GOVERNMENT OF ERITREA IN EXILE
A. At the time the Government of Eritrea was established Ethiopia and Eritrea were very close to starting War, where there was a chance that the Government of the dictator lsayas-Afewerki could collapse and Vacuum of Governance could be created where law and order could break down because there is no Interim-Government to secure it. So, the safety and security of the people of Eritrea was at risk, they can hurt each other and Eritrea can become a Failed-State. This is the worst scenario that can happen to a Nation and its people. No Eritrean wants to see this happen. It is for this crucial interim period that the Government of Eritrea in Exile is established in Emergency and Urgency.
B. The second Emergency and Urgency factor was, at the time the Government of Eritrea in Exile was Established, the Eritrean Democratic-Alliance(EDA) which was the umbrella organization for the opposition-camp of Eritrea was Dissolved leaving the opposition-camp of Eritrea without umbrella leadership Organization.
So, the intention was simply to do the right thing at the right time considering the emergency and urgency situation at the time, at least for the Eritreans who are struggling from their deep heart and mind to bring democratic change in Eritrea. The people who are assigned in the Government of Eritrea in Exile are not Ordinary people, we are all politicians who are members of the Eritrean Opposition-Camp, therefore, we have Duty of Care(responsibility) to be assigned and serve the cause of the Eritrean opposition-camp with little or no consultation in Emergency and Urgency situation. Most importantly the declaration of the Government of Eritrea in Exile gave specific clarification about this, it says, “If any one of the people assigned in the Government of Eritrea in Exile cannot serve the Duty for whatever reason, he can say so by writing, E-mail or fax(numbers given) to the president of the Eritrean Government in Exile and is not required to tell the reason” it says. The declared Eritrean Government in Exile is Legitimate Government of the Eritrean opposition-Camp because it is Inclusive. It includes the leaders of all the political organizations, parties and individual politicians of the Eritrean opposition-camp. It is struggling to bring peaceful, lawful constitutional democratic Government in Eritrea.
Because the Government of Eritrea in Exile was established in emergency and urgent situation, it is natural to have some sort of shortcoming. It is for this reason that the Government of Eritrea in Exile is open for any kind of necessary change; increase, decrease or reshuffle the members in the Executive and Legislative branches or make any needed amendment to the whole structure. This can be done by arranging a small inexpensive meeting in which all the officials assigned in the Government of Eritrea in Exile will attend. I think this is the best way for the Eritrean opposition-camp to move forward. Most importantly we did not declare Government of Eritrea in Exile on top of any legitimately Existing Eritrean opposition-camp’s Umbrella organization; we just filled a Void (vacuum) leadership-space abandoned by the leadership of the Eritrean Democratic-Alliance (EDA). So, no organization, party, independent-politician even if the already Dissolved Eritrean Democratic Alliance(EDA) resurrects(reborn) under the old name or new name have no legitimacy or political right to declare Government of Eritrea Exile on top of the already existing legitimately declared Legitimate Government of Eritrea. Please,please, we Eritrean brothers and sisters who are fighting from deep heart and mind to bring democratic-change in Eritrea, let us stop bickering, give chance to the already declared and existing Government of Eritrea in Exile, support, follow it and move forward. After all it is a very good political tool for our struggle for democratic Eritrea and it is in good hands (in the hands of Eritreans who are fighting from deep heart and mind to bring democratic change in Eritrea).
There is no judge and jury in politics, it is all about Legitimacy; and legitimacy is about intention and vision to do the right thing at the right time for your country and your people. People of Eritrea in general and those who are fighting from heart and mind for democratic change in Eritrea in particular are watching our intention and what we are trying to do and achieve. They are the judges.To execute a right vision and right intention, yes, one needs leadership position. (All assignments in our struggle for democratic Eritrea are positions they are not power or authority) That is why we declared Government of Eritrea in Exile, when the Eritrean Democratic-Alliance (EDA) dissolved itself in February 2007. We did not declare Eritrean Government in Exile on top of any legitimate existing umbrella organization of Eritrean opposition-camp. Other than that, EDA as an umbrella leader organization of Eritrean opposition camp though under different names, but the same people had 8 years (eight-years) of leadership opportunity. They did not and could not use it. The reason that the Eritrean Democratic Alliance(EDA) could not and did not lead the Eritrean opposition-camp to a reasonably acceptable level of success, as some people would like to put it, is not, because of the problem of the socio-political structure of Eritrea like culture, region, ethnicity, religion, lowland, highland…. It has been infiltrated by the Government of dictator lsayas-Afewerki by using different kinds of incentives in the extended period of time since 1999.Now it looks many of the X-EDA member organizations are positioning themselves to the Notion(idea) that Dictator lsayas-Afewerki to win the ongoing political unrest in Eritrea in particular and in the Horne of Africa in general then allow constitutional a democratic multi-party system of Government in Eritrea and join him on that political- table,If that is not the case then there is no any acceptable reason for the EDA leaders to just teardown, dismantle and finally Dissolve an organization built by the hard work of the opposition camp of Eritrea without even informing them what the problem was.
The government of Eritrea in Exile is an important political tool for our on going struggle for democracy, because it incorporates all the political, civil, civic and military wings of the Eritrean opposition-camp under one Grand-Umbrella called the Government of Eritrea in Exile. It also shows that the Eritrean opposition-camp is determined to remove the Government of Dictator lsayas-Afewerki by all means available and replace him by constitutional democratic Government of Eritrea and ready to govern. Government in Exile occurs when:
A. A Government fails to Govern and protect its citizens.
B. A country is in a state of crisis.
C. The Government is close to collapse and inevitable that failed state is
going to be created.
D. When the intention of the Government in Exile is to bring peace, stability, security and constitutional democratic Governance to a nation and its people. Because all the above facts are true, the already established Government of Eritrea in Exile (on 30-08-2007) is Legitimate. Government in Exile lacks Authority because it lacks territory. A legitimate Government in Exile has legitimate right to be assisted by any Country (Government) who wants to assist. Any Government (country) have legitimate right to assist any Legitimate Government in Exile. This assistance can be military, political, financial, diplomatic, moral or all the above.
Government of Eritrea in Exile
President of Eritrea in Exile – Tesfagaber-Asfaha-keflemichael
Email : tesfagaber_keflinkiel@yahoo.ca
Website : www.ppdeonline.com
Fax : 416-421-3177
