9344: How about this negotiating issue? (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: IRSCP@aol.com

It is looking increasingly likely that Fanmi Lavalas and the Convergence opposition will within the next 3 to 6 months, find a negotiated solution to the political crisis. There are however some lingering issues that we must focus on. These issues are based on the recent past of Haiti and we must debate them, the most important one being the matter of confrontational politics. Let's turn back the clock quickly to try and better prepare the country's future.

After the April 1997 elections, the then OPL majority in Parliament decided to pull the ropes so hard, that not even the budget for the following fiscal years was ever voted for the remainder of the 46th legislature constitutional time in Parliament. At that time despite pleas from mostly Haitians, and American politicians like former Secretary of State Mrs. Madeline Albright, nothing of significance had been decided by the 46th legislature.

Today, the Convergence opposition is in large part comprised of these very same politicians. The language that they're using while out of power has not changed that much. They rarely if ever discuss the very dire and serious issues that Haiti is facing. They rather resort to talking about "a Lavalas dictatorship in the making", while we all know that it is not possible, even if Fanmi Lavalas wanted to. It looks as though they are more focused on acquiring as much power not to work on policy or to push forth their own ideas of administrative policy. Instead, they seem to be mostly interested into crippling the present administration from doing anything of significance.
My goal here is not to add fuel to the fire, or to tarnish the oppsition. It is rather to alert those interested in a better future for Haiti, so we can all think of ways to prevent such blunder to reoccur. This power-sharing agreement has the potential to do much good for Haiti, as it may ensure more confidence in a new, increasingly democratic Haiti. However, we must ask the interested parties in these negotiations to think hard about this potential danger. Will the Convergence opposition, once settled into the strictures of power in Haiti, be willing to work with the present government, or will they instead try one more time, to work as a roadblock against any significant progress for the Haitian people because of their personal hatred for Aristide? Can the Haitian Government find a way to convince the OAS and the so-called "group of friends of Haiti", to include a caveat in the final agreement, that compells the concerned parties to learn to resolve their conflict through reason, rather than by imposing 
more hurt and economic malaise to the country? 

These are some very serious questions that I have, which frighten me when thinking about Haiti and the way things are going. However fair to both parties the final agreement may be, if in the final analysis, both parties don't or can't learn to deal with each other more rationally and more carefully, there is no reason to believe that these negotiations will bring about the peace that we are all longing for. For such scenario would only one more time add strength to Jean Poincy's argument for "enlightened dictatorship" in Haiti.

Hyppolite Pierre
IRSP
http://www.irsp.org