22316: Seraphin: INVESTIGATION OF ARISTIDE ALLEGED CORRUPTION. MES FELICITATION A JACQUELINE CHARLES (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Sonny Seraphin <sonny_seraphin@yahoo.com>

                              Saturday May 22, 2004



Dear Mrs. J. Charles
Of the Miami Herald,



I would like to extend my warmest Congratulations to
you for your well written and wonderful article titled
"HAITI INVESTIGATING ALLEGED CORRUPTION UNDER
ARISTIDE": links to teleco, to Taiwan and others. It
goes right to the heart of the haitian problem:
"corruption and clientelism", as indicated recently so
eloquently by ambassador James Foley in his speech to
the haitian-american chamber of commerce.

In relation to your article, our Foreign Affairs
Minister Yvon Simeon is currently on the last day of
an official visit to Taiwan where I live. He has
categorically refused to meet with me to dicuss
matters of interest to our country, even though I am
the only haitian living here, and also a former
ambassador of Haiti in this country.

It is well Known that I have been in strong opposition
to the style of government of Preval and Aristide,
despite the fact that I was their Ambassador
here(1991-1999). During ma term I fought very hard to
keep the relationship at the higher level of
government to government and people to people. I was
very successful at it until I fell victim of a
terrible conspiration mounted by my own government,
one that I am still at a loss to explain.

 As a result, I was accused falsely by the personnel
of my own Embassy of sollicitation of prostitutes and
corruption as an excuse, a pretext to recall me from
my position as ambassador. Your article does shade
some light as to what might have happened to me at
that time, and could explain why to this date I am
still being treated as a pariah and a non person, even
today by my own government, as indicated by the
rudeness of Minister Yvon Simeon who is here to attend
the inauguration of the newly reelected president of
the Republic of China.

I wonder if there is there a connection between the
bizarre behavior of the minister and the investigation
going on in Haiti concerning the corruption link
between Taiwan and Aristide's private Foundations. Why
was the minister so afraid to meet with me? Who were
the people, haitian or chinese controlling the
movements of the minister here, and why?

However, I happened to know that one of the most
important meetings of the delegation presided by
minister Yvon Simeon was a meeting with a Taiwanese
construction company which has been doing business in
Haiti and which has been reported to be in very close
contact with former president Aristide and his
Foundations, and also with the Construction Company of
Jean-Marie Vorbe.

We also know that prime minister Gerard Latortue is
anxious to build the road leading Saint-Marc to
Gonaives. I support strongly that project and many
more like that one. That road would most likely be
built by that taiwanese company. In that case, was any
new partnership formed between the parties who met in
Taiwan? In any case, we should negociate the
construction of that road and any other projects with
pride, dignity, and transparency. This is the kind of
attitude that I have always emphasized and practiced
in the conduct of our diplomacy with Taiwan.

The delegation was also composed, besides foreign
minister Yvon Simeon, of Michel Pierre Brunache,
Director of the Cabinet of president Boniface
Alexandre, and Roland Pierre, minister of
Planification, Cooperation Extern and Environment.

Why would they refuse to meet with a former ambassador
of Haiti and former Dean of the Diplomatic corps in
Taipei, one who still enjoys some respect in town? Why
would members of the new government be so afraid to
meet with a member of the opposition who has worked
very hard side by side with the haitian people to push
former president Jean Bertrand Aristide to resign
voluntarily? Whose's interests were they representing
during their stay in Taiwan, which would preclude and
prevent them from meeting with me? Certainly not those
of the haitian people.

I am pleased to say that this kind of corruption link,
between Taiwan and the Aristide's Foundations being
investigated by minister of Finances Henri Bazin and
the governor of the Central Bank Roland Magloire, did
not take place during my term as ambassador. I fought
very hard to prevent that. This regrettable
relationship must have occured after I was fired from
my position as ambassador, precisely because I opposed
it. This incident happened just after Haiti and Taiwan
had signed a substantial Cooperation Agreement and its
disbursement already started.


The minister of Foreign Affairs Yvon Simeon, as the
leader of the delegation, owes an explanation and an
apology to me personally and to all the haitian people
in general for his unbecoming and bizarre behavior
during his visit in Taipei.

Moreover, the message that I can read here is that the
Latortue Government does not seem to care much about
the haitian people, that everything the government
says is all slogans et demagoguery, including this
investigation that they have promised to conduct on
the link between Taiwan and the Aristide's
Foundations. Otherwise, why not talk to me?

That tells me also that nothing has changed for me,
and by extention for the haitian people as well with
this new government. I shall continue my self-imposed
exile in Taiwan. I can feel exactly the same
frustations, the same pains and suffurings that the
people are feeling right now in Haiti. Everybody can
feel that it is business as usual, just like it was
before Aristide's departure. What a pity!

This kind of indifference, when displayed by many
other public officials in position of authority and
whose actions  affect the daily life of the haitian
people, translates into a sense of despair, translates
also unfortunately into more pains and sufferings for
those in our population who most need the assistance
of our government.

And naturally this situation is also going to create a
lot more troubles in the country in the very near
future. More and more people are going to take to the
streets to demonstrate their unhappiness toward the
Alexandre-Latortue government.

The people will simply not tolerate the kind of
corruption that has existed and poisoned their lives
before.

I can understand why they feel as if Aristide is still
in power.

It's up to the government to take corrective actions
now, before it's too late. Opportunism and clientelism
can no longer and will no longer be tolerated or
accepted in Haiti. The Prime Minister needs to talk
less, and act more. The ball is in his corner.

As for Minister of Foreign Affairs Yvon Simeon he
turns out to be quite a great disappoinment to me
personally, and I am quite sure, to a great many of
his friends and fans. A myth has just been exposed.

 It's not too late for him to find some character,
some dignity and moral courage to change the course.
We cannot afford to have a foreign minister who is
controlled by outside interests. The country simply
rejects that. A strong character and moral courage are
the basic attributes necessary to conduct good and
sound Diplomacy. Let's please keep our head  high.
This is my message to this new government.

Now, should we really despair?

Of course not. The solution for the people of Haiti is
to stay mobilized, be alert and trust ourselves first.
The solution is within ourselves. There can never be
another "Bon Papa" again in our history. We must do it
for ourselves or nobody else will do it for us. The
fight goes on, harder, but we are winning it.

Even though many Officials in that government cannot
be trusted because they are sending the wrong message
by behaving exactly or worst than the ones who
preceded them, it is no less true that they are still
our own officials, our own government. They are our
own transition government that we are committed to
until february 7, 2006.

We have put them there, yes, but not to keep the
status quo in place, as some of them might argue
because it is only a transition government after all.
Those officials do not have their place in this
government and we should not hesitate to kick them
out. This transition period is too important to be
wasted or lost.

We were duped, true. But now that we know them a
little better, now that we know them by their true
face, now that we know that many of them do not have
the courage and moral qualities required for the job,
let's watch them and monitor their actions more
closely. Let's get more involved and engaged in the
affairs of our country. Let's again not forget that
they work for us and that we can fire them. No more
primadona!

we cannot afford to miss the opportunity that this
transition period represents.  It is our best and last
chance for the next 100 years. One hundred years is
what it will take for this favorable situation that
Haiti now enjoys in the International Community to
materialize again.

Haiti is now being liberated not just for a few people
but for everybody, for every one of her sons and
daughters, specially those of the next generations.
So, Let's all work in solidarity. Let's be optimist
but realist at the same time.

Let's engage in a real reconciliation dialogue. It
will not be easy. It will take a long time. It's not
for tomorrow. But at the same time, it's a non
negotiable necessity. What ever many years it might
take, we must stay focus and work very hard at it.

let's work very hard together to finally build that
free, democratic, peaceful and prosperous  Haiti. The
future belongs, not to us but to our kids and their
kids. Let's give them the chance that we did not have.


We must, we shall, and will succeed. Long live Haiti!


Sincerely yours,


Sonny Seraphin
sonny_seraphin@yahoo.com
8862-2421-1367


Note: forwarded message attached.




































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