24456: Morse: (reply) To Peter

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: OLOFFSONRAM@aol.com

Dear Peter,

Thanks for letting me know that I'm not going to war with you.
1) I would say in principle that I am a constitutionalist though I have yet
to see a Haitian head of State that is so inclined
2) Our friend thought he was elected King of the Kingdom, rather than
President of the democratic country.
3) If you don't provide democratic means of opposition (free speech, right
to assembly, radio stations, etc.) then people will revert to other  methods of
opposition.
4) Haiti's constitution could be described as more parliamentarian than
presidential yet I don't think the public understands that and those in  the
Executive don't want them to. Presidents in Haiti seem to arbitrarily  dismiss
the parliament at their convenience and ignore the constitution  also at
their convenience (since my arrival in 1985).
5) The Haitian majority hasn't lost their democratic advantage which is
numbers but they need better candidates. Candidates that will knowledgeably
and legally defend their interests. Those candidates are always difficult
to identify because of the way the electoral process is always postponed
to the last minute and then rushed with no debates and no discussion of
issues or  ideas.
6) I believe that young democracies often start with a congress of regional
representatives but that's neither here nor there.
7) Most of what you're saying makes sense to me.

Richard Morse