13097: Simidor posts on Lavalas corruption (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Daniel Simidor <karioka9@mail.arczip.com>


Part of the reason why the Washington Office on Haiti document
(“Where Did the Money Go?”) was posted here is to say: this is how
the money was spent, see, we didn’t steal anything.  The document
is good for what it was originally intended for: to show how the
so-called international donors take back with one hand what they
give or lend with the other.  It is an excellent illustration of
how little those big international assistance programs contribute
to the development of the countries they purport to help.  In
contrast, smaller assistance programs among developing countries
tend to yield better results in terms of sustainable development.
(See Herve Kempf’s article “La coopération Sud-Sud renouvelle le
concept d'aide au développement” in Le Monde of 8/28/02).

The WOH document did not attempt to show how the limited funds
actually spent in Haiti were further eroded by Lavalas ineptitude
and corruption.  One of the ways Lavalas barons and pro-Lavalas
businessmen made their money, back during the 1994-96 period, was
by setting up bogus companies to circumvent the bidding process.
Rumor has it that Lavalas pissed off a lot of “legitimate”
businessmen by underbidding on projects that were then left
unfinished or that quickly fell apart after construction.  I’m
hoping that Mr. Nadal, whose typing skills have improved
dramatically in the last few weeks, will help us put some
substance to those rumors.

This is a timely question, now that Lavalas is once again going to
be flush with money.  Aristide himself had to admit that his
government is fraught with corruption. The problem is either that
he doesn’t know what to do about it, or that he allows it to
happen as a payoff to his most ardent supporters. So how do you
prevent or how do you combat corruption in a case like this?

Lavalas supporters on this list have a moral obligation to
pressure Aristide and his government to do the right thing.  To
begin with, it would help if Mr. Aristide would tell the country
how he intends to spend all that money.  Also, in addition to
setting up his own watchdog group, he ought to welcome other watch
groups, including from the opposition, and groups like
Transparency International which has been critical of his
government’s record.  Ultimately, because corruption is so
entrenched in the practice of government, Haiti needs a national
debate and a national campaign against corruption.  It would help
if the president himself would set the tone with his own behavior.

Daniel Simidor