See No Evil Hear No Evil: A Portrait of Denial

SEE NO EVIL HEAR NO EVIL: A PORTRAIT OF DENIAL

Asmarino.com and Dr. Russom Mesfun have introduced us to one of the most trusted and educationally well decorated advisors of the Stalin of Eritrea to the laboratory of information compounding. Hope this measure to be part of a learning process to unlearn outdates and detoxify toxins of  “zeymlketeka ktefelT aytfetn (ዘይምልከተካ ክትፈልጥ ኣይትፈትን)” out of the mindset.

Surprisingly here we have a Harvard educated charismatic scholar whose immediate boss was one of the “3” upper most EPLF leaders indirectly admitting that the process of designing freedom to Eritreans was corrupted by a systemic compliance (including his advisory role) to a paternalistic political opportunism of “zeymlketeka ktefelT aytfetn (ዘይምልከተካ ክትፈልጥ ኣይትፈትን)።” from its inception. This makes it clear how systemic poverty of ideas has helped the Stalin of Eritrea in his ambition to tyrannize the fate of Eritreans.

In other words this kind of professorial phrasing of Eritrean politics reminds that such a subordinate world view of experts was imbedded within the spectrum of Eritrean patriotism in the fight against the so termed Ethiopian imperialism. What a huge challenge to the power of NOW. Poor Eritrea!

1. Where is the impact of Harvard & exposure to the glory of Boston?

2. Where is the impact of the power of choice given the availability of an option to live in Cambridge MA, need it be?

3. Is this kind of patriotism?

According to the interview, Dr. Andebrhan was handpicked by the Stalin of Eritrea a couple of times in the making of its independence. First to advise on political, education and informational policy matters during the phase of pre-independence, second to shape the trend of cultivating its soft power as a president of the only university in the emerging country, and then to govern a financial sector of its new economy.

By doing so what was the expectation of Eritrea’s Stalin from these assignments, loyalty or professional integrity? “History reminds that Stalin was responsible for the death of 15 million Soviet citizens yet he remains one of Russia’s most popular political figures.” [2, 37] “Loyalty to Stalin as a person superseded all other values and loyalties, and the system of rewards and punishments (was) based upon this value system.” [1, 97]

“By 1962 the most influential Khrushchev’s colleagues were his own men, longtime associates he had promoted to high office, protégés who had rallied to his side since 1957.”  [1, 160]

That said here is an unquestionable example how the Stalin of Eritrea had exploited the benefit of loyalty from his hand-picked experts.  

 Plus the interview reflects two incompatible conclusions. The first being failure of leadership in generating ideas the second is accreditation of victory to the role of fighters.

My question for this assertion is how is it going to be feasible to applaud the outcome of military fight as victory while discrediting its leadership and subjugating the flow of ideas to the intentional ignorance of  “zeymlketeka ktefelT aytfetn (ዘይምልከተካ ክትፈልጥ ኣይትፈትን)።” 

I guess it may be due to this slippery assumption that the book is said to have been written from the perspective of a veteran fighter. The point of the matter is could it reflect any difference had it been written from the perspectives of the actual role assigned to the author i.e. a leader and policy advisor.   Regardless of the perspective chosen, the first interview was broadcast on a historical day of the fall of Berlin wall.  

And not surprisingly more than the professorial words to listen a crumbling wall to imagine conveys fantastic message from which history and the Eritrea of NOW can learn by example about causes that lead to the collapse of Berlin wall and that way get ready to minimize impacts of avoidable loses due to the inevitably collapsing leadership style of zeymlketeka ktefelT aytfetn(ዘይምልከተካ ክትፈልጥ ኣይትፈትን)።

For whoever ventures to discover the end of a dictator there is a lot to share from the dynamics Berlin wall that is comparable to what is happening in the Eritrea of NOW and in 2014. 

It is not breaking news to hear Eritrean parents being charged 50,000.00 Nakfa for each child who left the country, “Over Karen’s objections, the body of her son was cremated, and she received an invoice for the cost. She was allowed to hold memorial service, but the Stasi insisted on making all the arrangements, including the choice of flowers - and then sent another invoice.” [3, 15] This happened after her son was shot and killed while trying to cross Berlin wall from east to west.

Any way the main focus of the message from the interview was sort of an effort to scapegoat, deny or defend contributory historical factors associated with the unknowns that brought Eritrea to the spot where it now is.  

In addition, I would also like to stress on the point that proof of qualification from the best University on the planet was assigned to play a policy advisory role (political, educational and informational..) to the upper most in the hierarchy of a process that aspired to design Eritrean independence. This measure by the Stalin of Eritrea deserves admiration.

However according to final outcomes the organizational structure that sought policy advice of a Harvard-proven qualification ended up to be recognized by its very secretive and concentrated decision making behavior while enjoying the accompany of Harvard credential. This measure raises a lot of questions.

  ስለ’ዚ ድማ’ዩ ዘይምልከተካ ክትፈልጥ ኣይትፈትን: ዓዲ ምስኣተወ እንዳ ህዝባዊ ግምባር ምስ ህዝቦም ምሕዋስ ኣጊሙዎም ክሳብ ምባል ዝተበጽሐ።

In a nutshell it is that kind of mindset that created a sort of incompatibility between gebar-tegadalay in all aspects of independent Eritrea. And with no exaggeration the problem of Dr Andebrhan with staff members of Asmara University is a prominent example to express this failure. As reflected in his interview Asmara University was not a University for him. It was as simple as an empty building with no labs, no library or computers which are simple materials that can be donated or purchased in weeks. (ዘይብላ! ኣይ ጸባብ ዶ’ይኮነትን ዛ’ዓለም ዕዳጋ)

A topnotch Singaporean type of University can be part of a dream to the future but it cannot be appropriate as a starting point of tertiary education in the new and poor Eritrea.

Truth be told, there was a University in Asmara. But it belonged to the new and poor Eritrea. It was an institution were better educated citizens were trying their best to help the less educated ones.

No questions the most valuable and expensive part of a University is access to educated man power. In the case of Asmara University they were the ones who were falsely accused and fired as a group for not being qualified to do the job.

Even though only time will tell more about how and why, their ethics not to view tertiary education through the guide lines of ዘይምልከተካ ክትፈልጥ ኣይትፈትን is definitely one. May not be solely accountable but as a president of the University Dr. Andebrhan has a lot to do with the measure. Needless to state that the measure was not an instant decision that occurred after he was fired; it was the final outcome of a long process.

Said simple like the common problem in all Eritrean institutional structures a scholastic approach with a guide line of ዘይምልከተካ ክትፈልጥ ኣይትፈትን: had polluted the environs of Asmara University and that is why none could thrive.

Hope the interview will lead to unlearn old habits and apologize and admit that it is time now for the powers of NOW strategize opportunity and futurity. For now I appreciate the role Asmarino.com and Dr. Russom in facilitating the free flow of ideas.

“It is not the strongest nor the wisest species that survive but it is the ones most responsive to change.” Charles Darwin

References:

1. Dictators at War and Peace – Jessica L.P. Weeks 2014  

2. The New York Review of Books – 11/20/2014

3. The Collapse –Mary Elise Sarotte 2014