12726: Pina replies to Hudicourt (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: kevin pina <kpinbox@hotmail.com>


Dear Mr. Hudicourt,

I am not beyond being critical of corruption or incompetence but I think it
is highly unfair to paint with such broad-brush strokes.

I myself have asked the question why EDH was able to provide such continuous
service during the World Cup Games only to fall into a worse state shortly
thereafter. The answer for me is not as simple as the Haitian government
showing a scornful disrespect for the Haitian population and punishing them.

There are many factors involved and the most pertinent, in my
investigations, has to do with rather large financial interests in the
private sector with an interest in paying for graft and corruption in an
effort to sabotage the delivery of electricity. Ask yourself, who has the
most to gain from blackouts and in what manner might they benefit? Certainly
not the government as it leaves them open to criticism such as yours and
further adds to a greater sense of instability that plainly does not serve
their interests. Have you ever asked yourself how much extra gasoline is
sold during periods of blackout to keep private generators for homes and
businesses operating? I think it is safe to say that it accounts for
millions of dollars in extra revenues. As many people before me have said,
follow the money.

Now, compound this by the fact that the Haitian government has been cash
strapped by the economic embargo and severely limited in its ability to
purchase fuel and unable to acquire the necessary equipment to bring the
Peligre hydroelectric facility into full operation. I think it is safe to
say that there exists a situation far more complicated than simply stating
that Haitian government is purposely punishing its own people on behalf of
its own interests. Again, I do not see the logic of such an argument.

Secondly, remember that the Blue and White buses are largely old American
made Bluebird buses built by GMC. While they are well built and difficult to
break, after intense use on Haiti's streets and roads they have their
limits. To service a fleet as large as Port au Prince's requires hundreds of
hours of servicing and hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra parts,
equipment and labor. Purchasing and importing the parts is difficult, costly
and a logistical challenge by any standard, especially given the effects of
the embargo. I must agree, however, that forcing the majority to use the
traditional small Tap Taps does not benefit the population and by extension
the image of the government. To leap from this to an argument that the
government is doing so purposely to harm its own constituency simply makes
no logical sense to me. There is simply no logic to the argument that it is
in the interests of the government to dismantle its own public
transportation system. It does not serve their interests in the short or
long run.

Finally, I think there is another argument behind your broad-brush strokes
that remains unspoken. From my perspective, given the situation as it is, it
is a miracle that the government has been able to do so much with so little
for so long. It is also a testimony to the resiliency and resistance of the
Haitian poor majority that they remain conscious of the true causes of
deterioration in Haiti today. Namely, that they are being punished for their
democratic choices by not accepting the dictates of Washington to put into
power a small click of garage political parties financed by USAID and the
International Republic Institute. Most I have spoken to see it this way and,
as I stated before, I cannot find logic in the argument that debilitating
its own public services benefits the interests of this government in way
shape or form.


_________________________________________________________________
MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:
http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx