a1162: Re: a1158: Antoine responds to Louissaint (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Guy Antoine <GuyAntoine@gajma.com>

Mr. Louissaint,

If Yvon Neptune is an American citizen, then he is not qualified to be a Senator
either, let alone the President of the Senate.  This is a given.  However, this is
a technical matter that has to be resolved by the proper administrative or judicial
authorities in Haiti.  I simply do not feel that it is a good exercise of our time to
speculate on Mr. Neptune's citizenship.  It's a simple matter of whether he is or
he is not.  No sort of debate on the Corbett list is going to influence that.  To me,
if he is proven to hold an American passport, the real issue would be how he
slipped through the process the first time around and up to this day.  However,
I am not calling for this type of speculation either at this point in time.

Encourage, if you will, the proper authorities to do their job, but let us debate
the more substantive issues related to the nomination of Mr. Neptune.  I don't
think we need to be procedural, that is we will not debate whether he is the
right man for the job until his Haitian citizenship has been proven beyond a
reasonable doubt.  I personally choose to think of Yvon Neptune as Haitian.
When they tell me otherwise, then so be it.  Someone else will have to be
designated, and he probably would, in those circumstances, have to resign
from the Senate as well.

Yes, sir, you are right on all those counts.  But is this issue the crucial point
for the orientation of our democracy today?  Is it the crucial point for the
economic development of Haiti?  What should we do on the Corbett list,
think of theoretical solutions for Haiti or set ourselves as the arbiters of Haitian
Constitutional Law?

If you go back to my note, you will realize that my purpose was to call
attention to the more substantive issues surrounding the nomination of
Yvon Neptune, and not the circus show.

Regards,
Guy S. Antoine
Editor-Webmaster
www.haiti2004.com
www.windowsonhaiti.com