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EPDP Editorial

After twenty-three years of dictatorship and eighteen months into the operation of Forto, and in the midst of a wave of Eritrean worldwide grassroots movement that is sending shivers through the PFDJ dictatorial establishment, Issais Afeworki is looking for a new route to prolong his dictatorship in Eritrea. And he thinks he has found one, which is to draft a new constitution, “a constitution drafting process will be launched in order to chart out the political road map for the future government structure” (in his televised speech he gave on May 24).

Needless to say, for years the tyrant has been calling constitutional democracy or democratic governance an illusion and an invention of western countries that does not work not only in African societies in general and in Eritrean society in particular, but also in western countries that practice democracy. We have an expression in Tigryina, “one who does not have a chicken ridicules those who have a donkey.” (ደርሆ ዘይቡሉስ ንባዓል ኣድጊ ይንዕቕ). 

We also know on several occasions Issais was asked by Al

.jezzira journalists and by many others as to the chance of having a multiparty system, democracy or free election in Eritrea, Issais emphatically said, “Free election will not happen in Eritrea for the next 30 years or 40 years. I have no plan to leave my position regardless what you say or you do. Remember I did not sign any contract with you or anyone. Any one hoping for multiparty system can go to the moon. Only daydreamers believe in alternatives to the ruling of the PFDJ. Only daydreamers can think about ‘constitution and constitutional governance in Eritrea…etc.” Unless conveniently forgotten, this is Issais’ worldview that revolves around an absolute power at the cost of brutalizing and repressing Eritrean citizens. And if one asked the majority of Eritrean citizens where the power lies, the answer would be all power lies in the hands of Issaias who exercises such a power ruthlessly through his army and state security machinery.

Now, after all these years, why is the tyrant proposing a new constitution? What is wrong with the 1997 constitution that Issaias himself monitored and gave his blessing for its ratification in March 1997, but later dishonored it and put it aside for two decades? Certainly, Issaias knew then and knows now, if the constitution (despite all the critics surrounding it) of 1997 had been implemented, among other things, it would have laid down a ground for a democratic system of governance in our country that would have allowed political parties/political pluralism, individual liberty, fair and free election, peaceful change of leadership, accountable government, citizens’ participation, rule of law…etc., a vital for peace and sustainable development for a country ravaged by a 30-year war of independence. But like all dictators, Issais hates rule by the people and that is why he and his elites took a barbaric action, and subverted the implementation of the ratified constitution back in 2001, exposing the country into a protracted socio-economic and political disaster. The fact is Issaias’ talk of new constitution is nothing, but another scandalous manipulation with the most fundamental document a country can own, a constitution.

In history, we know many dictators who banned constitutional system of governance, and some who drafted their own new constitution or created a version of any existing constitution to stay in power for life. For example, the late Hugo Chaves of Venezuela (2012), Paul Biya of Cameroon (2008), Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua (2011), Yoweri Museveni of Uganda (2005), as well as many other dictators who either got rid of  limits on presidential terms or made severe restrictions and changes on their countries’ constitution in order to stay in power. Recently, Paul Kagame of Rwanda in power since 2000 is campaigning to change the term limit, a means to dig in power for life.

Issaias is unelected president who is ruling Eritrean people with iron-fist since independence after having either imprisoned, tortured, arbitrarily arrested or murdered thousands of Eritrean citizens because they demanded constitution and freedom. Ever since undeterred, Issais’ continued to violate human rights and commit civilian killings for over two decades. And his power of legitimacy has been rested for the last two decades on continued repression and brutality. But this is not enough for this menacing dictator. Now after having banned the ratified constitution of the 1997, he is poised to draft his own new constitution with one an unambiguous mission: and that is to crown himself as a dictator for life with the intention of using the new constitution as a legitimate instrument to stamp any and all emerging popular struggles. And he is doing this by shifting the debate from “implementing the already ratified constitution to drafting a new one”, again a sinister move aimed at deceiving Eritrean people into thinking that he is ready to pay homage to democratic principles while he continues to undo everything we have earned as we know it. This is an old trick of getting Eritrean people to support him under the guise of a new constitution. But Eritrean people know that Issaias is a dictator, and constitutionalism and dictatorship do not go together.

In summary, what kind of constitution is Mr. Issaias, who hates democracy or government of the people, talking about? Well, the kind of constitution that Issaias is talking about is one that would prepare new ground for extending his tyranny indefinitely, if he survives the fire power of the ongoing popular resistance; he is talking about prolonging his reign for life, that is if he sails through the ever simmering popular uprising across the Eritrean political landscape. EPDP knows that only very few Eritreans will be deceived by the so-called drafting constitution saga. The truth though, Issaias should by now know that the majority of Eritreans know that the call for “drafting new constitution” under the auspices of his PFDJ regime is nothing, but a continuation of terror and injustices of his rule in Eritrea. And if at all he ventures to write one,  Eritrean people should know that he will use it as a facade to enable him to legitimize his vicious grip on power- all nothing to do with the will and true democratic aspirations of Eritrean people. No Eritrean, in a true sense of the world, believes Issaias can hold free and democratic elections because he knows the Eritrean people would reject him. Therefore, new constitution or no constitution, there should not be any confusion here: this is the PFDJ tyranny in black and white, a tyranny that knows no bounds. EPDP calls on all Eritreans to stand up and unconditionally reject Issaias’ call for new constitution, understanding that the reason for his call is to permanently subvert the ongoing opposition and prolong his despotism. Eritreans should take it seriously that this is the despot’s mockery of constitution at its extreme, which won’t stand as Eritrean people are saying enough and willing to fight for the rule of law, human rights, and political freedom. But it suffices to remember the old adage: “If you fool me once, shame on you; if you fool me twice, shame on me.” Finally,it is important to underscore that Issais may be on his last legs, but he is not defeated. He is determined to fight to the last; he is determined to fight for his own life. Yet, the paradox is that while the PFDJ is hanging on the cliff, the Eritrean opposition has yet to figure out on how to go about forming a coherent leadership and opposition against the PFDJ regime and its evil system of governance. EPDP says it is time that we must go beyond staging protests and narrating the crimes of the PFDJ regime.