6849: Re: "civil society" (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Bryant <gregandsusan@rainbowtel.net>

Civil discourse certainly is a good idea. But it's ironic that the group
calling itself the "Civil Society Initiative" and describing itself as
"people of unquestionable integrity, impartiality, objectivity," which they
suppose entitles them to the "first five" of the seven seats on their
proposed Facilitation Commission, nevertheless peppers their declaration
with deliberately biased statements like these:

"As for the November 26th elections, many observers reported a turn about
of no more than 10%." (How many? Most observers, including the independent
ones, reported 60% plus participation.)

"...it can be stated that the party in power, Fanmi Lavalas, has caused
serious harm and damages first to the Haitian citizens..." (This seems to
be the gist of their declaration of "facts." Damage to the Haitian people
by the predecessors of FM is given only a glancing reference in the
introduction.)

"Despite some convulsive movements, the democratic process has begun since
1990. At times, it has been chaotic, but corrections have always followed."
(The reader wonders which events the writers consider "chaos" and which
"corrections.")

The "impartial" group presenting itself here as the champion of democratic
dialog proposes to make a seven-member council composed of five appointed
by them, one by the Democratic Convergence (for whom the CSI appears to be
a front organization), and one from Fanmi Lavalas. That looks to me like 6
against 1.

Greg Bryant