14032: Arthur wants to know what the Convergence has to offer. (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Tttnhm@aol.com

Charles Arthur writes:

Apart from wanting to re-establish the Army, and apart from not recognising
the results of the May 2000 general elections (although the OAS election
observation mission only had a problem with the calculation of the 18 Senate
seat results), does anyone know what programme, policies, or plans, that the
Democratic Convergence have?

I know that these things take time to develop, but it is two and half years
since the Convergence came into being, and we have yet to hear anything of
any substance - apart from a call for the return of the Army.

Is this really the only thing that the Convergence has to offer?

I would like to know. Maybe eight million Haitians would like to know too.

This is a serious question.

What is the Convergence proposing in the way of political policies?

Surely if it wants to be the government, then it should have some?

How does it intend to deal with the economy? Does it plan an agrarian reform?
Does it intend to continue with the Hispaniola Fund free zones along the
border? Will it privatise the remaining state-owned enterprises? Will it
raise the minimum wage? How will it increase tax revenue? What is its
approach to the development of tourism? How will it improve educational
standards? Will it enforce existing labour legislation? How will it help
entrepreneurs in the informal sector? Will it is subsidide small-scale
peasant farmers? How will it pay for a literacy campaign? What about
reforestation? What about healthcare?

All those aspiring politicians - how come they haven't found the time to come
up with some ideas?

The longer this lack of policies goes on, the more I dwell on these lines
from the 7 April 2001 issue of Haiti en Marche:

- And it is a member of the Democratic Convergence who confessed to a Miami
Herald correspondent that there is only one link that holds the coalition
together, and that's a hatred of Aristide. "Ninety-five percent of the
coalition's energy," he said, to be preceise, "is consumed in the hatred of
Aristide." -

- Et c'est un membre de la Convergence Démocratique qui avouait au
correspondant du Miami Herald que le seul lien qui tient en place cette
coalition, c'est la haine d'Aristide. "Quatre vingt quinze pour cent (95%) de
l'énergie de la coalition, disait-il plus exactement, se consume dans la
haine d'Aristide." -



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