12886: Re: 12871: Re: 12817: Re: 12816: Re: Lavalas and corruption; Simidor responds to Pierre (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Hyppolite Pierre <hpierre@irsp.org>

> From: Lois E Wilcken <makandal-ny@juno.com>
>
> I'm troubled by the notion that corruption is a component of Haitian
> "culture," and I'd like to respond to it.
>
> "Culture" is an anthropological term for the particular knowledge and
> world-view of a people that distinguishes them from others.

Then you digress to other things to clarify your point.

I am aware of the definition of culture, or civilization, as you exprsses it
here. What I am writing about here is the specificity of our political
culture. Perhaps you remember in the early '90's when the current Haitian
presdient told the poor that, if they offer you food, take it and feed
yourself and your family; but vote your conscience.

Culture is a human response to outside forces. It's a means of survival of
the human race, to deal with the reality of nature, or of what has been
imposed upon them.

Having written this,  we should therefore consider that when in a society
like where I am from, the political class develops certain oftentimes
sophisticated mechanisms to syphon off money that they collect for work that
they should be doing for society; when one government after the next goes on
with that kind of politics, whatever prior promises that they made, then the
corruption cycle becomes part of the overall political culture of the
country.

When political forces in society use the poor and disinherited to make a
political statement, regardless of whether the poor believes in such
practices, then you begin as well to corrupt these very people.

As I think I wrote before, it is quite difficult, especially in a country
like mine, to not corrupt people when there is such an abundance of labor
force, and so very few jobs.

It is granted that most people would rather work an honest. But my writing
here is about the political culture of Haiti, that makes it possible to
corrupt not just one or a few, but quite many from all social and economic
strata.

I hope that answers your question.

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