14291: Wharram: Opinion piece in Miami Herald by Irwin Stotzky (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Bryan L. Wharram <bryanwharram@brybiz.com>

OPINION:  Miami Herald
Posted on Thu, Jan. 02, 2003

Haiti's problem isn't Aristide
By IRWIN P. STOTZKY

Over the past few weeks various media reports have indicated that Haiti is in
chaos, that pro-government thugs are terrorizing a population that is largely
opposed to the government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and that he is
on the verge of leaving office because of popular pressure.

The reporting on Haiti has indicated that ''tens of thousands'' of people
demanding that Aristide leave office have gone into the streets while several
hundred Aristide supporters have harassed, threatened and killed those who
oppose the government. Nothing could be further from the truth.

THE REAL NUMBERS

As the chairman of the Presidential Commission on Drug Trafficking in Haiti
and a frequent visitor there, I believe that the reports demonstrate a
fundamental misunderstanding of what is happening in Haiti.

There have not been ''tens of thousands'' of people demonstrating against the
government. Police estimates indicate that there were between 4,000 and 6,000
people who demonstrated against the government in Cap Haitien. The news
reports also failed to acknowledge that as soon as that demonstration ended,
several thousand supporters of the government peacefully demonstrated there.

The reports of student demonstrations against the government failed to
acknowledge that many of the so-called students were not students at all but
were armed thugs who coerced some students to participate. These thugs,
identified with the small minority party Convergence, have fired on personnel
from the Organization of American States who is assisting the government in
developing democratic institutions. The thugs executed Lozama Christophe, a
justice of the peace in Las Cahobas who was a member of Aristide's party, and
attempted to kill police officers.

Aristide's response has been to call for peace, dialogue and calm. In
addition, Aristide moved quickly to meet the legitimate demands of real
students by meeting with the Council of the State University and by accepting
the resignations of the university's temporary rector and the education
minister, who were the focus of the students' ire.

To the vast majority of Haitians, the idea that Aristide's presidency is in
jeopardy of any kind is a joke. Haitians have twice overwhelmingly voted for
Aristide; the first time by 67 percent of the vote, the second by more than 90
percent. In fact, despite efforts to minimize his popularity in the press,
there have been ''tens of thousands'' of Aristide supporters who have
peacefully demonstrated over the past several weeks to show their support for
democracy. Haitians understand that the controversy is not about Aristide but
about creating a democracy. Whether or not everyone is supportive of the
current situation, they recognize that efforts to depose Aristide strike at
the heart of their democracy.

The real problem in Haiti is the international embargo against the country now
entering its fourth year. The U.S.-led financial embargo by the InterAmerican
Development Bank, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund has
created the conditions for social upheaval in Haiti.

The problems in Haiti concern the eight million people living under extremely
difficult conditions due to the embargo. Hundreds of millions of dollars in
aid for health, education, drinkable water and other basic necessities have
been denied the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere despite the fact
that these international agencies were established expressly to alleviate such
poverty.

RELEASE NEEDED FUNDS

Moreover, the refusal by the United States and other donors to provide any
funds at all to Haiti means that the government cannot train the police to
protect the population and cannot fully develop a judicial system that is a
key element for a functioning democracy.

While withholding funds for all of these things, these same countries
criticize Haiti for not doing enough. Perhaps the reasons why the country has
not had a full-scale civil war are Aristide's leadership abilities, his
constant call for dialogue and peace and his stature in the country.

Irwin P. Stotzky is director of the Center for the Study of Human Rights at
the University of Miami School of Law.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/4855710.htm


-- 
Save 21-50% on your store and restaurant purchases!

http://brybiz.grocerybiz.net/homepage/index2.html