Mao’s ‘Hundred Flowers Policy’ in its ‘Isaias is dead’ version after 55 years

Mao’s ‘Hundred Flowers Policy’ in its ‘Isaias is dead’ version after 55 years

In 1956-1957, Mao Zedong desired to root out opposition from his country.  He officially began a policy, named, ‘Hundred Flowers Policy’- to encourage all those who had opposing ideas to his brand of socialism.  His proclamation began, "Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend."  Millions of intellectuals and educators started writing and publishing their protests against his heavy-handed governing policies. These Chinese leftists actually thought they could trust Mao, so they took him up on his proposal and began to offer him their criticisms and ideas on how to run China better   (Dr. Sanders, 2009). This version of terrible history has been carbon copied this last week by the ever applicant of Mao’s policies, Dictator Isaias Afwerki. He just managed to spread rumours, in consultation with his puppet Ali Abdu, that he was dead and then insanely appeared on his TV to tell the world that he is not dead, after a week of drama, trying to manifest that he is the most important person out of the 5 million Eritreans, despite the fact that he is worthless at the moment. I definitely fear the worst might happen to our fellows, who have shown the moves inside the country, thinking that the drama was true, and came out with their opinion on how Eritrea should move towards our relentless dream of having democratic Eritrea.

The conspiracy that Mao had, was simply to know who among the intellectuals were dangerous to his regime, in order to take harsh measures on them. Within a year, in 1957, Mao arrested over 500,000 people who had dared to criticise him in his policy (Dr. Jeff Sanders, 2009, blog post – ‘Mao and the Hundred Flowers Campaign’).  It had all been a ruse to root out opposition.  This is a favourite trick of all tyrants.  Hitler and Stalin did the same sort of thing to root out "competitors" within their own political movements--with deadly results for anyone who thought differently from the "dear Leader." And Dictator Isaias had used traitors in arresting ex-ministers and other concerned Eritreans, and this time he used the above mentioned policy of his devilish mentor Mao after 55 years to see who the most dangerous Eritreans, from inside and the Diaspora, to his very existence are, in this defining moment of our history.

The dictator is lucky, as he said in his TV, that he is still in power after all the rumours, but we truly concerned Eritreans have not been lucky to have had him for the last couple of decades. I am in no doubt that he is in the darkest hour of his tyrant regime, and the sun is about to shine in no time. My message to those ‘will be victims’ of this week’s outdated Mao’s policy, is that their suffering is worth paying to getting our long lost freedom.

TESFAMICHAEL W. TEWELDE
Antwerp, Belgium
28/04/2012

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