#2325: Voters' Registration & Participation in March Elections (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Max Blanchet <MaxBlanchet@worldnet.att.net>

Shortly before registration started, I ventured

the prediction that given half a chance, Haitians

would go in a big way for the free ID card.

In my perspective, this would be a way for Haitians

of affirming their sense of citizenship, of belonging.

"Al pran kat" has always been an important thing

with Haitians. Most people abstain from doing so

because of the relatively high cost of the regular ID

issued by the Contribution. Only about 600,000 Haitians

have those.

And I raised the question as to whether this means

that people would vote, given the fiasco of the April

97 elections. The jury is still out on that one!

Though, if one is to believe the results of the survey

by ECOSOF -- questioned by some because ECOSOF

sat on them for so long -- people will also vote in large

numbers.

As for voting for "kandida kolangèt maman w"

expressed by some queried by Nina, I think it

expresses these potential voters' contempt for the

candidates and the process. I believe that is how

Nina -- who speaks kreyòl very well -- interpreted

their response and I believe she is correct.

But let us wait and see how people will actually vote!

P.S.  "kolangèt maman w" said to someone is a grave

insult. It refers to that someone's mother's most intimate

part. It therefore implies that she is a slut and that

therefore the target of the insult is the son or daughter

of a bitch!