17809: (Hermantin) Sun-Sentinel-letter to the Editor-Urge Aristide to step down (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Urge Aristide to step down

Gerald Oriol Jr.
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Posted January 7 2004



The United States, the Organization of American States, the United Nations
and the rest of the international community should re-evaluate the situation
in Haiti and take a common stand for democracy and compel Jean-Bertrand
Aristide to step down from the presidency.

Aristide is not the little priest who came to power to bring democracy and
prosperity to Haiti and its population of 8 million inhabitants. Aristide is
a corrupt and complex individual who was smart enough to manipulate a lot of
people with good intentions and I fear that many people still live in the
myth of Aristide "the savior," especially bureaucrats and decision makers
who are witnessing the crisis in Haiti from abroad.

Aristide is a demagogue. He is always ready to make reforms and concessions
but only in his political speeches. Aristide is corrupt. He has enriched
himself and his surroundings with sources that are known to be illegal. He
has recruited young, poor individuals from ghettos (some of them barely 12
years old) and instead of educating them like he is proclaiming in his
literacy program, he is urging them to be violent. He has developed a
militia, infamously known as chimere, to go out to execute his malicious
orders.

On Dec. 5, Aristide even allowed the chimeres to forcefully enter the state
university and harass the students who were peacefully gathered to demand
his resignation. Many students were stoned or beaten with sticks. University
Rector Jean-Marie Pacquiot was beaten with iron bars. Both of his legs were
broken.

I take the pen today to tell the international community that Aristide has
chosen to take the path of a dictator. I take the pen today to tell the
world that we, the students, the civil society and the majority of the
Haitian population from all walks of life take a common stand in demanding
Aristide step down and are united, once and for all, to build a nation where
liberty, equality and fraternity exist. I take the pen today to ask the
international community to take a common stand for democracy and compel
Aristide to step down from the presidency in Haiti.

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