#4042: Miami Herald FWD - Editorial by Olivier Nadal: A comment

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Alix Cantave <alix.cantave@umb.edu>


I truly want to commend Olivier Nadal for taking the time to write an 
op-ed piece
in the Miami Herald to express his concern about Haiti's situation. 
However, he
misses the point.The calamity of the Haitian opposition is summarized in a
statement by Evans Paul ( leader of Espace) in recent interview about the 
death of
his 88 year-old mother. He claimed that "Jean-Bertrand Aristide is 
responsible for
his mother's death". This statement characterized the level of the opposition
during the past four years. The opposition has no other discourse and has
articulated no other other issues other than its opposition to one 
personality--
Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Basically, its strategy has been to forge 
consensus on
that one issue. Do we, Haitians and friends of Haiti, truly believe that the
opposition had made a case deserving of population's vote? In thinking 
about this
issue, we must keep in mind the social, political, and historical divides 
that
have polarized Haitian society for nearly two centuries. If the 
opposition wants
to play a leadership role, it must articulate its vision for Haiti, how 
it intends
to get the country out of the morass it has found itself during the past 
14 years,
know when to concede and allow the wining party to govern. Generally, it 
must move
away from the strategy of character assassination and focus on issues and be
prepared to challenge to governing regime publicly on its record and
accomplishments or lack thereof. WE MUST MOVE ON. If the governing regime
represses such opposition, then we'll have a different problem to deal with.