18384: White: Excerpts from President Aristide at Cite Soleil on February 7, 2004 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Randall White <raw@haitiaction.org>

Excerpts from President Aristide at Cite Soleil
on February 7, 2004 for inauguration of park (see
images of that day in IMAGE section below)

That's why we are happy to learn that Gonaïves'
population is not alone, the Police is there with
them to free them from the terrorists who set
fire.That work has started and it will continue.
That is why the people voted for us so we can
give peace. Peace doesn't work with terrorists.
Peace works with democracy.

Peace works with Opposition. There is a big
difference between political opposition which we
respect, and terrorist opposition which we must
bring under control so no blood is shed, so that
they don't put the country into mourning again.

Is the message clear? Yes! Respect for political
opposition! But if it is terrorist opposition,
the Police, together with the Justice, must bring
it under control so that police stations are not
set on fire, so that they don't burn poor
people's homes, so that they don't burn people's
homes, so that everyone can live in calm, so that
they don't live in worry.

Is the message clear? Yes! Are people in Cité
Soleil civilized people? Yes! Yes! Here is
another beautiful example given by people in Cité
Soleil which is a beautiful lesson. At the end of
the year, when there were problems in Cité
Soleil, Father Volel came into the National
Palace with Cité Soleil's children. I sat down
with Father Volel and with Cité Soleil's
children, we had a beautiful meeting. There are
people who don't respect other people, they don't
think Cité Soleil's children are civilized. But
us, we know that Cité Soleil's children are good
civilized Haitians. And that is why we were
confident that this meeting would be good.We had
a second meeting. After the second meeting, we
saw on television how Cité Soleil's sons and Cité
Soleil's daughters who had problems between them
worked together, they made a press conference,
they made peace. And it is that peace that came
into Cité Soleil that allowed engineers to
continue that beautiful work to give us this
beautiful public park. Once again, thank you for
Cité Soleil! Thank you in advance for all other
expressions of peace, of understanding that you
will give. Tell Cité Soleil thank you for me once
again please. Tell them thank you again for me!
At the end of the year, if it had been
dictatorship, when they saw the problems between
Cité Soleil's children, what would they have
done? What would they have done? They would have
sent people to kill them.

Democracy doesn't work with violence. Democracy
works with understanding! Democracy works with
respect. Democracy work with peace! In that same
sense, I ask, I ask and I demand that every time
in a popular neighborhood, whether it is Cité
Soleil, whether it is La Saline, whether it is
another popular neighborhood, every time there is
problem, teeth and tongue sometimes bite, do not
let outsiders put gas on the fire to stir the
fire, but rather put water to stop the fire so
that we can work together to make peace shine
like it has shone in Cité Soleil.

A Cité Soleil's child spoke a truth on the radio,
and I won't feel good if I don't speak that truth
today. Here it is.The Cité Soleil's child said:
"When we have problems between us in Cité Soleil,
right away there are opposition journalists who
come to stir the fire. But when we make peace, we
don't see them." That shows Cité Soleil's
people's intelligence. That shows how there are
many great brains in Cité Soleil, great
intelligent brains. That is why I ask, in the
name of Cité Soleil, for the press who always
speak the truth to continue to come to see the
beautiful work that is done in Cité Soleil, to
say it and to encourage peace without giving
lies, without putting gas on fire.

The second truth, I learned it from Cité Soleil's
children, Cité Soleil's children whom I sat with.
Here is a truth Cité Soleil's children taught me
when I asked them what was the difference between
1804 and 2004? One of them told me he will tell
me everything they think, starting with a
reflection they make sometimes in the Cité. He
said: "When we, in the Cité, think about 1804,
about 2004, sometimes we are happy, sometimes we
are sad. Why are we sad? Because we know there
are people who despise us. There are people who
don't think we are people. There are people who
don't respect us, there are people who think that
because we are poor, we are not people like all
people. And that is why they take 1804, they take
the zero away in 1804, and that leaves 184, as if
the people is equal to zero.

In the mouth of Cité Soleil's children, I hear
great reflections like that. That shows that Cité
Soleil's people think a lot. I think that if Cité
Soleil's children think that in 1804, they take
away the zero to keep 184, because they consider
that Cité Soleil's people are poor like zeros. It
is a mistake, they will have good understanding,
good sense so they can pull themselves together
again, to show through their words, through their
actions, that this is not what was really in
their heads.

And in this sense, I encourage the 184, and the
Opposition in political parties, and people in
Lavalas, and people in the Government, and poor
people, and rich people, and Haitians living in
the country, and Haitians living abroad, so that
we all dialogue, so that we all share respect, so
that we all share understanding, to make the
country progress, for all the country's children
to be able to go to school one day, for all the
country's children to be able to eat until their
stomachs hurt, for all the country's children to
have houses, to have medication when they are
sick, to find good hospitals, to find good roads.

And it is full security we give today and we'll
continue to give, to have security throughout the
country. And then, Cité Soleil's children will be
happy because they will see a total change in the
entire country. That is the message you taught me
when I sat to talk with you, and in your name, I
share it with the entire nation.ŠWe will end with
that gesture, to say that all mothers are
mothers, all children are children, all Haitians
are Haitians.

On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of
Independence, we renew our will to be as one,
TOGETHER WE STAND, so that one's pain becomes our
worry, so that we never leave one person
suffering without trying to help him or her.
Whether it is our brother in the 184, whether it
is our brother in the Opposition political party,
their pain is my pain, their suffering is my
suffering, whether it is Lavalas, whether it is
rich, whether it is poor, whether it is peasants,
whether it is people living in the provinces or
in the cities, one's pain is all of our's worry.

We will walk forward together for Haiti to make
progress as TOGETHER WE STAND, in solidarity
between all Haitians without distinction. That
path is the path of peace, that path is the path
of progress, that path is the path of security so
that we can organize good elections further
ahead, for people to respect the result of the
vote in the elections that are coming.

Thank you in advance once again for the
elections. Hats off for all political parties who
are working to organize elections, compliments in
advance for the people who will vote in the
elections. And meanwhile, we will make beautiful
roads, we'll do good work to organize beautiful
elections so that we have a good democracy
working strong!

Magistrates, deputies, senators, Azec, Casec, all
elected ones, you will be servants, just like the
President, the Prime Minister, ministers in the
new Government, or in this Government, we all are
servants there to serve Cité Soleil's people,
poor like rich everywhere in the country. There
is the message! There is the message! There is
the message of peace! Hold on tight, don't give
up! Strong! Strong! Strong! Strong! Strong!
Strong! Strong! Strong! Strong!

5. IMAGES

To see photos from the February 7th
pro-government rallies and march, click on the
link below. Any press who would like copies of
these, please contact mkarshan@aol.com   These
photos were NOT taken by me so please do not
credit me.  When the page opens, click on the
orange button to view the slideshow
<http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b3454cd4847d>http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b3454cd4847d

Huge crowds demonstrate their support for their
government while former soldiers and others
terrorize the city of Gonaïves. More photographs
taken on February 7th:
http://www.maehaitiinfo.org/alb7fec04.html

At
http://www.haitiaction.net/Media/PhotoG/PaP/index.htm
there's a gallery of images showing the massive
pro- Aristide march on February 7, 2004