20535: Intervision2000: Mr. Patterson should reconsider - Michael Madsen (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: InterVision2000 <info@intervision2000.com>


Mr. Patterson should reconsider
Michael Madsen

Dear Sir:

Reading your editorial "Mr. Latortue should reconsider" on Jamaica Observer
of Tuesday, March 16, 2004; let me tell you why our opinion as Haitians is
that Mr. Patterson should reconsider:

a.. During President Bush and Secretary of States, Collin Powell last
meeting in Mexico asked the Caricom to be involved in the Haitian dossier,
President Bush warned Aristide that it would be is last chance.

b.. The following week a meeting was convened in Nassau with leaders of the
Caricom and the Democratic opposition of Haiti. We didn't have much hope for
a positive outcome of this meeting but attended anyway since we had to show
our good faith for positive outcome. Our hope was even more diminished when
pictures came out on the internet of the leaders of the Caricom meeting with
the Bankers of Aristide, Mr. Carl Brown and Mr. Edouard Baussan; as you can
see in the enclosed attachment which also contains a letter to Mr. Baussan
addressed to him by the former President of the Haitian Chamber of Commerce
and Industry. The latter had to flee Haiti a few years ago with the help of
the US Ambassador because his life had been threatened by Aristide because
of his vocal opposition to his disastrous economic policies and abuse of
human rights.

c.. The following week-end another meeting was convened in Kingston between
Caricom Leader's and Aristide. It was reported that a very strong message
was given to Aristide and that his non-compliance with his promises made to
leaders of the Caricom would have very strong consequences and sanctions to
his Government from Caricom community. Some of the requests made to him and
promises made by him were as follows:

1.. 48hrs after his return he would have to release all students arrested.
This has never been done up to his resignation and no protest have been done
by Caricom.

2.. A week after his return, all political prisoners had to be released. Not
only nothing have been done by him, but more students and union leaders were
arrested. Again, no protest was lodged by the Caricom.

3.. Aristide was to allow peaceful protest and marches against his
Government to be done with full police protection and no hindrance from his
armed chimeres. On Tuesday after his return from Kingston, a student march
was brutally dispersed; on Thursday another march by students and Professors
was again brutally dispersed; on Sunday, with the presence in Haiti of
Caricom leaders, a Civil Society, Student, Unions, Professors, Lawyers, and
the Population at large was also brutally dispersed. Again, no protest of
the Caricom community.

We Haitians must only guess that Aristide's money was at work!

Concerning the entry of Haiti in the Caricom it was done by Aristide's
Government without any consultation what so ever with the Business and the
Industrial sector, who would be the ones to benefit or not from such an
entry. Up to his resignation in the early hours in the morning of February
29th, no comprehensive documents had been put out by the Aristide Government
concerning the adhesion of Haiti to the Caricom community. It is thus
comprehensible why the business community at large, the people of Haiti and
the new Government are troubled by Haiti's adhesion to Caricom. The
Dominican Republic, the largest and richest market in the Caribbean has
refused to enter Caricom, as did Cuba. Haiti has the third largest
population in the Caribbean and thus the third largest potential market and
like our two bigger neighbors, we are still doubtful of the economic
benefits that Caricom could bring to us, especially considering the strong
economic export potential of Trinidad and Tobago with their vast oil
reserves, the only one in the Caribbean basin.

The reservation of the Haitian Government, the Haitian people, the USA,
Canada, the European Community, and many Latin-American countries, about the
wisdom of Prime Minister Patterson of inviting Aristide to stay in Jamaica
has been questioned. Indeed a survey released on the 16th of March in
Jamaica shows over 73% of the Jamaican people disagree with the invitation.
The Jamaican General Consul in Haiti for 25 years, Mr. Robert Tippenhauer,
has resigned his post in protest.

Mr. Patterson has stated that Aristide invitation to Jamaica was done for
"humanitarian reasons" and that he would abstain from any inflammatory
remarks. Humanitarian reasons? What's wrong with living in the Central
African Republic? Aristide had always stated how close he felt toward his
African brothers! Upon stepping on Jamaican soil, his first pronouncement
was again to agitate the color and class issue and telling his supporters in
Haiti to keep mobilized since he is now closer to them. That demagogy of
Aristide has no place in his mouth since he is definitely the richest man in
Haiti - a fortune estimated by the Wall Street Journal at over 800 Million
Dollars US, has married a upper class light skin girl and he is the only
President of Haiti of having children for whom he choose a foreign
nationality instead of a Haitian one.

The next days will tell us wether Prime Minister Patterson can get Aristide
to behave as protocol dictates for foreign leaders in exile.

As far as wether or not Jamaica and the Caricom countries will recognize the
new Government of Haiti, is totally irrelevant to the people of Haiti.
Suffice it to say that our neighbors in the North, our friends in Europe,
and around the world have recognized the new legitimate Government of Haiti
and are already helping us to rebuild our country so much destroyed over the
past thirteen years by the inaptitude and pilferage of the Aristide
governance.

Again, our opinion as Haitians is that:

Mr. Patterson should reconsider.

Michael Madsen