#1974L Re: #1958: Re: #1945: Why is Investment in Haiti so Unattractive? Delatour comments (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Mario L. Delatour <mardel@gol.com>


Nancy Laleau wrote...
 
<< Come on, Merrill -- you know why investment in Haiti is unattractive. 
Trying 
 to get ANYTHING done in Haiti is unattractive!  Even if you have your own 
 car, the trip across town can still take over an hour, and if you are
relying 
 on public transportation, getting from Bois Verna to Delmas and back can
take 
 the better part of the entire day... I know it from experience.  If you
have 
 no phone, you're in bad shape.  If you do have one, you're not in much
better 
 shape.  Same thing with electricity... in other words, NO
INFRASTRUCTURE.>>  

Dont despair Nancy, the cavalry is on it's way.As we speak the boulevard
Haile Selassie is being widened into a 4 lane highway.Haile Selassie the
old airport road built by Papa Doc in 1965 to inaugurate the
airport.Remember the old carnival song "Min Jet la" (Here comes the jet) In
those days prior to the Ethiopian monarch's visit to Haiti,the population
was told "Haile ce l'acier" (Haile is steel) "Duvalier ce fer" (Duvalier is
iron).The new airport road will fork off at l'Imprimerie des Antilles.One
section will go down to the old Bowen field (old airport),in fact the old
airstrip will be incorporated in the new road.You will be able to drive
that old Honda of yours traffic free, all the way down to Grand Rue, where
the "mega traffic" starts.The other section will follow the old road to the
notoriously infamous Delmas/Aeoroprt intersection.At that point you will be
spared the trauma of the old "Embouteillage"(Bottleneck) because Haiti will
inaugurate its first overpass,smack over Sogebank on to Martin Luther King
boulevard.The first phase of the project will stop with the overpass.The
second phase is to enlarge MLK  all the way to Bois Vernas.Maybe Richard
Morse can bring us up to speed on the construction."Say Richard is this all
BS or is work being done on Haile Selassie.Whats the deal?Please dont
dissapoint me and tell me Berhman Motors is still covered with dust."
As far as the phones are concerned everybody gave up on Teleco because
there is a new kid in town.A few kids in fact,HAITEL,COMCEL......Cellular
phones guys! Whenever you see a Haitian nowdays he looks like a gun
slinger.On one side the new cellular phone,on the other side the radio
phone,under his shirt the necessary 9mm.So it is a bit like the FAR WEST
after all.
As far Electricite d'Haiti is concerned: well,"Bougie"(candle)
inverters,solar panels & generators 
are "de rigueur" (a must).
Once we fix EDH with a nuclear central plant courtesy of Japan, we will be
ready for you "Gringos".Come on down and see us where your friends are,
because we need your money& we want your money.

One thing though: after reading Max Blanchet's latest post, you may have to
spend sometime at your local firing range.

Mario L. Delatour
Tokyo