Comments of an anonymous reader from Eritrea on the Tigrigna version of the book

The writer has addressed almost all the comments raised in the first edition of the book in his second edition, the Tigrigna version, and/or the various interviews conducted with various journalists at various platforms. The swift action taken to translate the book in Tigrigna utilizing a writing methodology and format easily understandable by the general public is also commendable. The organization of chapters, articulation of ideas, and narration of stories in the Tigrigna version is highly commendable. Having said the above as a strength, let me focus more on the outstanding/new critics and/or shortfalls that need to be addressed in due course by any suitable method.

As clearly addressed in the initial comments, the targeted readers of the English version are not mainly the general public but rather high-caliber Eritrean elites, irrespective of their political views, the international educational/research institutions, policy advisors, and think tanks. Accordingly, the methodology utilized by drawing hypotheses in the introduction, discussing all the hypotheses in detail, setting arguments and contesting counterarguments based on primary data and duly cited secondary data, and finally drawing conclusions and recommendations is highly commendable and demonstrates the professional integrity of the writer.

In the Tigrigna version, however, the targeted readers are members of the general public who demand undisputable conclusive answers to some of the dilemmas in understanding why things fall apart and, more specifically, the root cause of the unmet expectations. Equally important is the fact that the general public is yearning for change, although the majority don’t have a clear consensus on how. The Tigrigna version has been expected to conclusively underline the above two major issues in plain and clear language, understandable by the general public with convincing narration. Although the writer has narrated the events and articulated the issues, the writer still maintained a professional integrity not to conclude boldly in many issues apart from sharing his opinion. Such a methodology doesn’t work for the general public; only conclusive remarks have an effect. The book psycho-profiled the personal factor of the dictator in one full section, yet fails to answer the below questions important for changing the implanted notions in the general public.

• Why he outsmarted his colleagues
• Why those who have more academic and/or military capacity than him still fall prey to his rootless actions and could not learn lessons from past experience.

Furthermore, the writer explained in detail, however, it is not convincing enough for the general public and doesn’t necessarily define the personal factor in full.

First and foremost, the writer has elaborated many primary data examples to underline his divide and rule as well as sarcasm against his colleagues as his modus operandi from the outset. Needless to say, such a mechanism is common in many dictators, but most dictators offer unlimited wealth and/or unquestioned power to their lieutenants to maintain their power, whereas ours is on the contrary no one is untouchable but rather could be frozen or jailed anytime. The writer fails to boldly psycho profile the reasons for such sarcasm. It should have been clearly concluded that the main reason for such sarcasm is to monopolize all credit for all the successes and enable him to finger-point his failures to his colleagues.

Secondly, the writer has clearly narrated the decadal dissidents occurred throughout our history. Every incident has its own peculiar shortfalls, which resulted in failures from the critics and victory to the dictator. Yet, there is one important observation that the writer fails to elaborate. It’s the ambitious will of the dissidents in view of national interest without considering the rootless counter any dissident may face, which certainly is failure to learn from past events.

Third, the writer has elaborated in detail the nature of all speeches and interviews conducted by the dictator. The writer’s conclusion is “they are all waffling”. Indeed, all speeches and interviews are waffling, and every citizen from teen to elder, from illiterate to college professor, from peasant to city elite, from government rank and file to minister, from national service to military commander knows that. In fact, it is common for everyone to make fun of the interviews, and lots of jokes have been heard about it. Still, his elite supporters and many in the general public believe that waffling is the best leadership style to address a problem when the solution is out of reach.

Finally, the writer fails to elaborate on the main reason why the dictator waffles. The grandiose self-perception, which is clearly explained by the writer, is very true. But still, is he a psychopath to continuously waffle? We don’t know, but we do know one thing: that he is acting like one. Why does he act like one? To understand why, let us look at an example of a typical psychopath. A psychopath’s main problem is paranoia, and can kill a group of 100 persons if feels/assumes danger from a single person in the group. Similarly, the dictator’s main paranoia is losing power, and if he feels his realm of power is endangered, he can act rootless even if it costs all the resources of the country and the lives of all the people he rules. So, in every speech, the dictator waffles for more than two hours, and there is one message of 2 minutes that he wants to disseminate to his targeted audience, and that is the main reason for the whole waffling. This targeted audience could be perceived as enemies/dissidents/allies or global powers. The message always has the same melody that is “if I lose power a great danger will come and if you help me maintain my power or leave me alone, I can be of some importance to you” period. I believe the writer has already noticed the above in 2020 and 2024 interviews. The audience differs, in fact, a complete U-turn of political realignment, but the core message is the same.

Last but not least, the main chapter that every reader in the general public eagerly reads to understand is the role of internal movements for change. The writer has not demonstrated convincingly that change can be driven from within, apart from revealing his opinion that the most probable drive of change is from within. Bearing all the writer’s narrations in mind, the general public might understand the writer seems to believe the only cause of change is natural phenomenon, which I believe is not. Although it is not clearly concluded, the misinterpretation could be rather discouraging to the members of any internal movement. The writer is expected to plant hope for the general public but also address that time is racing against the movements of change inside the country. This section does not need political correctness or keeping integrity but rather should be full-blown propaganda, and the writer should have written it accordingly. This comment is only for the Tigrigna version, as I made it clear at the beginning.   

The writer has not psycho profiled the dictator to the level he is and to the level the general public should know him sulkily. The other six important profiles that the writer fails to understand or omits but should have been boldly highlighted in the section of psycho-profiling the dictator are listed and elaborated on below.

1. Building the notion of sole provider of justice /ombudsman

The writer has narrated how the rule of law has been demolished and the institutional incapacitation of the Ministry of Justice has been affected. Nevertheless, the writer has overlooked one important conclusion apart from setting up a ground for complete dictatorship; it is the dictator’s notion of sole provider of justice/ombudsman. Apart from the higher appeals bench set up by five judges in the high court, the special court and the grievances hearing committee in the ministry of Justice; there is a desk set up in the office of the president which hears any appeal and/or grievances relating to civil, commercial and even family law cases irrespective of at which court the legal case was being heard and/or verdict is issued. The decision issued at this office can overturn any legal verdict at any level. Such practice has evolved the notion in the general public that justice could only be provided by the office of the president. And for the desk officials who oversee the cases not to get the credit, they are continuously changed.

• The notion of employer of all and owner of everything

The writer has addressed the causes of economic crises intentionally created to suit dictatorship and has highlighted the level of governance corruption by quoting from Transparency International. Here, the writer failed to explain how such corruption evolves and where it ends. The root cause of every corruption, contraband, and illegal activity is emanating from policy failures intentionally created to suit dictatorship. They always end up with mass arrests and confiscation of all the wealth accumulated. When the import/export license was banned, the supply chain of all consumer goods became contraband. Contrabandists are always a challenge for every state and make fortunes without paying any tax but petty corruptions at various posts. Allowing transit to Sudan while nothing goes out there is believed to be an intentionally choreographed move by the dictator to hire all contrabandists to work for him. The first such opportunity was only offered to selected individuals. Then it has been watched until they all prosper and law enforcement bureaucrat’s accusations to the individuals heightened then one fine day all the containers at Massawa Port, the stocks at the temporary transit zone near Teseney and all their stocks at various warehouses has been confiscated. This move was a law enforcement for the bureaucrats, but it was claiming of his profits for the dictator. The contrabandists did know it, but they were working for the dictator; they were just employees hired by investing their money to only get their salaries by embezzlement until the confiscation day comes to them.  The same story also applied to the traders who are engaged in travelers/diaspora 2% tax-payers personal effects permitted quantified consumer goods. 

The dictator has the will to ban the private sector, but as such will collapse the state, he systematically banned several activities stage by stage. Chronological list of banned activities include: import/export, foreign exchange, contractors, engineers, private clinics and laboratories, heavy truck garages, water tanker trucks, public transport buses and minibuses, etc. Other activities are either systematically affected for collapse or subjected to many penalties and arbitrary taxes. The fact that everything is not permitted legally somehow every private trade activity will be subject to contraband and when penalties are charged at times, for the bureaucrats it is always a law enforcement but for the dictator it is collecting his share of business as his notion is owner of everything and employer of all.

The above notion has conclusively been revealed when he has been heard admiring the Cicily Mafias for their rule of authority and effectiveness in managing their business.

• Obedient to serious warnings threatening his power

The writer has clarified in detail the foreign policy mess but omitted one important fact: that the dictator is always obedient to serious warnings that threaten his power. The sanctions and diplomatic isolations damaged the national interest but did not threaten the dictator’s realm of power; it only prevented him from messing with regional and geopolitical interests. Accordingly, he always keeps waffling on the policies of the West in general and the US in particular.

When the conflict with the Djibouti case tabled at the UN Security Council at closed doors, a consensual decision without any official resolution was agreed that any global power present in the region to take corrective action. It is this warning that drives the dictator to immediately call the Amir of Qatar and confirm he will be obedient to any demands the global powers have. As a result, the Amir of Qatar took the initiative to quickly deploy peacekeepers. This whole part was done in a few days, circumventing any official resolution, which is the customary work procedure of the Security Council.

Another example of obedience to serious warnings can be demonstrated in the case of offering the Assab port to UAE. Despite several accusations of harboring/supporting the Houti militias in Yemen, no official reply/press has even been issued for the serious accusation. However, when one dawn two aerial strikes hit a Military depot in May Edaga and the Bisha mining site, the emirates were immediately awarded the port of Assab to develop a military base and utilize it to wage war in Yemen. A complete U-turn of political realignment if the accusations were true.

In national policy, the writer has eloquently addressed how the confederation idea has been dropped, and this could be concluded as obedience to serious warning that threaten his power. The 1993 apprising of the freedom fighters has also demonstrated temporary obedience by the gestures he made in walking to the Stadium and speech he made; although it resulted in detention of many of the organizers and demobilization of the fighters who joined the struggle after 1990 at a later stage to his advantage. The temporary dropping of sending all public militias for military training was also a sign of temporary obedience, although lately effected by few districts at a time in several stages to his advantage.

• Snatching his opponents’ agenda to buy time

On several occasions, he tries to snatch his opponents’ agenda to buy some time. As the writer clearly noted, in his latest interviews, he admitted to many national failures. However, the writer should have psycho-profiled why he admitted failures while his minions and hard-core supporters are bluffing the contrary. It is not to confess but rather to snatch the movements of change agenda and thereby buy some time. Many examples could be listed to this effect. The campaign-style sales of the Eritrean constitution even at streets to implant false hope of implementation and the very next year declared on interview the Constitution is dead. Furthermore, in the next public address on May 24, he announced that a new constitution was being drafted. Another example is with regard to electricity. While his minions propagated new generators are being installed and effective September 2024 electricity will be continuously provided without rationing in December 2024, he admitted that electric generators are all failed and waffled on his new unattainable noble plans of renewable energy.

He snatches not only his opponents’ agenda but also any effective methodology utilized by movements of change. Several examples could be listed in this regard. The first effective digital intifada that created the “ENOUGH” movement and the subsequent “free Siham Ali” digital intifada have sent shock waves to the dictator as both have garnered many participants from the inside at anonymous accounts and resulted in the closure of social media access locally. Soon after the closure of social media access locally, he deployed the same methodology, and his supporters started to storm the digital warfare, some by assimilating as members of movements of change to gather many followers and eventually turn to propagating for the dictator or turn to be apologists. This has halted the momentum of enough movement and thereby ended up ineffective. Another example is the violence strategy drafted by the “Blue movement,” which enabled the movement to get enough attention and an unorganized massive inflow of members. The same counter violence has been intentionally drafted by the dictator in a more fatal way to divert the attentions gathered by the movement into sub-regional conflict and thereby trying to drag the movement out of its noble cause.

• Monopolizing all credits and finger-pointing failures to his lieutenants

His dress-code which resembles a working class than a statesman, his appalling offices in Massawa and lately at Adi Halo, his weird working hours combined with the sarcasm and nature of his interviews which sound as an outside advisor than head of state has once enabled him to build the notion of hard working who have not got supporters from his lieutenants by many house wives and many in the general public. The writer should have included the above in addition to what he adequately analyzed how the person factor is psycho-profiled during the armed struggle as all emanated from his appetite to monopolize all credits if any, and finger point all failures to his lieutenants.

• Ego-centric Greediness

The writer has narrated and analyzed in detail the egoistic behavior of the dictator in the political and military sectors by listing several primary data explaining how the dictator made the political and military institutions paralytic and grabbed all power and authority to himself. However, the writer should have concluded in clear language that such actions emanate from his egocentric greediness. In this issue, the writer should have also included the mobilization of every citizen in the people’s militia, even those who are demobilized from the national service for medical unfitness. Some profiles are interlinked as the mobilization of people’s militia could also attribute the notion of employer of all discussed above.

In the foreign diplomacy sector, the fact that Eritrea is alienated from many diplomatic relations though the existing institutional blocks regionally or globally and also all bilateral relations developed has never been institutionalized; emanates from the ego-centric greediness of the dictator who only wants to dictate or manipulate any diplomatic relation for his own purpose of solidifying his power realm instead of national interests.

Moreover, this profile goes as far as sharing if not snatching the glory of individual celebrities of Eritrean origin and Eritrean athletes. The receptions conducted and subsequent media coverage for celebrities such as Nepssy Hassel, Tifaney Hadish, and Alexander Isaak, as well as Eritrean athletes such as Zeresenay, Girmay, Daniel, and Binam, was intentionally correlated to the glory of the dictator rather than the nation as it was supposed to be. In the latest reception of Biniam Girmay in Asmara, many banners were drawn with pictures of the dictator and the champion.

To conclude, a combination of the above elaborated profiles can surprisingly be demonstrated in his decisions to systematically close the operation of all NGO’s in Eritrea with a pretext that he admitted once at interview “if NGO’s really want to offer aid, they can give us the money directly and we could better utilize and distribute it”. The profiles are even surprisingly demonstrated in the religious institutions. His decision to nationalize the Catholic church educational and health institutions, impoundment of the offertory at all the Orthodox churches, and assigning a budget for running the church; even the interferences in the business of the religious institutions, are exceptional examples demonstrating the above-explained profiles.

Recommendation:

The best platform to address the above is via carefully choreographed debate-style discussions on media. The writer, along with a conservative journalist, should set a debate-style discussion and elaborate why change is imminent from inside.

In doing so, the personal factor will be clearly addressed with a conclusion that the dictator does not care about nation-building or national interest but only maintaining his power and his major paranoia is losing power that’s is why he acts like a psychopath.

In addition, the writer should underline that time is racing against the drivers of change that unless the commanders in the security and national defense forces swiftly act, the national sovereignty will be compromised or if change is brought without their participation at its own time, it will cost them the chance of reconciliation.

Furthermore, the specific roles expected by youth, women, clergy, and government bureaucrats at all levels should be discussed in detail. Not the after-change roles but the roles to bring change. All dictators get very nervous when the momentum of change gears up, either by intifada, mutiny, or military conflict, and they all end up running or shot like a dog trying to run, and ours is not different. History is a great lesson for this, including the recent events in Syria. The actors of change in the commencement stage will definitely face rootless counter but now the time is ripe and will definitely have domino effect and will never stop or could be halted by any counter.

Finally, the Tigrigna version should be recorded in audio and uploaded on the web for fast and effective dissemination to the general public in a very short time.