The Reporter (Addis Ababa)
1 September 2007
opinion
Addis Ababa — In an attempt to compare Eritrea's state of democracy under his rule with others he labels as "allies of America," President Isaias Afwerki turned his face towards the East and described India as an undemocratic state where there is no respect for human rights.
"If we take the largest democracy in the world, India, there is no democracy, no human rights. According to numerous researchers, there are the so-called lower castes that live under oppression; their number amounts to over 150 million people. In spite of doing everything [to move up the social ladder], these people cannot become free. Some 77 per cent of Indians also live under the poverty line," the Eritrean president said during an interview.
Isaias accused the US of turning a blind eye to such realities and exerting undue pressure, and concocting numerous conspiracies against "smaller countries" such as Eritrea. This, he said was affecting the situation in his country and the Horn as a region.
"If the situation has to really change for the better, then the Americans must change their ways of thinking. They should stop making all manner of threats against us. They have to stop all activities aimed at harming our national interests. Regional peace is being threatened through their interference" Isaias said.
"Without naming individual leaders, those who have been highly praised [by the US], looking into the internal affairs of these countries, and their ways of governance, some 45 to 50 per cent of them are repressive and authoritarian governments opposed to their people," Isaias added.
Eritrea has been and still remains a one-party state since it got its independence from Ethiopia in 1993. National assembly elections were planned for 2001 but got postponed indefinitely.
Human Rights Watch in its 2007 report, while noting its shortcomings, praises India as "the world's largest democracy, [which] has a vibrant press and civil society."
Human Rights Watch on the other hand had this to say about Eritrea: "Since 2001 the government of President Isaias Afwerki has carried out an unremitting attack on democratic institutions and civil society in Eritrea, by arresting political opponents, destroying the private press, and incarcerating anyone thought to challenge the government's policies. Almost no civil society institutions survive but the assault continued in 2006 on religious practitioners, military service evaders, and staff of international agencies. A constitution approved by referendum in 1997 has never been implemented. No national elections have been held since independence in 1993. No opposition political party is allowed to exist. No independent labor organizations are permitted. Nongovernmental organizations have been systematically dismantled and their assets confiscated; those still operational are closely monitored. The government controls all access to information."
The report also added that "the border dispute with Ethiopia that led to the devastating 1998-2000 war continues to fester, a circumstance the government uses to justify repressive policies."
The strained relations between Eritrea and the US got even tenser when the US very recently disclosed that it is considering including Eritrea among the list of countries that sponsor terror.
The US said that it has intelligence proving that Eritrea was supplying arms to Somalia's militant groups opposed to the Transitional Federal Government (TFG).
James Swan, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, early in August said that while the countries of the Horn were making favorable progress in the spheres of democracy and economic standing, Eritrea remained "a glaring exception to this favorable story, [as] it openly abuses its population and serves as a destabilizing force in the region."
"Given the American penchant for supporting the underdog, it is disheartening to see what has become of Eritrea in the 14 years since it gained independence and produced a praiseworthy constitution. President Isaias Afwerki has become increasingly tyrannical and megalomaniacal. He has actively sought to destabilize the Horn, fueling regional insurgencies and supporting groups affiliated with terrorists," Swan said during an international conference in Michigan.
Isaias Afwerki's government however denies such accusations and maintains that its involvement in the Somali and Sudanese situation is a matter of national interest.
"There is no reason to confuse terrorism with the issues of Somalia, Sudan etc... We are supposed to be concerned with the Sudanese issue; we cannot look at it in isolation. We are supposed to be concerned about Sudan and Somalia and other issues," Isaias said.
Isaias added that the United States should lead by example by first dealing with its own internal human rights problems.
"America should first be able to respect rights the blacks, the Red Indians, and the large number of Hispanic communities living there."
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