12049: In response to Pina (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Martine Caze <MCaze@nchr.org>

As an employee of NCHR I can assure you tricky is a word that is not in our
vocabulary nor in our moral code. I can tell you that if liberal lawmakers
in the US are pushing for Bush to accept "claims" of political
persecution, because that is what America was built on. Isn't that how it
all started - people of different religous beliefs landing in America for
hopes to practice what they believe without persecution? For
centuries and centuries, the US has kept to that tradition and adopted it as
a law, that if you are being persecuting in your country and you land in
America we will listen and if your claim is real, we will welcome you in.
Why should the application of the law be any different for the entry of
Haitians?  Does that seem fair to you?  NCHR's mission statement is to work
for fair and equal treatment for Haitians in the US and elsewhere.

As for the so-called liberal lawmakers, I believe they were backing some
kind of return of normalcy to Haiti.  They were supporting Democracy and
Aristide/Lavalas claimed that that is what he intended to do. When you are
desperate to see some kind of stability in a land of madness and a man
dressed as Superman comes and steps up to a plate that was empty for years -
you tend to bite into their story hook, line and sinker. Can you blame them?


Last but not least my response to the unblocking of money is that I
personally agree with a policy in which, if you can't comply with the rules,
we are not giving it to you. It is aid, not an obligation.

However, even if donors do not agree with a political leader and even if
that leader doesn't seem to want to comply with your terms there are still
honest and good organizations that provide free services such as much needed
health care for the poor that rely and should get that money to provide
those services. Maybe what needs to be done is instead of withholding the
money, donors should come up with a system to give out money to specific
reliable organizations or even set up a main foundation center that can take
the loans and aids and distribute it properly for situations such as this.
We need the money to educate, to provide health care to help feed the poor
and to restructure communities. Only then will you see
positive change in Haiti.

The bottom line is, be part of the solution and offer advice with
constructive criticism when you can.