Opportunity: favorable time or chance (for something, of doing something, to do something)
Opportunist: person who acts on opportunism principle; person who is more anxious to gain an advantage for himself than to consider whether he is trying to get it fairly.
Here it is not going to be hair split or separating blood and flesh. It seems clear from the above definition that an opportunist uses the opportunity at hand. But look closely at the phrase which says to gain an advantage for himself than to consider whether he is trying to get it fairly. It is the lack of fairness with an opportunist that makes it ugly. An opportunist destroys the balance of nature, creates confusion and destabilizes harmonic living of people.
What is meant Eritrea to be land of opportunity? The sons and daughters of Eritrea had been long time denied to enjoy citizens of a nation deserves to have. Successive opportunist colonizers deprived the Eritrean people the right to exercise their freedom. The strategic interest of the colonizers bewildered the fate of the Eritrean peoples lives to gloom and doom. It was one sided selfish interest overcomes the basic right of living of the citizens. It was not fair at all. It was opportunistic. Finally, the Eritrean peoples relentless struggle to freedom and justice winner over the evil opportunistic mission of the colonizers. Now, it is time for the Eritrean people to enjoy the freedom it deserves. The freedom of creation, the freedom of production and the freedom of living a life. The opportunity to enjoy share of the product of the land fairly. An opportunity of equal education, the jobs to be open fairly to all, the appointment according to ability and opportunity for security and well being. The opportunity of the basic humane rights. Eritrea is going to be the land of opportunity thanks to its heroic sons and daughters inside Eritrea and in Diaspora. The above mentioned opportunity is not an illusion it is fact. We won the opportunity we have now at hand. It is our unity in diversity that able us to triumph on this foreseen opportunity. We have to keep this fundamental and basic source of our success and that is our unity. As long as we are united the future is at our hand.
Now lets look at the fate of the opportunists. There are going to be all the time opportunists here and there. It is difficult to find perfection. The problem is not of having opportunists. The problem is how to accommodate and handle with opportunists. Allow me to be rude for the time being to mention some names just to explain the dilemma creates on handling opportunists. Professor Tesfatsion Medhane and Dr. FessehaTzion Menghistu can be mentioned as individuals and some groups who are giving decorative names to their organization collectively. They don't share equally the suffering and pain the Eritrean people is having due to successive aggression by colonizers. They want to be leaders without sharing fairly with the Eritrean people. They see the opportunity to come to power by allaying themselves with whom it seems them is strong enough to crush Eritreans. For example Professor Tesfatzion Medhane, he did it during Derg's era. What it surprised me most of this fellow is he condemned the present regime of Ethiopia during the Derg's time. It is open, he wrote a book about it. Now the condemned became to power he started to praise them. This is pure selfish, unfair and opportunistic stand. One can conclude, Professor Tesfatzions stand is unstable. By the way it is appropriate this time to mention he received scholarship for his Ph.D. because he wrote praising Soviet Union for its support to Derg. The other opportunistic group are now what they call themselves democratic movements in North America. I am really astonished when I read their declaration. Some times they seem to me they are immature. If you look at their manifesto you find a foolish statement about UN recognition of the contested area between Ethiopia and Eritrea. They prejudged before hand. What we know this time is the contested area to be observed by UNMEE. The issue to be settled by demarcation. Apart from this UN didn't recognized who owns what in the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. after I read their manifesto I was surprised to what an opportunist can do a damage to a nation.
Finally, Eritrea has to be a land of opportunity. Citizens of Eritrea should enjoy the right every human being deserves to enjoy. Opportunists should be accommodated and handled fairly least they to learn fairness. Above all our unity and respect to each other are the bridge to help us cross the difficulties we are facing now.
God bless Eritrea.
Tesfamicael Yohannes
Oslo, Norway