Living
for Today
Amanuel
Biedemariam
The
other day, I was listening to a taped radio program in one of the anti-Eritrean
websites. The program interviewed a self-proclaimed activist that claimed to be
concerned about refugees. I listened to the show in its entirety to understand
the thought process and came away asking more questions about why they do it
and how they pick the times to conduct these campaigns of
deceit. Why now and what is their aim? In a single
interview, the interviewer, interviewed as well as the website revealed a
partial glimpse into the methodology at play.
During
the interview, the guest admitted that she paid $5000 to smuggle a refuge, lied
that that people are coerced to get out of Ethiopia’s hopeless refugee camps to
Sudan. A statement she tried to back away after she was challenged that these
people were willingly paying $500 and not coerced to get out from Ethiopia to
Sudan. This person claimed that there is no government in Eritrea and that
people must be allowed to go anywhere they want. This an attempt to violate the
rules the people of Eritrea established to safeguard the nation such as the
National and other
Services.
I
bring this up because I feel that it is significant. It is no secret that there
is a deliberate campaign to demonize Eritrea. These campaigns are
launched in specific times by design. Every year, just as Eritreans start to
celebrate Independence and enter a solemn month to remember their Martyrs these
campaigns become pronounced.
Their
aim is to drown the good news Eritrea generates during independence
celebrations and to replace it with a message that echoes the Independence
Eritrea celebrates is sham. It is to undermine continuous
remembrance of Eritrea’s fallen heroes.
The
interview caught my attention because what this confused lost soul is trying to
sell is a choice between her corrupt ways at the expense of Eritrea and the
values Eritreans hold dear.
On
a recent Interview with EriTv Debab program, Tegadalay Ahferom
Tewolde made a remark that resonated. In reference to the history of
responsibilities of Eritreans vis-à-vis the sacrifices of the martyrs, Teg.
Ahferom said, “When we look back, we were faced with two
options. One: those that chose to stay in Eritrea and managed to
find ways to establish wealth and, those that went abroad, gained education,
and wealth. Two: those that chose to remain and fight the
enemy. The majority falls on the second category.” He then described the
sacrifices Eritreans made and keep making as unseen anywhere. The example he
gave are revealing. “In Africa, in all the conflict areas when a fight breaks
out the people gather their belongings and run away. In Eritrea however, people
run to the fire carrying whatever they have in support of their
fighters.” That is what characterizes Eritreans.
The
choice provided by the pseudo humanitarians is clear. What our martyrs
sacrificed was not so we can live for today, for now, for the moment. They
sacrificed to ensure continuity. They sacrificed so there is a nation that
stands remembering their sacrifices and keeping, the values they lived-by
alive. They built a foundation with their bones, blood and guts. They laid the
cornerstones with hard work, in an empty stomach and travelling distances
almost barefoot. In short, they achieved every success based on
sacrifices.
Ironically,
the person being interviewed is a criminal. She stole money from Eritrea’s
educational coffers got education with it in South Africa and now, she wants to
bestow her criminal values as humanitarian values.
It
is important to bring this up because we must know and keep reminding ourselves
that she and her likes are the very puppets that have been accorded the bully
pulpit by the enemies of Eritrea. As we recently witnessed, the US pumped UN
Human Rights Commissioner used the testament of these criminals to rebuke
Eritrea in the solemn month of June when the martyrs are remembered in the most
classy and orderly fashion all over the world and Eritrea.
The
choice presented to Eritreans is a) to give up their nationalism and b), to
achieve that, they have to hit the values that the martyrs sacrificed for, in
effect to forget the martyrs.
To
draw a contrast just look at this extreme opposite values presented to
Eritreans. In one extreme, there is this criminal trying to play humanitarian
at the expense of martyrs and the other, Wro. Rishan Ghirmay is sponsoring 25
martyr’s families. The question is what is more important?
Conclusion
Carrying
candles to remember our martyrs is what we do. However, just remembering their
legacy with candles every year tearing up solemn heartfelt tears is not enough.
Our martyrs lived and died as fighters. They fought with everything they had
using every tool available. They fought with words, they fought the propaganda
war, they fought with bare hands and when available with modern machinery. Had
they failed, we may never have seen a beautiful country that we enjoy
today. A country bestowed by their
martyrdom. Therefore, to uphold their legacy, we must honor the values they
lived and died for. We must echo their voices by fighting the fight that is
required by exposing the corrupt, the pedophile, the criminal and our enemies.
Examples
are aplenty if we fail to do so it is to choose criminals over martyrs. It is
to choose instability ala Yemen, Somalia over stability. It is to choose chaos
over development, to choose perpetual misery over development and peaceful
life. It is to sacrifice the future for temporary gains. It is to live for
today at the expense of tomorrow. Because, if we fail to stand up like the
martyrs our future fight will be worthless.
It will be an empty cry.
Let
them hear the voices of our martyrs through our voices loud, clear and
consistently. Yes, let us keep the candle lit everyday on their behalf with
deed.
Wetru
Awet-N-Hafash
Zel-Alemawi
Zikri N-Semae-Tat-na
Awetnayu_at_hotmail.com
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Received on Wed Jun 20 2012 - 12:35:43 EDT
