7 thoughts on “Peaceful or Armed Struggle? Ethiopian Dialogue”

1. BRAVO! Elias

   This is what we need from Ethiopian Review not “Those who oppose Ginbot 7 relation with Ertirea are HODAMS” and type of news. Through dialogue we can gather different ideas and know why people support one options than the other.
   We should develope such dialogue in the future instead of fighting each other. Elias, please try to arrange same type of dialogue b/n journalists and other professional. Such dialogue shouldn’t be restricted to Profesor’s or Dr’s. There are peoples who can come up with a better ideas than those acadamic people.

   BRAVO ELIAS.

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2. I think by the “Or” we mean the logical or. If that is the case, why not both? If the opportunity presents itself, those who want to fight it peacefully, let them do it peacefully but those who seek justice for the violence TPLF committed against civilians, they should be able to seek justice using the only available means: the barrel of the Gun.

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3. Hi how are you my fellow Ethiopians.
   There is no way that the wayane regime give power by peace ful strugle they are not willing at all. Peaceful strugle is waste of time and resource.The only way wayane will fall is by other means.To deal with the Ertirean regime is another dangerous and ineffective approach. I saw the interview Elias had with Esayas. Don,t trust those dreamy which are not even capable to lead their own people. They are evils, a friend of evil should be evil. We know what they did to the true ‘arbegnoch’. Please don’t go the easiest way. If you are strugling for Ethiopia don’t ever ever ever trust SHABIYA.

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4. Re commentator #1

   What else can you call those individuals who are opposing the Ethiopian people’s struggle against occupation? Those individuals are either “HODAMS “ or “Wayanes who are created on the image of devil’s incarnate Sebhat, the creator of Wayanee”. I don’t see anything wrong in calling a spade by its name. And we don’t need a dialogue with Etiopia’s perpetual cancer. The Ethiopian people are in experimental phase to cure the cancer for good. There will only be a monologue form the Ethiopian people in the process of curing the unbearable cancer, but not a dialogue.

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5. While peaceful struggle is potentially less costly and attractive to many, I doubt it can work in TPLF’s Ethiopia.
   But let us exhaust that option and allow it to run its course though at the expense of poor defenceless Ethioipans.

   I, for one, believe that when all other options are tried
   and proved fruitless, the armed struggle will be the inevitable.

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6. ወያኔ ከስልጣን መውረድ እንዳለበት አንድም ቀን ተጠራጥሬ አላውቅም፡፡ መፍትሄ ያላገኘሁለት ግን እነዚህ ዘረኞችን በምን አይነት መንገድ ከስልጣን ማውረድ እንደሚቻል ነው፡፡ አብዛኛዎቻችን ወያኔ ስልጣን ከመያዙ በፊት ደርግን የሚጥል ማንኛውም መንግስት ቢመጣ በደስታ ለመቀበል ዝግጁዎች ነበር፣ የሁል ግዜ ፀሎታችን ነበር፣፡ ይኸው ፈጣሪ ጸሎታችንን ሰምቶ፣በደላችንን ቆጥሮ ደርግን ከስልጣኑ አዋርዶ አሰደደልን:: በምትኩ ግን ለህዝብ እና ለአገር ምንም ፍቅር የሌላቸውን ዘረኞች እና ሰይጣኖች ከደርግ የባሱ አውሬዎች አስቀመጠብን፡፡ አሁንም በወያኔ ጥላቻ ብቻ በጭፍን ተነሳስተን አገር ለመምራት ብቃት የሌላቸውን ሰዎች ወይም በዘርና በጥላቻ ያበዱ መሪዎችን ኢትዬጲያ ምድር ላይ ለማስቀመጥ መቸኮል ብልህነት ስላልሆነ፡፡ በዚያች ምድር ላይ ዘረኝነትን ፣ አምባገገንነትን ለአንዴና ለመጨረሻ ግዜ ለማስወገድ በምን አይነት መንገድ መታገል እንዳለብን ከተራው ህዝብ አንስቶ እስከ ምሁር ያለውን እየተገናኙ በቅርበት ማነጋገርና መወያየት በጣም አስፈላጊና በታሪክም ከተጠያቂነት የሚያድን ይመስለኛል፡፡ ከዛ በኃላ ትግል በሰላማዊ መንገድ ወይስ በጦርነት? ለሚለው ጥያቄ መልሱ ቀላል ይሆንልናል::

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7. The Need for a VISION

   For your activities to build a new modern nation in Ethiopia to be successful, I truly believe that there is a need for the activists to have a draft of ONE VISION of and about the future Ethiopia that is needed to be built by its current multiple communities. These activists and their parties cannot produce the final ONE VISION, because that would be ONE VISION of the activists, and not of the general public. The new modern Ethiopian nation would be built by the series of agreements reached at by the dialogue of most citizens in the many communities. The role of the activists and political parties must then be to act as AGENTS OF CHANGE–initiate and guide the long-stretched dialogue within and between these communities. Whether the struggle of the Ethiopian people is going to be peaceful or armed, or a combination of the two, would not succeed in my view if that ONE VISION is lacking. Best wishes!!

   Just as an example, see that of Eritrea’s PFDJ:

   PFDJ NATIONAL CHARTER
   Adopted by the 3rd Congress of the EPLF/PFDJ
   Naqfa, February 10-16, 1994

   2. Our Vision of a Future Eritrea

   What is it that we, as a nation and people, desire at this stage? As we converted yesterday’s dreams of peace and independence into reality, what are today’s dreams that we desire to convert into reality? In short, what is our vision?

   Our vision is for Eritrea to become a country where peace, justice, democracy and prosperity prevail. Our vision is to eliminate hunger, poverty and illiteracy from Eritrea. Our vision is for Eritrea to preserve its identity and uniqueness, develop commitment to family and community care, and by advancing economically, educationally and technologically, find itself among the developed countries. Our vision is for Eritrean society to be known for harmony among its different sectors, gender equality, love of country, humanity, discipline, hard work and love for knowledge, respect for law and order, independence and inventiveness. Our vision is to perform miracles in peaceful nation-building as we did .in the war of liberation.

   Our vision can be summarized into six basic goals:

   1. National Harmony. For the people of Eritrea to live in harmony, peace and stability, with no distinction along regional, ethnic, linguistic, religious, gender or class lines.

   2. Political Democracy. For the people of Eritrea, to be active participants and become decision-makers in the administration and conduct of their lives and of their country, with their rights guaranteed by law and in practice.

   3. Economic and Social Development. For Eritrea to progress socially and economically in the areas of education, technology and the standard of living.

   4. Social Justice (Economic and Social Democracy). Equitable distribution of wealth, services and opportunities, and special attention to be paid to the most disadvantaged sections of society.

   5. Cultural Revival. Drawing on our rich cultural heritage and on the progressive values we developed during the liberation struggle, to develop an Eritrean culture characterized by love of country, respect for humanity, solidarity between men and women, love of truth and justice, respect for law, hard work, self-confidence, self-reliance, open mindedness and inventiveness.

   6. Regional and International Cooperation. For Eritrea to become a respected member of the international community, by coexisting in harmony and cooperation with its neighbors; and by contributing, to the extent of its capability, to regional and global peace, security and development.

   This is our new dream and vision. It is not an easy task that can be accomplished tomorrow or the day after. There is no doubt that it will require time, strong commitment, hard work and continuous creativity. But, there is no doubt either that it can become a reality.

   As we set forth to carry out our new mission, we can learn many lessons from the rich experience of our liberation struggle. It is important to consult our experience and draw relevant lessons so that the future journey of our country and our people does not proceed haphazardly. The basic principles and views which were instrumental for our victory can still serve well as a foundation for nation-building, and for enhancing justice and prosperity.

   The Six basic principles which can serve as guidelines for our activities are national unity, active public participation, the human element, linkage between national and social struggles, self-reliance, and finally, a strong relationship between people and leadership. Let us examine each of them.

   1. National Unity. Eritrea would not have attained independence if we had not conducted our struggle, rejecting all sectarian, divisive -attitudes and activities, believing in the unity of Eritrea and its people and uniting the latter for one goal. At the beginning, in the 1960s, our armed liberation struggle was in a state of confusion and decline, and had reached the verge of defeat because it lacked leadership and organizational form. But, the struggle overcame this danger because it was eventually guided by a national political line and leadership, and was able to organize hundreds of thousands of Eritreans who came from all over the country, regardless of their ethnic or social backgrounds, and finally achieved victory.

   Now also, unity, equality and participation of all sections of the Eritrean society should be the bases of all our programs. Unless all sections of our society are active participants in the political, economic, social and cultural lives of their country, and if government is perceived as close to some but remote to others, let alone to build and develop Eritrea, we will not be able to preserve the peace and stability we now have.

   Thanks to the long experience and the sacrifices made, independent Eritrea now has national unity with which to start. But, like everything, in order not to lose the impetus, it is essential to preserve and enhance that unity. During peacetime, unlike in wartime, it is evident that certain tendencies and thoughts that gradually weaken unity may emerge. We have to take such tendencies seriously and combat them. Beyond this, because nationhood is a long, complicated historical process with political, economic, social and cultural aspects to it, and as in other Third World countries, this process is not yet concluded, we should consider the development and strengthening of Eritrean nationalism and the unity of its people as the major tasks we must undertake.

   For national unity to develop, it requires institutional guarantees. Thus, it is primarily necessary to build a national government which ensures unity and equality of the people of Eritrea, rejects all divisive attitudes and activities, places national interest above everything else, and enables participation of all sectors of Eritrean society. All political establishments must be built on a national basis, and all sectarian political tendencies must be categorically rejected. All forms of discrimination and domination, including ethnic and regional, must also be rejected. The diverse cultures of Eritrea should be a source of power and unity. The national system should be secular, separate from religion, yet respectful of the equality of religions. In short, nationhood must be the basis of all political institutions and policies.

   2. Active Participation of the People. Our liberation struggle succeeded because it was founded on people. Had there not been a strong connection between the liberation movement and the people, the struggle would not have survived, let alone succeeded. The support was effective because it came in an organized form. The slogan that the EPLF used right from the beginning, ”Politicize, Organize and Arm -the Masses,” is one of the basic foundations of the victory achieved by the people of Eritrea.

   Today too, active and organized participation of the people, based on political consciousness, is a basic condition for the success of the current journey. When we say people’s participation, we do not mean merely voting in occasional elections. Rather, we mean, that the people should participate in all decisions that touch their lives and their country, from the inception to the implementation of ideas. Without public participation, there cannot be development; it is vital for people to participate at all stages of development projects – from planning to implementation and assessment. However, the participation cannot be effective unless people are organized. Thus, not only should people have the right to establish organizations, they should also be encouraged and assisted to do so.

   3. Decisive Role of the Human Factor. The secret of our victory in the struggle was found in the dedicated fighter who was committed to one goal. It was this selfless individual who made it all possible, beating all odds, defeating Ethiopian colonialism and its powerful backers. In the Eritreans’ experience of the struggle, is confirmation that a conscious and determined human being, committed to a just cause, is stronger than steel and brute force.

   The decisiveness of the role of the human element, however, was not limited to the war. In building an economy too, the most decisive factor is human resources, not natural or capital resources, or foreign aid and investments. There are countries with limited natural resources which have reached high levels of development. By contrast, there are several countries with abundant natural endowments, which have remained backward and still cannot even feed their people.

   What we understand from our own experiences, as well as those of others, is that in all our programs and activities, we must realize the decisive role of the human factor. Even though we need foreign aid and investment, it is primarily the human aspects by which we build Eritrea: strong will, diligence, efficiency, the work ethic, discipline, ability and skills, and inventiveness. Just as the liberation of Eritrea, would have been impossible without committed people, similarly, the prosperity and modernization of Eritrea is also unthinkable without them.

   Thus, the human element should be accorded a central position in our development strategies. These strategies must primarily be people-oriented: they should aim at meeting the material and spiritual needs of people. To emphasize the importance of the human element, we should put as many resources as possible into human development (education, training, health and so on). In general, we must strive to build a people-oriented society in which every Eritrean can develop his/her capacity, free from oppression, fear, poverty and ignorance.

   4. Relationship Between National and Social Struggles (Struggle for Social Justice). Our experience has proved that the struggle for independence and the struggle for a better future cannot be separate. We remember that in the initial stages, when our struggle lacked progressive programs, its continuity was even in doubt, let alone making any advances. If our struggle had not been linked to the social struggle, reflecting people’s interests, it would not have resulted in victory.

   Be it during a liberation struggle or national development, it is impossible to advance without the participation of the people. For people to sustain participation, however, there must be programs that help them bring about real changes in their lives. Mere political campaign promises are not sufficient; only when people actually see that the political movement or government works in their interest, only when they see that promises are kept, do they become enthusiastic participants in programs. Such was the experience of our revolution with respect to people’s participation because they saw – modern educational, and health services provided and development projects initiated, based on locally available materials and the involvement of people.

   Progressive social philosophies and programs were another of the main characteristics of our liberation struggle. The establishment of peoples’ assemblies and associations, initiation of development projects, expansion of social services, changes in the conditions of Eritrean women, in general, the awakening of the rural population, were all witnesses to such policies. Further, the liberation struggle possessed a strong social consciousness characterized by love of truth and justice, support for the oppressed, intolerance of oppression, respect for human rights and equality, and awareness of people’s daily problems. The philosophy that guided these programs is the philosophy of social justice. Social justice is a very broad and flexible concept open to different interpretations. However, for us, based on our actual experience, social justice means narrowing the gap between the haves and have-nots, ensuring that all people have their fair share of the national wealth, and can participate in the political, social and cultural life of the country, to creating balanced development, respecting’ human rights, and advancing democracy. To be meaningful and have a stable foundation, political democracy must be accompanied by economic and social democracy.

   As in the past, Eritreans are convinced that in the absence of justice, neither stability nor, prosperity are attainable. Thus, in order to, motivate the people of Eritrea to strive for social justice and development with all their might, we should not limit ourselves to talking and teaching about social justice. The movement must provide” the most oppressed sections of our society with the means to participate in planning a better future, as a matter of priority.

   5. Self-Reliance. This is another of the foundations for the victory attained by our liberation struggle. If we had not relied on our own abilities, both in developing our principles, and in practice, we would certainly not have succeeded.
   Self-reliance in all fields – political, economic and cultural – is a basic principle. Politically, it means to follow an independent line and give priority to internal conditions; economically, to rely on internal capabilities and develop internal capacities; and culturally, to have self-confidence and develop one’s own cultural heritage. Self-reliance does not mean to isolate oneself from the international community. It only means being as, independent and self-confident a player as possible in the international community.

   The history of our liberation struggle is the history of self-reliance. We succeeded because we planned according to our own experience and conditions, without copying anybody else’s political models, foreign policies or military strategies. We dealt with problems we faced in our daily lives and programs, not expecting solutions from outside experts.

   This proud tradition, which has been the basis of our victory, must continue. In matters of democracy and economic development, we must chart our own programs which work for our conditions. Going to the market for ideas in vogue can only make us victims of the vagaries of fashion. Although we need outside expertise and experts, we have to rely on our own abilities and experts, and give priority to developing our own capabilities and expertise. We need to challenge the tendency to worship everything foreign and avoid imitation of foreigners as observed in some sections of our society, especially among our youth.

   6. A Strong Relationship Between People and Leadership. We have learned from bitter and difficult experience that honest and mature leadership is another of the decisive factors in attaining victory. If we had not had qualified and effective leadership that could mobilize our limited and weak resources, a leadership that could turn resilient and committed people and fighters into an impregnable force through proper organization and guidance, we definitely would not have won.

   Here, when we say leadership, it should be-evident that we are referring not only to the higher executive body, but in a broader sense, to the organized broad political force that provides leadership. In our experience, in addition to the top leaders, decisive leadership roles were also played by the platoon leaders who led their comrades into battle, and by -the middle-level leadership and lower cadres, who actually carried out the organization’s guidelines, and policies, and who were reinforced by the feedback they received from the people and the experience they gained. Our own experience, as well as those of others, confirms that it -is impossible to provide proper leadership by leaders residing in foreign lands, or even when residing inside the country, if they are isolated from the people. It is because we lived among the people during our struggle, leading their lifestyle, sometimes even more simply than they, understanding their thinking, demonstrating interest in and striving to solve their problems, and winning their hearts and minds, that we were able to make them active participants in the struggle and lead them to victory.

   Today also, in order to awaken the efforts and creativity of our people, who performed miracles in the past, and direct them to building the Eritrea we desire, we must preserve and strengthen our relationship with the people, not only in thought and spirit, but also through our daily physical presence among them. We know of several revolutionary movements that started in rural areas, and achieved victory at the cost of and through the support of the rural sector. Once they entered the city, they directed their whole attention to solving pressing city problems, ignoring the plight of the majority rural population that sustained them; thus, fulfilling the adage, “out of sight, out of mind.” In the final analysis, they -lost the support of both the rural and urban sectors and failed. To avoid such a failure, our leadership and cadres at all levels, and the activities of the government and the political Movement must spread to all corners of the country, including those distant areas which until recently served as our base areas and headquarters.

   To continue the proud leadership tradition of our liberation struggle, and prevent regression, leaders must be free from corruption, refrain from misuse of power, be teachers and humble servants, become positive role models, continuously learn and update skills, and be accountable at all -times. Our experience is a living testimony to the need for a collective leadership, yet clearly defined individual responsibilities and procedures, respect for the law and adherence to the legality of actions. Finally, our own experience, as well as those of others, also confirms that, periodic change of leadership, and infusion of new blood into, leadership, are important for a smooth transition and for a healthy political life. Thus, in this new phase, by clarifying the duties and obligations of leaders (in its broader sense), by introducing clearly defined accountability procedures, by ensuring the proper functioning of institutions at all levels, by constitutionally defining the duration of stay in leadership positions, we must guarantee qualified, accountable and democratic leadership.

   The above outlined thoughts constitute our vision and our fundamental objectives. Further, they are basic principles to guide us to reach targets; they describe our political thoughts and philosophy. Our philosophy is the philosophy of pragmatism, social justice and humanism. It is based on the practical realities of life, on the realities of Eritrean society. It gives more priority to knowledge gained from the experiences of other societies than from textbooks. It is a philosophy that assesses the validity of an idea on the basis of its practical application.

   We, in Eritrea, are committed to build nation-building and strengthening the unity of our people. We are committed to economic- growth, but in conjunction with- social justice and the protection of the natural environment. We stand for modernization based on national identity and culture. The goal we aim for is an Eritrea which satisfies the material, and spiritual needs of its people, individually and collectively, in a climate of peace.

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