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a1177: Re: a1138: Yvon Neptune (fwd)
From: Hyppolite Pierre <hpierre@irsp.org>
On the matter of Yvon Neptune's nationality, it seems to me that everyone
who wrote something about this issue is right to one extent or another. I
will only add this to the debate.
If it is indeed true that Yvon Neptune had at a certain point changed his
nationality to become an American citizen, why then the constitutionalists
on this list did not raise the flag two years ago when Neptune presented his
candidacy as Senator for the West? If some did, why didn't they as
vigorously raise the issue on say, the Corbett List as they do now?
At this stage of the game and because of "Neptune's opponents slowness",
perhaps precedence or perhaps "fait accompli" might take hold as a legal
recourse, in case Neptune were to be legally an American citizen. Having
been first born and raised in Haiti, and having been so involved over the
past few years in Haitian affairs, the matter of his nationality is at best
questionable. He was first a high official in the Lavalas machine, then a
Haitian Senator, even president of the Parliament. Those of you who have
"proof" that Neptune is not legally Haitian, please, tell us why this issue
wasn't raised? Why?
We all must stop raising the constitutionality flag every time it is
convenient for us to do so. If we are going to be principled, let's be so
all the way not just some times, but every time. We must do so from the way
we govern to the way we apply laws.
In any case, unless something really weird happens, Neptune will be
confirmed by Parliament as the new Prime Minister of Haiti. Maybe we should
begin to discuss like Guy Antoine suggested, the matter of his competence,
the composition of his cabinet, and whether or not he will be able to
conduct the State affairs effectively and with the necessary transparency.
Hyppolite Pierre
IRSP
http://www.irsp.org
____________________________________________________________________________
>
> From: KawolinA@aol.com
>
> Yvon Neptune
> A profile by Radio Soleil d'Haiti, Brooklyn, New York
>
>
> Last name: Neptune
> First Name: Yvon
> Date and place of birth: 8 November 1946 in Cavaillon,
> a southern
> hamlet
> located
> near Les Cayes, Haiti.
>
> Matrimonial status: Married, three children.
> Profession: Architectural engineer
>
>
> On March 5, 2002 Prime
> Minister-designate Yvon
> Neptune gave
> up the presidency of the 47th legislature as he is
> getting prepared to
> face
> his confirmation hearing in the next few days.
>
> Neptune attended catholic schools until
> the ninth grade.
> Then
> he was admitted to the Philippe Guerrier Public School
> in Les Cayes for
> grades 10 to 12. After he earned his first
> baccalaureate certificate,
> like
> most students from the provinces, he went to Port au
> Prince, the
> capital
> city for his last year at the secondary level [French:
> philosophie]. He
> ended
> his secondary studies at Lycee Petion to spend a
> preparatory year at
> the
> School of Sciences in Port-au-Prince.
>
> In September 1967, he left Haiti for
> the United
> States where
> he studied architecture for four years. He obtained
> his Bachelor in
> Science
> in 1974.
>
> While, attending school, he joined a
> community-based
> organization
> called "Rally of Young People" which created a very
> positive social
> environment for youths of the Haitian Diaspora in New
> York.
>
> He subsequently entered the world of theatre
> and music when he
> began
> his association with some of the best drama ensembles
> of the Haitian
> community in New York. Among his colleagues were well
> known writers,
> playwrights and actors such as Denise Lallemand,
> Roland Dussec and Otto
> Louis-Jacques.
>
> Some of his stage works included "Le Roi" (The
> King), an
> incisive
> play written by Michel Philippe Lerebours as well as
> the role of
> "Tiresias",
> the oracle in Antigone in the Creole version adapted
> by Haitian great
> Felix
> Morisseau Leroy.
>
> Neptune also became a regular with Kwi d'Or
> (Golden Calabash), a
> cultural group founded by Herve Denis and Syto Cave.
> All these cultural
> activities reflected sociopolitical and nostalgic
> glances at the
> beloved
> homeland, which was being battered by one of the most
> ferocious
> dictatorships
> in the Caribbean. He opted to continue his studies.
>
> From 1974 to 1978, he attended the Superior
> School of Fine Arts
> in
> France to finish his architectural studies.
>
>
> After the overthrow of Duvalier, he entered the
> country with the
> purpose of
> making a contribution to the construction of
> democracy. He took part in
> numerous political activities in Haiti as well as
> abroad still within
> the
> framework of this search for a better life for the
> people. Meanwhile,
> he had
> not yet given up his professional activities.
>
>
>
>
> The Activist Radio Journalist and Commentator:
>
> On the eve of the overthrow of dictatorial
> regime of Jean Claude
> (Baby Doc) Duvalier, Yvon Neptune and his childhood
> friend Joseph Chery
> joined the cast of Perspectives Haitiennes, a radio
> program founded by
> Raynald Louis aired on WNYE (91.5 fm) in New York.
> Four years later,
> Neptune
> became the program director of the weekly show.
> Meanwhile, his segment
> on
> architecture grew into open political commentaries
> with the ascendance
> of
> father Jean-Bertrand Aristide's to reach full fledge
> advocacy in the
> wake of
> the bloody military coup d'état that propelled
> President Aristide into
> exile.
>
> A few days following the 30 September 1991, Yvon
> Neptune made one of
> the
> boldest decisions yet of his life: He stopped all his
> work as an
> independent
> architect to join the thousands of Haitians (and
> non-Haitians) campaign
> to
> return the Haitian president to Haiti.
>
> Neptune was then fulfilling quadruple duties as a
> radio reporter and
> commentator; Every Monday on WBAI (99.5) New York on
> "Sak Pase" hosted
> by
> Michele Karshan: every Tuesday evening on Perspective
> Haitiennes: every
> Saturday on Radio Éclair (1240 am) New York and every
> Saturday and
> Sunday,
> for three years, with Radyo Nèg Mawon, a radio
> collective produced and
> co-hosted by Village Voice journalist Jean Jean-Pierre
> and broadcast on
> short
> wave Radio For Peace International, Costa Rica. On
> that advocacy show
> heard
> around the world in Creole and English, Neptune's
> commentaries used to
> attract listeners from Australia, Japan, Europe to
> Gonaives and
> Carrefour who
> would express their sentiment of approval with tons of
> mail.
>
> In 1993, Neptune became a member of Haiti's Watch, a
> group created by
> Jean
> Jean-Pierre. Haiti's Watch, with its other members
> Jean Leopold
> Dominique,
> André Charlier and Michele Karshan, used to respond to
> all articles
> deemed
> erroneous on Haiti, resulting in engendering several
> corrections by
> some
> major U.S. news outlets, including the New York Times.
>
> As a representative of Haiti's Watch, Neptune appeared
> on CNN, PBS and
> NBC
> capturing the attention of Aristide back in
> Washington. The exiled
> Haitian
> president later invited Neptune to become his
> spokesperson upon his
> return
> in Haiti, a post he introduced in the country for the
> first time.
>
> Neptune returned to New York at the
> end of Aristide
> term in
> office in 1996. By then the political bug had already
> entered his
> system.
> Besides, the plan he drew to help his brothers and
> sisters built a
> better
> tomorrow had not been fulfilled.
> So he went back to Haiti to successfully run for
> the Senate.
> He won overwhelmingly and became the president of
> Haiti's Parliament.
>
> Contrary to press reports, Yvon Neptune has never
> renounced his Haitian
> citizenship. In fact, according to a U.S. State
> Department Passport
> Duty
> Officer contacted by the station, the passport number
> published in some
> Haitian newspapers 035349148 belongs to a US born
> citizen who has long
> passed on.
>
> Yvon Neptune who hates to be pigeonholed, describes
> himself as a
> progressive.
>