14434: Anonymous Post re: Aristide's real evel of popular support (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

Bob: Please Post Anonymously

http://haitipolicy.inxil.com/page.php?cat=art&articleID=492

A Worker Deserves His Pay
Originally: Haitian protesters demand money promised for staging
pro-Aristide demonstration
Radio Vision 2000, 2003-01-08

Haiti Democracy Project web page item #492 (http://www.haitipolicy.org)



Haitian protesters demand money promised for staging pro-Aristide
demonstration



A worker deserves his salary is what a big crowd of pro-Lavalas people's
organizations [OP] were saying yesterday morning when they were expressing
their frustration in front of the Interior Ministry, the TPTC [Ministry of
Public Works, Transport and Communications] and the house of Sister Anne in
the Delmas area. The OP members went to ask for the money which was promised
them for their participation in the recent demonstrations of support for
[President] Jean-Bertrand Aristide. They spoke as follows:

[Unidentified OP member - recording, in Creole] The interior minister has
told us that a sum of money was deposited for us militants. But now he is
not taking any notice of us. Some of the demonstrators were acting
violently, so the Intervention and Maintenance of Order Company [CIMO] has
been brought in to hit us with their guns and chase us away. Some people
were burning tyres on the street there and the BS [Special Brigade] made the
people remove the burning tyres with their hands. All the state offices are
paying OP members. For example, the Telecommunications of Haiti [Teleco] on
Pont-Morin is paying OP members. But because we did not have time to
register at the Teleco office, they do not want to pay us.

[Unidentified journalist] Do you mean that people have to register before
taking part in demonstrations?

[OP member] Yes, we have to register first. The official papers of our
organization are in there. I do not understand why they are making us walk
backwards and forwards without paying us.

[Second unidentified OP member] If we did not vote for them they would not
be in the government and they would not have a job. And now, they are
treating us without any respect. They told us that they were going to give
us some money. We waited in the courtyard of the palace until 1800 hours
[local time]. But they just ignored us. He [not further specified] called
the National Palace General Security Unit [USGPN] and got them to push us
away.