Peace is a Journey No Nation Can Afford to Avoid

Speech presented by Mr. Petros Haile on behalf of EGS to the “Citizens Peace Conference” at Brighton, UK – May 21 to 24, 2010.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Please allow me to open my modest presentation by thanking the organizers of the “People’s Movement for Peace in Eritrea and the Horn” conference.

On behalf of EGS, I extend the warmest greetings to all of you who have travelled so far to make peace an integral part of our ongoing dialogue on how we can solve our highly complicated internal crisis and find ways to make a modest contribution in enhancing the possibility of regional peace in the Horn.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the global sense no distance is too far and no individual is irrelevant in a journey for peace. It is more so in our immediate case where a whole region is desperately seeking peace.

We are glad we were offered this golden opportunity to be part of this search for peace. We are here to learn how to give peace a chance. In the end our nascent organization will have gained more from this gathering than it can contribute. We are willing to listen and grow from this experience.

We take this as one more frontier in a multifaceted struggle to come to grip with the tragic turn of events in Eritrea and the whole region.

As human beings, who share this complicated earth we cannot afford to entertain the illusion that peace is divisible. We are all stakeholders in the journey for peace. This is the lofty overall perspective that must anchor all peace seekers’ long journey. The hovering positive aura and the overall conducive aspiration of this gathering affirm and reinforce this universal need. By gathering here we strongly affirm our link to the vast humanity’s need for peace.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

But the lofty voyagers must also feel the gravels and the stones beneath their feet. They must walk on hot and cold soil. They must come to grip with the hard and unpleasant daily reality. They must recognize the vast pain that lurks in our world and make sense out of the senseless behavior of insane and sane human beings. The immediate must be dealt with so that the long term vision can be actualized and sustained.

Glossing over the daily pain will be living a well orchestrated illusion. Trying to find a quick solution will be opting for quick fix. The issue of peace does not lend itself for this kind of short cuts. It demands a sobering grasp of the various hurdles on the journey. Reality has to be the foundation and the source of all lofty ideas. The prescription of peace must be preceded by a diagnosis of what the absence of peace means in the context of our particular challenge. Our search and voyage for peace must start with understanding of our immediate responsibility.

As Eritreans in Diaspora what is our immediate responsibility or the overriding national challenge?

EGS’ feels the overriding challenge is the wholesale absence of peace inside Eritrea. This is the foundation of our struggle and our primary responsibility. The reason why we exist is to do our share in bringing true and lasting peace to the people of Eritrea. This is our primary investment.

We hope, by working hard, to create peace in Eritrea and a peaceful Eritrea we will indirectly contribute to the emergence of a peaceful environment in the Horn of Africa. This will be the dividends.

We do not state this to minimize any effort –in the form of citizen’s initiative, established peace institutions symposiums or gathering by state actors – made to express and expound the need for peace in the political and non- political domain. On the contrary we need all sorts of intensive activity to get the conversation expanding.

The people of Eritrea need peace.

For over seven decades the people of Eritrea have been living in the most intensive pressure- cooker political environment. That is without overlooking the oppression and suffering imposed on the people of Eritrea by various colonizers before 1941. Three consecutive generations have been tested to the limit. Each generation has paid enormous price to attain true self –determination as a people and as a nation. Yet their need for genuine and lasting peace goes unheeded.

If there is a country that truly and urgently needs peace (peace in its most expansive definition) within Africa, it will not be an exaggeration, if we were, without any equivocation attribute this designation to the State of Eritrea. Eritrea and the people of Eritrea are starving for peace.

EGS strongly believes that the overriding primary responsibility of every Eritrean is to work for ways to accelerate the process whereby this, century’s old deep-rooted desire for peace, can be actualized. The post- independence wholesale disappointment by the people of Eritrea, at home and in the Diaspora, due to the imposition of the most brutal authoritarian system by PFDJ has elevated this shared national task into a binding urgent national duty. Without reversing this unprecedented national betrayal in a resounding way we Eritreans will not be good for ourselves leave alone for our neighbors.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Succinctly put, EGS believes the primary way to contribute to regional peace is to intensify our struggle for Justice, Human Rights and Democracy- That is to say: work to transitions and consolidate Eritrea into a stable democratic polity. The prevailing circumstance demands that we follow this route to peace. Our struggle for justice is identical to our struggle for peace. We do not have the luxury of seeing them separate from each other. If seems we are consumed or deeply engrossed in this perspective it only conveys the true reflection of our collective reaction to the betrayal by the ruling group in Eritrea.

We will not burden you by detailing the nuances of the brutality of the PFDJ regime on the people of Eritrea. You can pick up a copy of one of the annual Human Rights reports on Eritrea and understand the depth of the humongous challenge we are faced with. Suffice to say the result does not commensurate with the tremendous price paid by the people of Eritrea.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The highest reward a nation can attain is the comfort of peace where by all other human endeavor is possible. Without peace progress will be an accumulation of empirical data without any access to the true meaning of the quality of life. Technological progress can be attained both under tyranny as well as democracy. No doubt with peace and democracy material progress can have more profound meaning and relevance to the average citizen’s life. Those of us struggling against draconian tyranny are in essence waging struggle for peace and human dignity - twin causes worth resolutely standing up for.

Peace at home and in the Horn of Africa is a bottom line requirement for us who take the civil society route to empowering individual citizens. Any effort to institutionalizing peace, human rights, freedom of expression, freedom of worship etc without stable and lasting peace will fall short. We stand for peace out of principle and necessity. We take the voyage for peace with unwavering seriousness and knowing that we might not be the immediate beneficiaries of the struggle for peace.

There is no alternative but to stay dedicated to the voyage with the belief that another generation will not let this fundamental desire be derailed or be eternally sabotaged. Peace is our cause and peace is our lasting dividend. This is a perfect unity-the kind that affirms our all- inclusive humanity and particular need to be free from repressive fear and physical torture. The organized as well as the individual, under the most rational condition, must see the need to stand for peace- in other words become part and parcel of the Peace Journey.

We in the EGS believe this firmly and are willing to invest our heart and mind in collaboration with all who have the same general understanding of the value and role of peace in our region. This will be based on the following key principles:

1. We do not speak for the people –we strongly affirm the cardinal principle that the ultimate sovereignty resides with the people of Eritrea.

2. We do not consider the mere absence of a shooting war- the presence of peace.

3. We cannot leave a high value issue like Peace to state or political actors only. The civic society has the responsibility, duty and role to contribute to the development of the most conducive circumstances for local and regional peace.

4. We cannot mechanically differentiate our struggle for Human Rights Justice, Rule of Law and Democracy from our effort to advance peace. We have to take an integrated approach.

5. We have to be cognizant of the limitation imposed on our effort by the fact that we are in Diaspora- we do not want to convey any image that will imply or assert as if we have the definitive solution from afar. We are merely brainstorming. Until the people internalize our most positive effort our declaration will stay just that: lofty declarations.

6. There are others whose opinion and perspectives matters dearly –we must reach out and expand the conversation. Always take the attempt at hand as a foundation for a bigger and expanded effort.

7. Work hard to expand all contacts into a horizontal relationship where mutual respect and appreciation is the foundation instead of the worn-out – corrosive- power based vertical relationship. This will go a long way to empower communities, individuals and make them true stakeholders.

8. We must work diligently for incremental changes while preparing and struggling for transformative comprehensive changes.

9. Let us create more opportunities like this to get to know each other and to communicate with each other in a very humane and respectful way. Let us individualize peace- that is practice it with each other and make it a part of our political culture.

10. Let us defeat FEAR the most powerful weapon tyrants have by claiming our birthright for peace, justice and freedom.

Thanks once again for the opportunity. We look forward to networking with all of you.

If we failed short of your expectation we apologize for we are still working to turn EGS into a knowledge based advocacy entity that will improve with time.

What we learn from this historic conference will help EGS tremendously.

Thanks for helping us.{jcomments off}