19476: Raber: Re: 19470: Dorce: Re: 19452: Raber: Now that Aristide is gone.... (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: P&M Raber <raber@valkyrie.net>

Dear Kathy,

As an optimist, I had high hopes in 2000 that even though the May elections
were flawed,  Aristide (November 2000 )would rise above it all and become a
successful president.  I was of course under the assumption that he had
learned from his mistakes.  I was also a staunch supporter of the Jubilee
2000 movement to forgive debt to the third world (that would have been under
both Preval and Aristide's governments).   Currently, to even begin to
qualify for debt forgiveness, a country must show that it is managing its
resources wisely.  The outgoing government was more of an upside down
kingdom where the most money was spent on private security, big homes and
big cars for all in the party.   It also refused to solve a simple May 2000
election problem.  This, right after Preval had ruled by decree for a few
years.  I do not obsess about a certain president but am mostly concerned
about Haiti.  As a rational person, I analyze a situation and deduct what is
or is not working.  It was obvious that Aristide's way of governing was not.
A confrontation style does not lead to unification. In the last few days, it
was obvious that he had to go.  It would have been best if he got to finish
his term.  If I had been the Convergence, back in 2000, I would have
abstained from the presidential election and let Lavalas have it all.
Judging by the competency and character of most of the people put in power,
the outcome would still have been amassing of fortunes, looting of the
treasury, with Aristide losing the next election (unless the constitution
got changed or the elections were rigged).  It would have been like putting
a bunch of 6 year olds in charge of a candy store.  I am always ready to
respect the president of any country as long as he puts their country ahead
of self.  I may not agree to the choices a president makes but I am ready to
give him the benefit of the doubt if it appears that he is acting in what he
thinks  is in the best interest of the country.  Fidel Castro would be an
example of this (although I am not in favor of communism).

As far as calling senators and representatives, a mistake many make is to
assume that they don't get listened to because of color, religion, class,
sex, national origin etc...I tend to think otherwise.  If you are different,
you get noticed.   I am never ashamed to ask. If you do things with
confidence and without showing signs of an inferiority complex (even though
you may be trembling inside), things tend to happen. You said in your post
that now that the thorn is gone I will get all the money I want.   There is
nothing in it for me.  I just want Haiti Cherie to start going somewhere
with all of its inhabitants.  She could not even begin to qualify to the
Jubilee 2000 limited edition debt cancellation.  The added advantage today
is that Bush and Co are on a campaign to cancel Iraq's debt while Iraq
actually had resources to speak of..  Haiti has nothing.   All advocates of
Haiti, must use this time to lobby for debt cancellation.  By the way, the
US asked Aristide to because the refugees started taking out to sea in an
election year.   That is all they care about right now.  Bringing the debt
thing up would just be using the Iraq priority issue (where there is oil) to
Haiti's favor.

People with figures and stats can also write letters to the editor to their
local newspapers or "my Turn" to Newsweek about those types of non-partisan
issues.   If anyone has stats about how much Haiti owes and to whom it owes
it, please post.  It would also help to compare that to the Haitian GNP and
annual budget. Is there a web site with that information?

The next government may be Lavals or convergence or who knows what.  It may
turn bad in the end but at first it will be an approved one so let's act
while we are in the headlines.  When you hear people in the provinces of
Haiti wishing Jn Claude Duvalier were back,   they are just saying that they
don't care who is president as long as they can live in peace, feed and
educate their families