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Eritrea was officially 18 years old on May 24, 2009 and her careful and
diligent growth has attracted the world. In a volatile region, her
upbringing was not easy and privileged to say the least. Eritrea had to
suffer and work quadruple as much to set herself free from colonisers.
In the last 50 years, she paid more than 85,000 Martyrs and tens of
thousands were wounded to bring and preserve the hard fought freedom.
Young and old is focusing in rebuilding the nation carefully so that a
strong foundation is built for the coming generations.
When Eritrean citizens were been slaughtered by the colonising regimes
and when Eritrean women and children were being bombed by napalm bombs,
the world and specially those who are preaching ‘democracy’ and ‘freedom
of press’ did not even acknowledge the atrocities and barbarism by the
colonising Ethiopian regimes.
Democracy and Justice was the reason for all the sacrifices and
martyrdom of the last 50 years. But Democracy and Justice is not
something that is given, but it is built within. It can take many years
to build a genuine democracy. The involvement of the majority in the
nation building, when habitants of remote parts have a say in the nation
building and when infrastructures are in place to enable people carry
out their daily living with less difficulty, then Democracy is beginning
to grow.
Eritreans have chosen the hard way to build Eritrea. Unfortunately the
hard way is the right way in the present world. When you oppose the
wrong ways of the neo colonialists, then you are undemocratic or a
dictator even a terrorist. When so many African Americans are living in
destitute, when people of Sierra Leone are being robbed of their wealth
and Servant regimes are treated like democratic allies then opposing the
wrong doing can make you a trouble maker.
Donald Bostrom, a journalist from Sweden was in Asmara to interview The
Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki. Loaded with apparent misguided and
one sided wrong perceptions; the Swedish media has been attacking
Eritrea in the last few weeks. Bostrom is there to collect his salary at
the end of the month, but has no care about the wellbeing of Eritrea. He
would go away and fill his newspaper column and a day’s job is covered.
And also Sweden (as the President said) has no relevance to Eritrea and
the Swedish public should not be deluded by the acts of one person in
the Swedish Government.
Bostrom fired his questions towards the elegant, calm and collected
President of Eritrea and he started by asking about the economy and
political system in Eritrea. Yes Eritreans are rebuilding their country
and have put Eritrea in a better position than any African country that
has been “Free” of colonisers for the last 60 years and Eritrea managed
it in 18 years.
Bostrom compared Eritrea’s political system with North Korea, but when
President Isaias asked him how, Bostrom looked a bit embarrassed,
because the question was given to him by his employers and he did not
have an answer for it. The other question that was given to him was the
where about of Dawit Isaak, the Imprisoned Eritrean Journalist with
Swedish Citizenship. Dawit Isaak was in Eritrea when he was imprisoned
and he was the editor of “Independent” news paper that was inside
Eritrea. The reason for his imprisonment aside, is it really Dawit Issak
those people in the Swedish Government are interested in? It was
Eritrean Government that allowed Dawit to work in Eritrea to begin with,
but the Government has also the responsibility of protecting Eritrea and
has it’s own ways of dealing with legal and political issues. It would
be unthinkable for Eritrea to interfere in the Swedish affairs. If an
Eritrean with Swedish citizenship was imprisoned in Sweden, any
journalist from Eritrea would not even be allowed to interview Prime
Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.
I would confidently say, Donald Bostrom was educated about Eritrea and
the mature peace loving Eritrean public.
It’s very fulfilling to have a leadership like the one in Eritrea that
works day and night so that the country does not become a laughingstock.
Those who declared death on Eritrea have died and Eritrea is there and
those who are declaring death on Eritrea will die and Eritrea will
always be there.
God Bless the Eritrean Martyrs.
Victory to the Mass,
Samson Negassi
samson_negass@yahoo.co.uk |
