19611: Raber: Re: 19545: Hyppolite Pierre: Now that Aristide is gone (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

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

Is seems that Haiti now has a cocktail of former
military/macoutes/Chimere/Zinglindo/Fraph all hoping to participate in the
new country.

Has anybody followed closely the Truth and reconciliation commission in
South Africa?  I am not familiar with how things went but  I guess that
since nobody had their hands clean, they decided to hold tribunals to find
out the truth about what exactly happened with no convictions.  They were
putting Truth and peacemaking above revenge and punishment (an eye for an
eye makes everyone blind).

I am sure that there are some devoted Haitian military families  in Haiti
who never accepted the dismantling of the army.  The army, like the clergy
used to be one of those rare institutions in Haiti where all  social classes
participated.  Many Chimeres just need an honest job. Some others may thrive
under a firm line of authority like what is found in the military. Of course
there are probably some serious criminals and drug lords in the mix.  The US
may be able to identify some of them since they sent them back to Haiti from
the States.  Others are well known by Haitians.

I am not suggesting that this is what should be done in Haiti but am looking
to hear other people's input on this delicate situation.  I have seen my
share of lynching by rocks, machetes, and guns and thought that the country
would have much to learn through peaceful reconciliation.

There is also a need for social reconciliation.  Many from the middle and
upper class have left the country. During the Lavalas years, they were under
financial hardship and yet remained targets of the "take what should be
yours" propaganda.  In the cities mostly, hatred and suspicion between the
classes is rampant.  The courtesy and hospitality still found in the
countryside has disappeared in the city in the last 20 years.  It does not
take much for one group to label the other and this tend to result in the
"Coupe tet Boule Kay" we have just witnessed sinking the country even more
into the 19th century.
The business people have been ransacked and will not recover for several
years (Spells more job loss).  They are not "refusing to share" like is
written so often repeated.  Most are two income hard working
professionals/buniness people who bring in an income similar to the American
lower middle class.  The Haitian middle class falls well below the American
poverty level . Of course it is a huge fortune compare to the Haitian poor
but if they started giving everything away most of the middle and upper
class would be bankrupt in months.   When you live in Haiti you are
constantly giving something away to the needy but there has to be limits.
If you earned $20.000 per year, how long would it take until you gave it all
away?   Imagine what a serious illness in the family does to that income.
What is needed is a taxation system that is fair to all and actually
redistributes the resources rather than squandering them.   Progress will be
achieved by bringing people out of poverty and illiteracy not by dragging
those who have down (unless we are dealing with a monopoly situation) .
What would be best would be great encouragment from the Haitian government
for business and professional people to invest in the country in order to
create quality jobs where workers can earn living wages or better.