15473: Blanchet: Fw: [haitian-advocacy] Let Haiti Lives Says CBC Special Congressional Session on Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Max Blanchet <MaxBlanchet@worldnet.att.net>
>
>
> "LET HAITI LIVE!"
>
> The following are excerpts from Congressional Black Caucus's Special Order
> on
> Haiti before the House of Representatives on April 30, 2003:
>
> Ms. Barbara LEE (California): ...While our government levies our political
> weight with the international financial institutions and the Organization
of
> American States, Haitians continue to suffer. Further, this delayed
delivery
> of international humanitarian aid to Haiti is fostering instability and
> anarchy in their struggling democracy. Haiti's miserable poverty is
> indisputable. We can no longer bury our heads in the sand on this
> issue....This is just morally unacceptable. Together, we must urge the
> President to do the right thing in Haiti. Jared Johnson, the IDB branch
> director for Haiti, said you cannot run a country through non-governmental
> organizations. What does this mean? It means we cannot continue to funnel
> money into USAID and then blame the government of Haiti for lack of
> resources
> and poor social services.
>
> Our government and the international financial institutions should not
> continue to raise the political bar in order for Haiti to receive basic
> humanitarian assistance. It is unacceptable to simply stand by and watch a
> season of misery inflict pain, suffering and death on human beings right
> here
> in our own neighborhood...We must address this injustice. We must release
> the
> IDB funds to Haiti and direct the international financial institutions to
> reengage and reengage now. It is our moral imperative, and it is our
> commitment.
>
> ...There is no way with these kinds of numbers and this kind of data, this
> kind of human misery and tragedy right next to us, that our efforts should
> be
> about blocking the release of loans that had been negotiated 3 years ago.
> That is outrageous. I do not even understand how we can believe that could
> even be half way right to do.
>
> Mr. MEEK (Florida) ...I know that many of us in this Congress feel very
> strongly about U.S. involvement as it relates to the way of life in Haiti.
> What I can tell you is what this Bush administration has done is it has
> created an atmosphere of conflict.
>
> … we are saying we want Haitians to stay in Haiti, but we are not creating
> an
> environment for Haitians to be in Haiti with a democracy that is
functional
> because it has the resources to be able to work towards providing the kind
> of
> services that Haitians need...If we want Haitians to stay in Haiti, if we
> want to be able to have a strong government in Haiti, if we want to be
able
> to provide drinking water and humanitarian efforts in Haiti, then we
should
> not be standing in front of these dollars.
>
> On the other hand, we should not have unfair immigration policies when
> Haitians are trying to seek political asylum due to the fact that Haiti is
> struggling right now, and we have conflict there, political conflict in
> Haiti.
>
> General Ashcroft, the U.S. Attorney General, put forth a decision just
this
> past week saying that when Haitians are migrating to the United States,
that
> they would be indefinitely detained...I just want to share tonight with my
> colleagues that being on the Committee on Homeland Security, being on the
> Committee on Armed Services, I have not yet heard or seen an FBI report or
a
> CIA report to show any level of or any indication of terrorism in Haiti,
or
> any member of its government that condones terrorism in Haiti, or the
> Haitian
> people in general. …  We should be very careful as a country when we start
> using homeland security against individuals who cannot harm this
government.
> I think it is very important for not only the Attorney General's office to
> hear this, but the Bush administration to hear this, that we cannot do
> nothing on both ends. We must do something on one of the ends, and provide
> aid now for Haiti, humanitarian efforts for Haiti...These are not new
> dollars, the dollars that have already been committed to Haiti.
>
> General Ashcroft's decision did more than stop those dollars that should
> have
> been going to Haiti years ago. He has also put questions in the minds of
the
> humanitarian community that has been doing work there. They may feel Haiti
> is
> a terrorist state, which is not true. It is important that we fight
against
> those forces.
>
> Mr. MEEKS (New York): ...We cannot ignore that our immigration policy
treats
> Haitians differently from other immigrants seeking to escape political
> violence. We cannot ignore that our foreign policy regarding Haiti has
> become
> tied to partisan politics. We cannot ignore that Haiti faces an HIV/AIDS
> epidemic and this administration has played a role in hindering
> international
> economic assistance to Haiti because we cannot come up with a policy
> approach
> that balances the needs of the Haitian people with our requirement that
> assistance be used properly.
>
> So, Mr. Speaker, I stand here today to say that if America can muster the
> political will and mobilize billions of dollars in resources to wage a war
> thousands of miles away from our shores, what about Haiti? When will
America
> mobilize the same kind of resources and political will to wage a war
against
> poverty, against disease, against human suffering right here in our
> hemisphere? If such rights and values are truly universal, Haitians
deserve
> nothing less. We can do more to support the people of Haiti so that they
can
> reclaim their human dignity. We can and we must.
>
> Ms. WATSON (Southern California):  ...I am appalled by the unsubstantiated
> allegations made by the United States Attorney General, John Ashcroft,
with
> respect to Haiti. He claimed that the Pakistanis, the Palestinians, and
> others are using Haiti as a staging point for trying to get into the
United
> States. What a ridiculous statement. I would ask him, has he been there,
Mr.
> Attorney General? If not, he needs to go. He needs to scour every single
> part
> of that island nation. After what he is going to see he will be declaring
> another war, and that is on poverty, on starvation, on the fact that the
> people there have nothing; and we are allowing that to continue in this
> hemisphere.
>
> Even the State Department's consular officers and officials are puzzled by
> his remarks. Jorge Martinez, a spokesman for Ashcroft's office, could not
> immediately say where the Attorney General got the information. Martinez
> then
> directed inquiries to the Department of Homeland Security, and a Homeland
> Security spokeswoman redirected questions right back to Martinez.
>
> Mr. Speaker, according to the State Department, Haiti is not on the United
> States' terrorist watch list. Why is, then, the Justice Department and the
> State Department,
> amending its list?
>
> The current U.S. policy towards Haiti is one that discourages travel
between
> the two countries. There is a de facto embargo on loans and grants from
the
> multilateral development banks. Assistance from the United States
Government
> has been put on hold in order to leverage change in the present political
> structure of the Haitian Government.
>
> …It is time to stop this war on Haiti. External aid is essential to the
> future economic development of this nation. Comparative social and
economic
> indicators show Haiti falling behind other low-income developing countries
> since the 1980s. Mr. Speaker, we cannot let our neighbor continue in this
> downward spiral.
>
> Mr. CUMMINGS (Maryland): ...The people of Haiti are suffering and dying.
> They
> are suffering and dying because of the seemingly sheer indifference to
their
> plight. In just the last week, the United Nations reported that only 46
> percent of Haiti's population has access to clean drinking water, and 56
> percent of the Haitian population suffers from malnutrition in 2003.
> Fifty-six percent of 8.3 million people is 4,648,000 human beings, nearly
as
> many people as the populations of Idaho, Mississippi, and the District of
> Columbia combined.
>
> Mr. Speaker, denying the most basic human needs, such as food and water,
is
> almost the equivalent of a death sentence by a judge or a jury.
> Unfortunately, for several years now the United States Government has made
> this situation worse. Our government, Mr. Speaker, has unfairly and
> unnecessarily linked humanitarian assistance to Haiti with trying to
change
> and to pressure the current government in Haiti to make concessions to the
> opposition party as it relates to domestic politics.
>
> How can we allow over 4 million people in that country to live in utter
> poverty while we play politics? Is not the argument about the suffering of
> the people the same argument that many of my colleagues on the other side
of
> the aisle made as it relates to Iraq? It is imperative that we release the
> humanitarian assistance for the people of Haiti so they may simply just
live
> another day.
>
> Mr. Speaker, last week the United Nations also made a plea that I will
> second
> tonight and I know all the Members of the Congressional Black Caucus would
> second, too. The plea is that the international community immediately make
> funds available to help stem this humanitarian crisis in Haiti. Mr.
Speaker,
> the United States of America is the richest country in the world and must
> answer that plea. We must help our neighbor, and we must help our neighbor
> now.
>
> How will future generations judge our country when the history of our
> relationship with Haiti is written? We know the suffering.
>
> Mrs. CHRISTENSEN (Virgin Islands):
> … our country, the United States of America, has stood in the way of
> allowing
> the people of Haiti to grow, to thrive and to actually allow the democracy
> that we so are so honored to thrive in this country of poor but proud,
> hard-working and spirited people of African decent.
>
> We are here tonight again to say let Haiti live, first, by releasing the
> loans that are needed to build their sanitation, transportation, health
and
> educational infrastructure, and also by fully supporting the OAS mission
> there, whose responsibility it is to ensure the changes that we claim to
> seek
> in their judiciary and their police system and in their electoral
> process...There is no excuse for what this country is doing by holding
back
> these so badly needed funds
>
> Mr. CONYERS (Michigan):  ...Tonight, I also rise with the rest of the
> Congressional Black Caucus to encourage my colleagues in Congress to
support
> the Haitian people as they struggle to rebuild their nation. Not only does
> Haiti play an important role in the world community, but it is also
> strategically significant to the United States; particularly because it is
> located only 410 miles from the nearest U.S. shores…
>
> Although Haiti is located in our backyard, we continue to endorse a policy
> that prevents the return of economic stability and democracy of Haiti.
> Instead of supporting the flow of aid to Haiti in order to resolve the
> political impasse,
> the U.S. has adopted a policy of embargos to punish the Haitian government
> and people. The U.S. government has the power to veto the disbursement of
> loans to Haiti from financial institutions such as the World Bank, IMF,
and
> Inter-American Development Bank. To the detriment of the people of Haiti,
> the
> U.S. government, specifically the Departments of Treasury and State, has
> exercised this authority. For example, the Inter-American Development Bank
> has not released $146 million in aid to Haiti, which was initially
approved
> by the IDB Board of Directors. It is more distressing that in the interim,
> Haiti has been forced to pay arrears payments to maintain its status with
> the
> IDB.
>
> Ms. WATERS (California):  ...The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is
> denying Haiti any access to loans for development assistance. Haiti has
> already had $145.9 million in development loans approved by the IDB. These
> loans include $50 million for rural road development, $22.5 million for
> reorganization of the health sector, $54 million for potable water and
> sanitation and $19.4 million for basic education programs. Haiti could
also
> qualify for an additional $317 million in new loans for development
> projects,
> as well as a $50 million investment sector loan. However, the IDB is
> refusing
> to consider Haiti for any additional loans and has not even disbursed the
> loans that have been approved.
>
> The IDB is effectively denying Haiti access to critical development
> assistance. Furthermore, Haiti is deeply in debt and has also been denied
> the
> opportunity to receive any debt relief for its existing debts. The reasons
> provided by the IDB and the U.S. government concerning the suspension of
> lending and assistance to Haiti shift from day to day. None of the
purported
> explanations provide any justification for withholding this vitally needed
> aid. While the IDB and the Administration dither, the people of Haiti
suffer
> and continue to live in poverty.
>
> On March 5, 2003, I introduced H.R. 1108, the Access to Capital for
Haiti's
> Development Act. This bill would require the United States to use its
voice,
> vote and influence to urge the Inter-American Development Bank to
> immediately
> resume lending to Haiti, disperse all previously approved loans, assist
> Haiti
> with the payment of its existing debts and consider providing Haiti debt
> relief. The Access to Capital for Haiti's Development Act would allow
Haiti
> to build roads and infrastructure and provide basic education and health
> care
> services to the Haitian people. This bill currently has 24 cosponsors. …
>
> Haiti is a deeply impoverished country on an island just off our shores.
We
> cannot provide assistance to countries all over the world while ignoring
the
> needs of people so close to our border. It is time for the United States
and
> the Inter-American Development Bank to resume lending to Haiti and provide
> debt relief and development assistance to this impoverished country.
>
> Ms. JACKSON-LEE (Texas):  The United States government owes Haiti
> substantial
> funds in foreign aid. Substantial loans have been negotiated for the
people
> of Haiti. Some estimates have the loans valued at as much as $146 million
> dollars. The United States government is delaying the disbursement of
these
> funds to advance their political aims. While the U.S. government
stubbornly
> maintains these restrictive policies the people of Haiti are suffering and
> dying.
>
> … it is a disgrace that our Congress stands by while the people of Haiti
> suffer and die. I join my colleagues on the Congressional Black Caucus in
> imploring the U.S. government to let Haiti live.
>
>
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