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7460: Re: 7454: Re: 7438: Haiti violence spreads to provinces (fwd)
From: JAALLEN181@aol.com
I am in agreement with Amy Willentz about the charrade of the parallel
government. From the start I felt that this was not a good idea that
ultimately would serve Aristide.
After seeing firsthand what happened in Port-au-prince this week (
yes
I was there), I feel that Mr. Aristide is now behaving like an opposition
figure, not the president that he is. If he has a legitimate claim
against
Mr. Gourgue, he must resolve this legally and not like a reactionnary.
The
legal system affords the state nearly dictatorial powers, if he is right,
he
must make his case and act on a carefully stated legal argument that all
of
us can understand.
It is customary in Haiti for the opposition to shut Port-au-prince
down to put pressure on the government; this is the first time the
government
or the president decides to hurt the economy, to score political points
(what
a blunder!). Mr. Aristide lost credibility in the crisis. Moral
authority
of a leader is earned and not defined by law; it is only measured by the
way
a politician responds to challenges.
So far, no one in the government has condemned the uprising. Mr.
Aristide responded far too late to the crisis; in fact, this belated and
weak
response allows us to question his role in the development if not
orchestration of the operation ( a qui profite le crime).
Mr. Aristide has managed to turn a mere irritant into a real
political
challenge. This will contribute to embloden the opposition, and only
Aristide's mishandling of the crisis could have acomplished that. Since
most
of the opposition figures have worked closely with Mr. Aristide in the
past,
they must have banked on his limited tactical skills to offer a poor
response
to an idea that might be laughable to any reasonable observer.
In the United States, hurting the economy is not a good idea,
hurting
potential supporters is not a good idea; using all available legal means
at
ones disposal is the responsible way for a true leader deserving of our
respect. In the end, someone will have to tell president Aristide that he
and not Gerard Gourgue is the president of "all the haitians". By not
understanding the true role of a president, he undermines his own
legitimacy.
Joseph A. Allen DDS
Miami, FL