#4987: Re: #4977: Comments on the St Louis Haitians letter to the OAS (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Jepiem@aol.com

The group calling itself "Combite Resistance des Amis et Patriotes Haitiens 
de St Louis" has taken the OAS to task for its position regarding what are 
being called the irregularities associated with the Mai elections in Haiti. 
They were quick to assign responsibility for those "irregularities" to "lack 
of logistical support" whatever that may mean. Who was supposed to provide 
that logistical support. Various reports from the fields have expressed the 
concerns of people engaged in Haiti about the massive fraud which began with 
stuffing of ballot boxes, stealing of ballot boxes before they were counted, 
intimidation of non aligned candidates before and after the elections etc.... 
To attack the OAS and remain silent about the plight of those in Haiti who 
felt they were cheated in the process to me is like kicking kicking the dog 
on your way out because you couldn't stand the argument inside. We are 
witnessing in Haiti something similar to what happened in Haiti in 1957, with 
Duvalier an obviously popular and possibly eventual winner of the election 
marring the whole electoral process with fraud in order to ensure his 
victory. We all know what happened afterwards. The similarities today are 
quite freightening. If there are voices being raised to remind those in power 
that the country and its people shouldn't be taken for granted, the best we 
in the diaspora can do if we don't feel convinced enough of the validity of 
their protests or if we can't go join one side or the other is to remain 
silent and wait to see how the battle unfolds. I have been to Haiti often 
enough to know that the established power is entrenched enough to be able to 
defend itself against accusations from the OAS or any other group. Witness 
the assassinations, the intimidation groups operating in th country and the 
lawlessness which forces a large segment of the population to flee everyday 
or to live under constant fear. Doesn't that remind anyone of the years past? 
One can only wonder why the people of Haiti got rid of the Duvalier regime in 
the first place, for to replace one form of tyranny with another to me is 
none better.