Ethiopians watch Eri-TV. Is it true?

 

Our modern society is called Information Society. Due to advanced information technology, the world community is well integrated in communication. Geographical distance is becoming insignificant.

 

The mass media is playing a big role in every aspect of the social life. It can be used for various purposes:

1)      Advocacy (such as advertising, marketing, propaganda, public relations)

2)      Education (such as literature)

3)      News

4)      Public announcement

5)      Entertainment (such as music and sports)

 

Mass media can de used either for constructive or destructive purposes. In a democratic system, one can use it for the interest of the people. First and foremost the people have free access to the media. The government allows private media to function freely in the daily life of the society. People are informed about important events. The programs used by the media are designed to serve the people as a whole, not a particular group. Above all the media is used to tell the truth.

 

In a dictatorial system, the media is used for a repressive purpose. It is designed not to serve the people but the regime in power. The purpose of such media is not to teach or inform the people but to deceive them from knowing the truth. Its main function is propaganda. The dictator in power selects the best orators, writers or actors who can  deceive the people effectively. Economists tell us also that a lot of money is spent for this purpose.

 

Thanks to the communication satellites, nowadays there are many TV’s without frontiers. One of these is  Eri-TV (Eritrean Television).

 

A half kilometer a way from my residence lives an Eritrean brother, satellite of the Eritrean regime, who purposely installed a  dish to receive Eri-TV. One day he told me about the “wonderful development in Eritrea”  (mostly roads and buildings built by the free labour of the Eritrean youth) that he watched in this propaganda television.

 

I said to him, “If it was true my happiness might join yours, but it is not true. It is the propaganda of the PFDJ regime designed to win your and other’s  minds. Our country is poor. Many people are dying per day because of lack of simple medicines. More than half of our people live on foreign aid. If this regime was for the people by the people, it would have used the money for a useful purpose instead for this world wide propaganda.”

 

As it is already explained by Awate.com Editorial,  the PFDJ broadcasted propaganda has three versions: Tigrigna, Arabic and English. Every one of them tells different story for the same subject. It is a propaganda machine which does not have a gram of truth but just to win the minds of the people with the context and language they can easily understand

 

We already know that the regime in Asmara is intensively busy  propagating against the Ethiopian government in general and after the election of  May 15,  2005 in particular. The languages used in this propaganda are Amharic,  Afan Oromo and  Somali(a).

 

Now to the question: Ethiopians usually watch Eri-TV !  Is it rue?

An Ethiopian friend, who has been in Ethiopia told me, that many opposition Ethiopians prefer to watch Eri-TV than ETV (Ethiopian television). And he told me that he was shocked too. So was I.

 

The question is: What is the purpose of watching this useless propaganda media which we Eritreans have already rejected? Yes, some opposition Ethiopian parties may have different political views and disagreement with the ruling party. This is natural. But what do these people expect from this dying regime? PFDJ is the enemy of not only the Eritrean people. But it is the enemy of the Ethiopian people too. Beyond that the PFDJ regime is the enemy of the peoples of the region as a whole.

  

None can deny that Mr. Issayas has a hostile policy towards the neighboring countries. His interferences in the internal affairs (conflicts) of  South Sudan, East and West. He waged war against Yemen. The same against Ethiopia,  Mr. Issayas started the war. He tried and is trying a futile attempts supporting different groups against the government. Mr. Issayas is known of having longer list of enemies than friends. He is not only the cause of regional instability, but he created serious conflicts with the international organizations such as UN, OAU and the Arab League. Finally, he is in conflict with the United States of America now. This is really a political madness.

 

What can they learn from Eri-TV?  The mouthpiece of Mr. Issayas. If he tells them about a killing, he is the most killer in the region. If he tells them about human rights, he is the most brutal human rights abuser in the world. How can Mr. Issayas speak in favor of democracy, since there is no light of democracy in his small colony. I don’t want to write here about the democratic process in Ethiopia, but one thing is clear, the EPRDF government is hundred percent better than the PFDJ regime.

 

Another important question, Who are the watchers of Eri-TV in Ethiopia?  Members or supporters of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF)?  I believe the Oromos have known Issayas very well by now. They have enough experience on his political stand when they had conflict with the EPRDF at that time. Should they trust Ato Issayas?

 

Probably the majority Eri-TV watchers are members or supporters of CUD, because, “they hate the weyanies” . It is premature to say CUD as a party has relationship with the PFDJ regime, because, I don’t have concrete evidence for this. However, there are some indications that this might be true. If it is true, the relationship of these two parties must be based only on temporary interests. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

 

May I call Ato Issayas the Bismarck of Africa of the 21st century for his evil politics. I learned from my history lessons, Bismarck, the Iron Chancellor of Germany, during the second half of the 19th century, used his enemy to weaken (defeat) another enemy. Mr. Issayas used and is using some Ethiopian opposition parties to weaken his first enemy (“the weyanie”) as he did or is doing with the Sudanis opposition parties. On the other hand, CUD will try to use Issayas to weaken and if possible to overthrow the EPRDF ruling party too.

 

Otherwise, if the relationship of the two parties is based on a long term (strategic) aiming at national interest, is Ato Issayas ready to offer the port of Assab which is the demand of the CUD leadership? Or did CUD drop this claim and recognized Eritrea as a state with its sovereignty? Or may be,  these two parties might have a secrete agreement on mutual national interests? We don’t know. Politics is the art of all possible. It can be anything. Time will tell us.

 

 

Adhanom  Fitiwi (from Holland)

Feb 01, 2006

 

Comments: fitiwi@planet.nl