; an honest, committed and just person. Changing a regime permeated by corruption and impunity at all levels from top to bottom and replacing it with an effective and efficient instrument of justice, development and prosperity requires, at a minimum, a strong core of honest, competent, committed, and united leadership. Indeed, it demands the deployment of a coherent group of leaders who work with solid internal unity, command broad popular respect and possess the strength and moral authority that emanates from absolute integrity and commitment to the public interest. Furthermore, it necessitates an accountable, responsive and transparent governance as well as an honest, efficient and neutral civil service that operates on the basis of merit.

What is to be done then in order for change in our country to lead to a genuine democratic system that subscribes to the supremacy of the law, administers justice, promotes development, and brings about prosperity and tranquility? And what would be our role?

We look forward to the third panel to present comments and analyses on Change and Democratic Transition that would serve as a basis for open discussion.

(4) The Current State of Play in Diaspora Political Activism

Political activism in the Diaspora has done a commendable job in exposing the repressive nature of the authoritarian regime; in raising the awareness of the international community of the plight of the Eritrean people; and awakening the consciousness and engagement of many Eritrean citizens. It is undeniable, however, that the constant divisions in its ranks, splits and splintering, internal bickering, reliance on external forces, infiltration of agents and agent provocateurs, etc., has dented the strength of its political opposition and undermined the effectiveness of its efforts. The outcome is like a merry-go-round in circular politics.

It is no secret that the authoritarian regime has deployed an extensive network of intelligence and information in the Diaspora, just as it does at home, to sow division and discord in order to subvert opposition and derail attempts at coalescence so as to prolong its rule. It is an open secret that the regime and enemies of an independent sovereign State of Eritrea conduct a persistent and systematic smear campaign of slander, fake news, blackmail and character assassination through covert and overt acts carried out by agents infiltrated into the ranks of the opposition under the guise of “justice seekers” as well as sectarian elements of all hues and colours. The aim is to undermine Eritrean nationalism, weaken the nationalist movement and make our people lose hope of the future of Eritrea.

Nevertheless, we, as a whole, as dedicated activists and patriotic individuals should not waste time and effort responding to the deliberate attempts of the agent provocateurs and detractors who try to pull us back. Nor should we be deterred from our effort by their destructive campaigns. That would be not only falling into their trap, but also allowing them to succeed in slowing down or derailing our push towards progress. Instead, the nationalist movement should provide guidance on issues and developing events of national importance. Furthermore, community leaders and representatives, activists and concerned individuals should endeavour to serve as positive examples. We have a responsibility to focus on practical work to articulate a stance that defends and advocates for the interest of the people and the country; formulate a forward-looking strategic perspective; and transmit a positive and constructive message that inspires hope. We need to strengthen our effort more than ever before.

The fourth panel will present comments and analyses on The Current State of Play in Diaspora Political Activism that would serve as a basis for open discussion.

(5) Building a Common Vision for Change and Democratic Transition

One of the basic objectives of this kind of symposium is to develop common knowledge and understanding of the historical evolution, contemporary situation, and present condition of our people and country; to cultivate a shared vision about the Eritrea of the future; to explore a strategy needed to make the shared vision a reality; and to draw up a winning programme of action to engage in joint work.

The fifth and final panel will present comments and analyses on Building a Common Vision for Change and Democratic Transition that would serve as a basis for open discussion.

A panel comprising a moderator and three panelists will address each topic to be followed by open discussion.

I hope that this important symposium, convened at a decisive moment in the history of our country and the condition of our people under the theme of Change and Democratic Transition, would conclude with an outcome that helps to promote a common understanding of the situation of our country and people; cultivate a shared vision of the future of Eritrea; and articulate the kind of preparation we need make in order to accelerate change and catalyse stable democratic transition in our country.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Eternal Glory to Our Martyrs!

Long Live an Independent Sovereign State of Eritrea!

God Bless Eritrea and the Eritrean People!

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