13586: Hyppolite Re: Bob Corbett and Gary Pierre-Pierre; a matter of political courage (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Hyppolite Pierre <hpierre@irsp.org>

I think that both Bob and Pierre-Pierre are right in their comments
regarding the Diaspora. Bob is correct that Haiti needs its Diaspora if it
needs to move forward. Pierre-Pierre is correct in his assessment of the
present reality. The issue is, how do you encourage Pierre-Pierre to invest
there by using Bob's argument? That requires first courage.

You cannot govern effectively, especially not Haiti, unless you have the
political courage to do the right thing. Are we, Diaspora, regarded with
resentment? Yes of course. Yet, poor family members will always write us
when they want to say: "Envoie-moi" (send me... money). But it's the role of
government to adopt the right policies so we the Diaspora, are not regarded
solely as remittance people but rather as investors in mostly small but also
large businesses. It's the role of government to adopt the right policies so
that the Diaspora can not only invest, but also offer its talent and
services to a destitute country.

By the end again, it's the same question: does government have courage? They
seem not to. The Haitian government seems to only do the right thing at this
point when absolutely pressed to do so. Finally when they do, they either
come short, or create such perception. Two recent examples.

Why did the government wait until the OAS ask them to disarm civilians when
everyone knew for at least two years that disarmament in Haiti is an
absolute necessity? Well now, the opposition and Civil Society branches are
using that issue very skillfully to delay the electoral process.

Why does the government refuse to let the justice system take its course,
refusing to liberate Prosper Avril when twice this year, judges have asked
that the men be freed? Well, they're probably waiting until the opposition,
the OAS, Roger Noriega and Otto Reich blast them on that issue.

Again, they're not being pro-active. Just do the right thing so you can have
some credibility. No one is saying that Avril was not a rough military
leader. All they're saying is, that the justice system looks more and more
dependent on presidential-good-heart when their independence is questioned
so badly.

So the day when you have a government that understands the enormous
potential that lies in the Diaspora and learn how to use it, I suspect that
Gary Pierre-Pierre himself will invest in Haiti, and perhaps even publish a
French and/or Haitian version of Haitian Times down there.

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