5967: Re: 5954: Fear Hangs Over Haiti Vote (fwd)- Correction of misleading numbers (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: SYSTEMA SYS <jpp@compa.net>

people love to use munbers to their advantage.

New voters attaining 18 since May 21 numbers approximately 150,000. The
800,000 number is an estimate of these newly eligible voters plus those
estimated not registered for the may 21 elections.  Both these calculations
were made by me. And used to order registration materials for the november
vote.  The CEP, however,  narrowly decided to allow only the newly eligible
voter to register. The materials for the other voters is still at the
warehouse.

Therefore, approximately 80 of those eligible (according to the defined
standard) appeared to have registered, quite a record.

I must add that IFES had originally calculated 4,079,000 people were
eligible to vote in 1999. They had failed to update their own database from
the 1997 elections, leaving approximately 350,000 (2 years of new 18-year
olds). The registration materials had been ordered and paid for by the US
Government for approximately 4,150,000 (film included) By doing so, IFES had
created the seeds for the chaos that happened, people clamoring for the
opening of additional polling places. In light of the chaos and blatant lies
by certain IFES consultants against myself, at the time official consultant
to the Operations Department of the CEP, I had to speak out and denounce
their lies.  It drew me the ire of USAID's director at the time, Phyllis
Forbes, whom 60 minutes uncovered as an incompetent and nepotist liar. Since
she had no competent elections staff at USAID to advise her on elections
matters, the IFES mistakes (many of them) went undiscovered.

I then was interrogated by the US Embassy elections people, whom I have
advised on election matters, officially and unofficially, since 1987. I gave
them the complete details of the mistakes and other proper courses of action
(and had been doing so every month since march 1999). I am a former IFES
project manager, USAID elections coordinator (until July 1998) and democracy
development worker (with ADF). I have also been mis-accused by officials at
the Canadian embassy of having made a ton of money on the elections.  I made
a total of approximately 9,500 US$ from the elections from November 1999 to
August 2000.

Since July 1998, Phyllis Forbes had prevented me from obtaining development
work, blocking appointments by several USAID contrators.  Of course, this is
difficult to prove, although true.  Try living off of 10 % of your regular
salary for more than 2 years.

So although a lot can be said about mistakes and voluntary wrongdoing, it is
also important to try to get the correct facts out. Continuing to put out
misleading numbers that justify whatever slant is being sought does no one
any good.  I have always done whatever I thought was morally right, even
sometime at great cost to myself.

Respectfully,

Jean Paul Poirier