By Lieutenant Kidane - Oct 25, 2006
Isaias vs Isaias: the Puritan vs the Lustful
Starting from the field, Isaias always kept a low profile. This was a deliberate and a well-planned means to mystify him and increase his popularity and he capitalized on it to the maximum. He portrayed an image of a puritan and an exemplary and selfless Marxist. It worked marvelously: "Don't you know that Isaias carries sacks of wedi Aker [lentils] with his staff? He is so selfless and workaholic that he eats only once a day but drinks a lot of coffee so that he could work for a minimum of 18-20 hours. Unlike Mugabe and Museveni, he even washes his clothes himself, and carries water from the well and does his chores in the migibina…” The wudasie mariam [excessive praise] of his cronies are endless.
But secrets get out slowly. The fitewrari that were with him were not all of them foolish after all. There were some who were watching all his movements suspiciously and were smart enough not to be tantalized by his affection or their position with the helmsman in Anberbeb. They finally knew that the man was not as they guessed, the Che Guevara of Eritrea, but a second rate revolutionary.
Let us look at the events closely.
While the other members of the Central committee and Politburo were marrying and remarrying, drinking and having fun with their comrades, Isaias did not marry and did not join in late night drinks of dimu dimu [moonshine.] The poor Tegadelti including myself were saying that Isaias will not marry, because "Abey kerkibelu ilkayo miskinay! Bsrah Libu tefi'uwo zelo!" [when will he ever find the time to marry; he is so overworked!]
But around 1984-85 there were leaks about his marriage. People were saying that Tewil has finally married, but unlike the others he married Saba a member of his staff in an almost invisible ceremony. "Aye seb'ai, Beqa neza mesri'e xewi'e abilu, 'Belu lomi ms bxeyti Saba qal kidan ne'aser alena,' iluwom. Hoy hoy yele dewsha yele abalatu tray xewi'u ba'elatom sewa xemiqom be xebhi ades ahlifuwo mera'u" Tebahilu." But secrets can not be kept long and people are not as dull as they seem. The facts as told by eyewitnesses are as follows.
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After his marriage he went to Somalia twice and committed a scandal on both occasions. The woman in Mogadishu was the concubine of a well-to-do Somali, but our helmsman nevertheless wanted to have her. There was disturbance and scuffle until hajji Saleh settled the matter. This action was repeated by our reputed leader in his second leg. This happened circa 1986-87. Therefore, while in Sahel, the difference between Isaias and his colleagues was that they were doing these things openly; he did it secretly at least for the time being. I should add here that there were some who had a clean record.
After the liberation of Eritrea, people began to talk about the social behavior of Eritrean ministers. While the man was, as usual keeping, a low profile and abstaining from public liquor houses, the others were normally mingling with the populace. Of course some of them were going astray and needed some castigation. Anyhow, this was working for the benefit of Isaias because he wants something that he can exploit. These and other questions were asked at the then fashionable Bahti Meskerem, "Rikib Hizbin presidenten."[annual town hall meetings with the president.]
The man answered that it is high time for the government to introduce a code of conduct for senior government officials, ministers etc. But he never did anything of that sort. Because by not doing so, he kills two birds with one stone. First, he will always have the chance to exploit the mistakes of his colleagues (their excesses, if any); secondly, if he introduces a law concerning the code of conduct, it will be difficult for him to be the Gringo of the Expo at a later date. In short he will be accountable to the law.
True to his character, Isaias started to dine and wine after the incarceration of the G15. After 18/09/01, there was no one of significant caliber who could challenge him. Therefore, the all night dances and brawls became common. Isaias practically became the squad leader of the Asmara youth in the nightclubs. Ab leytawi tlhit zerekbuwo Deqi asmera ‘merah mesri'ena’ ybluwo neyrom. [In the nightclubs, the kids used to call him ‘our squad leader.’] Now lets look at some of the samples.
About four years years ago, while Isaias was high and dancing with a certain lady at the Shamrock nightclub, he lost his special (global) mobile phone. The moment he was aware it is not with him, he started roaring like a lion and the security began harassing the clients of Shamrock in a gestapo fashion. Everybody was locked and the searching started. Of course, the people in the hall were afraid that they might either be killed or dragged to the police station. Finally, to the delight of everyone, the set was found in a corner inside the hall. The man was simply drunk and never knew were he put it.
Around the same time he was dancing as a clock at his house, the Shamrock. In the midst of this he saw a gorgeous lady dancing with a man. He wanted to have the lady, which he considered glamorous and probably husband-less. He gave a tip to his security and the dogs began to snarl at the man who was with the lady and overpowered him in no time. The poor lady never knew what happened until she found herself with our great hero Isaias in a room with a bed. She was shocked at his approach and told him, "How can you do such thing to me? Don't you really know that I am the wife of [so and so]!!" He replied that he did not know and let her go her way. The woman was really the wife of an acquaintance of him, though Isaias never cared about friends or comrades in arms.
While he was visiting Europe on organizational or governmental affair, there were the always obedient sycophants and boot-lickers who provided him with choice ladies. This happens on every visit. The hafash widibat deqi anistiyo in Europe were afraid for the life of their (beloved) president and tried to do something to protect him. Since they don't have access to him or his office, one of them was chosen to ring the bell by any means. When this certain lady came to Eritrea, she contacted a general who was her relative and told him the following information. "This is a strictly confidential message of high importance and you should promise that you will transfer it to the concerned authority. Our leader, as any man, can have an affair with any lady he chooses, but he is making love to ladies who are street girls and yet without a condom. We are afraid he could contact the virus. Please try to give him your council, otherwise we will lose him." The woman was speaking earnestly and out of concern for the life of an indispensable and charismatic leader, a Kim IL Sung or a Castro. But unless he was in a hurry to lose his job, the General could never tell him so. But the story was circulated in high circles during late night hours.
There is general information in Asmara that when the man meets ladies he never uses condoms. Another Jacob Zuma. But no one has the power to bring him to justice. Jacob's crime was on sexual matters,... Isaias's crime is something that deserves more than mere capital punishment.
These are some of the examples on the conduct and behavior of our great president which some people glorify and consider like a smaller saint. The message is: He is a drunkard, an impostor and a sexaholic.
To be continued…
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