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ELF-RC Chairman and EDA central leadership member, Mr. Woldeyesus Ammar, on March 15 and 16 organized two separate meetings for Kassala region representatives of EDA-I member organizations as well as for ELF-RC representatives and political cadres in Eastern Sudan and briefed them on latest developments in the Eritrean opposition camp and related matters.
At the meeting of 15 March arranged with EDA-I Kassala region representatives from the Eritrean National Salvation Front (ENSF), the Eritrean Democratic Party (EDP) and the ELF-RC, Mr. W. Ammar explained in detail the successes achieved at the recent EDA congress and the points of disaccord that emerged in electing leadership for the umbrella of the opposition camp. In a meeting of 16 March 2007 with a sizable number of full-time cadres coming from various ELF-RC institutions in Kassala and the surrounding towns, the Chairman dealt mainly with the same EDA issues he discussed with EDA-I representatives a day earlier. At both meetings, the ELF-RC Chairman explained that the very idea of a congress for EDA was the initiative of those organizations that today compose EDA-I, and it was with their hard work and insistence that a decision was reached last April to hold a congress in which each organization would come with more representatives in addition to adequate number of observers from the civil society at large. For sure, the congress was needed to decide on very important issues with the aim of strengthening and invigorating the alliance. The issues included the following: 1. Introducing much needed changes in the Charter. 2. Defining relations of EDA with civil societies and the public. 3. Agreeing on fair and well studied proportional representation of member organizations. The Chairman said that the EDA Charter was revised in a very satisfactory way that the members of today’s EDA-I always advocated. However, little was done with the rest of the other important issues like proportional representation and relation with the civil society. It was clear to see that certain forces within EDA were from the start very reluctant on those subjects. Even the invitation on time of members of civil societies was dragged till the last moment. At the end, the presence of only a few observers at the congress was not to the full satisfaction of ELF-RC and other organizations. Mr. Ammar also said that this was one of the clear failures of the EDA executive office and its chairman who was severely criticized by the central leadership for inaction in different areas and for a totally failed record in its reports presented to the leadership. He further stated that one of the important subjects was the need of electing a leadership that would move the alliance some steps forward and make it look better than it ever was in the eyes of the people. It was believed by many Eritreans outside the leadership that coming out of the congress with the same old leadership would be as sad as ending the congress in a split of EDA into camps. Mr. Ammar explained that the arguments presented by some of EDA-II leaders about election for the leadership of the alliance on the basis of simple majority (or 50+1) were not only “laughable and absurd but also shameful to be repeated by apparently seasoned politicians in the opposition”. The meetings in Kassala were ended after comments and questions presented by meeting participants were fully exhausted. The EDA-I organizations in Eastern Sudan have formed their Action Committees that will be holding joint meetings for their cadres and branch members in various cities and refugee camps. |
