24017: Durban (discuss) Top 10 New Year's Resolutions for Latortue (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Lance Durban <lpdurban@yahoo.com>

Dear Corbetters,

While some might argue that any interim government should
proceed with caution on major new initiatives, I would argue Mr.
Latortue should be using the next year of relative political
stability to take action on a whole raft of issues that need
attention.  Claiming 'lack of mandate' is a cop-out that will
only increase opposition to his administration in its second
year.  Expanding on suggestions tossed out a couple of weeks ago
on this Corbett List (#23984), here then are some goals that
Prime Minister Latortue might set for himself for the next 12
months.  Call them belated New Year's resolutions.

1. Chimere/Rebel problems and Training the PNH
     While very important, the time and effort needed pacify
these two groups risk crowding out other matters and should be
the very first thing delegated to the U.N. peacekeepers.  Give
the U.N. full authority to resolve these problems, hold them
accountable for results, and move on.

2. Organize Elections
     Determine within the next month if the CEP is going to be
up to be able to pull this off.  If not, call in the U.N. and
other specialized outsiders for help (The Carter Center in
Atlanta or George Soros' Open Society come to mind).  The
Latortue adminitration will be held responsible for the success
or failure of the elections, so it needs to be pro-active.

3. Re-emphasize Property Taxes
     No country can finance itself adequately on international
hand-outs, and clearly any government does need a source of
revenue to function.  Most would agree that this revenue should
come from those in society best able to pay, and in Haiti, that
means the elite.  The best way of ensuring compliance as well as
fairness in the tax system in Haiti is to base it on visible,
in-country real estate.

4. Collect Haitian Duties in Miami
     The U.S. is interested in accurate valuation of exports and
works with shipping lines to ensure compliance.  Haiti should
set up a system whereby Haitian importers can make their
declarations based on U.S. export documents and pay Haitian
duties in Miami.  This would almost certainly increase total
collections and simultaneously combat corruption on the part of
Haiti-based customs inspectors.

5. Sell Teleco
     This state asset in a rapidly-changing, capital intensive
industry should be auctioned off immediately in full recognition
that the winning bidder will likely be one of the international
heavyweights.  In Haiti today, customers wait years to get a new
telephone installed in their homes, usually by Teleco employees
moonlighting on Sundays!  Teleco remains a bloated, inefficient
dinosaur that no serious owner would tolerate.

6. Privatize Ed'H
    Bid this out before the end of the year.  Give the new
owners the mandate to produce AND distribute electricity to
anyone one on the grid who wants it, subject only to rate
approvals by a public utility board.  It is hard to believe that
the present Ed'H, operating a legal monopoly with plenty of
customers ready and willing to pay for the product, still cannot
supply the product.

7. Pension Reform
    There is a social security system in Haiti (ONA) which takes
a significant bite (6%) out of the earnings of wage-earners.
Employers contribute another 6%, but it is safe to say that most
employees are lucky to get even half of the total back.  The
interim government has a rare opportunity to clean house and set
in place a better system, but so far there has been little more
than minor re-shuffling at the top.  Sad.

8. Protection of Children
    The restavec phenomena (sometimes refered to as child
slavery) is a Haitian institution that cannot be changed
overnight.  Nevertheless, few people would oppose a measure to
protect these most vulnerable members of Haitian society.  An
easy start would be signing the international convention on
adoption procedures which aims to protect not only defenseless
children (the adoptee), but also the adopting parents, and the
child's natural parents (if known).

9. Investment in Education
     Haiti's atrocious record in educating its young people has
historically ensured that the cycle of poverty is never broken.
Education is where the big bucks should be invested, yet the
needs are so great one almost doesn't know where or how to
begin.  Teacher training would be a good place to start.

10. Urban Road-building
     Presently USAID monies are being being thrown at short-term
employment generation in the form of street sweepers...
literally, teams of otherwise unemployed people who march up and
down the roads pushing dirt around.  Talk about throwing money
away.  Let's transfer some of these people into labor intensive
road-building, teams of the same folks who will make and lay
concrete paving stones after roadbeds have been prepared.  This
will employ somewhat fewer people per dollar spent but create
something more permanent.

           --------------------------------------

Each of the above ten points merit discussion, and I would
encourage interested members of the diaspora to add their
thoughts.  To increase public comment, I am copying some
non-list members in and out Haiti with the suggestion that they
might join the Corbett list <corbetre@webster.edu> to better
contribute their thoughts on these and other matters of
importance to Haiti.

Lance Durban