By Omar Bihmidine, (Levant TV Exclusive)
THE West has long tried to tear apart Eritrea by imposing sanctions, propagandizing against it, funding dissenters, and showing support for inimical neighbors. To the West’s dismay, it is still alive, indefatigable and powerful. What is the secret, then?
Eritrea has to remind us of the Vietnam. As a unique country, Eritrea is shaping itself instead of letting the West shape it. Even though most leaders of Eritrea have either Marxist leanings or Socialist ones, they rarely raise that for the public. It is as though the nation was telling us that suffice to know that social justice, self-reliance and unity are their ideology. It is something universal. Possibly, this is the secret to being unique. This uniqueness fills the West with repugnance.
According to one of the most distinguished thinkers in Eritrea Elias Amare,
“ Eritrea registered success, substantial achievements, in what the United Nations defines as ‘Millennium Development Goals’, in particular ensuring free primary education for all; ensuring women’s emancipation and equality of women in all fields.”
What is remarkable about Eritrea is that instead of calling itself a Marxist or a Socialist country, it calls on everyone to go and see by themselves. What people always discover is that the country is full of educated, well-informed and ambitious people who work more than they talk.
Out of sour grapes, the West continues to blame Eritrea for being hermitical and closed to the rest of the world. Yet, the experiences of visitors tell a completely different story about the country. What visitors see is education, ambition, hope, diligent work, planning, and preparing for the future. In all respects, it is a country of sound development. Contrary to what the West propagandize, such as calling the country “oppressed and militarized”, we can spot schools, colleges, rural medical units, cancer clinics, solid roads piercing mountains and many food security projects. It is normal that the West is saying bad things about it.
Eritrea has made remarkable strides. Despite lacking dignity because of propaganda, it has made strides in fighting illiteracy, improving life expectancy, and boosting all social indicators. Now all Eritreans benefit from free healthcare at a time when only a few countries provide this all over the world. The simple fact that Eritrea is doing much for its people and showing no care for the West justifies the fact that it is demonized, sidelined and feared nowadays. For the West, the country is stubborn because it does not welcome any loans. It rather believes in the power of self-help. So, what does the country want exactly? Simply, it wants respect and equal treatment.
Eritrea is a clog in the West’s machine for the simple reason that nearly all parts of Africa are under the control of the West. Why is Eritrea trying to be the exception, then? That is exactly what makes it unique. It is different from other African countries in that since it gained its independence, it has begun to ensure that the resources be used to cater to all the needs of its own people. This is the policy that the West can stand not manifesting itself in Africa! This is why media war is being waged on Eritrea. Given that Africa owns 50 percent of the world’s nature resources, the West is doing its utmost to control Eritrea just like other African countries.
That stealing is almost absent from the Eritrean leadership is a blow to the West. It is particularly because corruption is what foreign powers use to enslave countries. As we know, corrupt leaders do nothing for their people. All they care about is their families, friends and the Empire.
It is now clear that the West fears that the rest of African countries will go after the Eritrean fashion. In response, some foreign powers have now accused Eritrea of funding terrorism in Somalia. Yet, this policy of the West has gained much notoriety. Just think of what happened to Iraq, Libya and Syria. The West is now busy confusing people about the county and making them like the ones who are not deserving of love and hate those who are worth supporting. Owing to the propaganda, the opposition is growing stronger.
The media is also playing its dirty trick. The BBC and Al-Jazeera are tarnishing the image of the country to bring about rebellion. False news is good news for the West. In the face of disinformation on all sides, Eritrea is working diligently towards sound development. Rarely does mass media mention the remarkable strides the country has made. Day after day, it is serving as a model for Africa. Fortunately, Eritrea is acutely aware of the monstrous adversary, which the West. Yet, it still needs support from other countries so that it survives the propaganda and plunge into the world of development.
