26310: Senou: Election in Haiti: Why rushing? (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Senou <senou@yahoo.com>

Election in Haiti: Why rushing?

Election is the only way to change government in a
democratic country; therefore, the international
community has a duty to assist Haiti in that regard.
Haiti has organized the first free election in the
free world in the 1990?s and it could be great to
reiterate that exploit in this upcoming election.

By the end of September or the first week of October,
we will know the number of candidates that will be
allowed to seek the highest office of the second
independent country in this hemisphere. I urge the CEP
to put aside personal interest and allow all declared
candidates to take part in the process and let the
people decide. There is one Haiti and the children of
this great country are scattered throughout the world
and all of them are working very hard to assist their
homeland in anyway they can.

We waste our valuable energy in complaining and
blaming others. Instead, we need to use that energy to
do something ?Good? and ?Positive?.   It is easy to
blame others for our failure. We live life forward and
no matter what happened in the past, we would continue
to live it forward. Now it is up to you not to live
?dans l?irréalité du present?. It is up to you to stop
dreaming and fantasizing on how life could have been.
Yes, our ancestors did accomplish something in their
era and we are a living proof of their efforts. Haiti
is born out of a Union.

On May 18,1803, you can celebrate the Flag and ignore
the signification of that important date, but myself I
believe from the bottom of my heart that my ancestors
did the ultimate sacrifice to leave us this country
that used to be called the Pearle of the Caribbean.
For those who are old today and incapable of reversing
the course, you are not responsible, and do not blame
yourselves. No one can seriously blame a single
individual for this harsh misery and for our state of
poverty.

Today we have to accept the fact that we fail as a
nation and we need to get together to start something
new. Yes, we can go back somewhere in our history and
try to reiterate what our grandparents had
accomplished.  And we do not have to go too far to
resolve the most pressing problem: this coming
Election.

In 1990, the CEP of Sabala organized the first free
and fair election in the free world; therefore, no
country in the world can dictate to us or tell us how
to organize a presidential or a congressional
election.  We have credible people in Haiti who can
reiterate that exploit and we need to give them a
chance.

Democracy works when people pay attention and
establishing a democratic system in Haiti is not easy
but it can be done. Even the United States is not a
democratic country, but a representative republic
where the person who is going to be the president is
controlled by a few. The founding father of the U.S.
constitution did not want the people to vote directly
for the president, and to prevent it, they put in
place the Electoral College. These folks after the
election can vote for anyone and it is legal. It is
the law of the land.

The more people who participate in the electoral
process, the more credible it becomes.
Every willing person who would like to register must
be able to do so before the closing of the
registration process. Haitian people will vote and
will select the next Haitian president and make no
mistake about it. If anyone thinks otherwise, he/she
has misread the Haitian people.

The CEP is extending the registration process on a
daily basis and the fact that there is no registration
office in Cité Soleil where over 300,000 people live
has raised the ability of this CEP to organize a fair
and free and an impartial election.

I call upon this caretaker government, the Civic
leaders, the international Community to reshuffle the
CEP and put in place capable and qualified people to
get the job done.  We need to get it right this time
and there is no reason for us not to reiterate the
1990?s exploit.  What do we want? An Election or a
Selection: if we want a selection, there is no need to
waste any time and if we want an Election and denying
many willing people to register to vote is not an
option.

In order for anyone to control Haiti, he/she must have
a mandate from the Haitian people and make no mistake
about it.

This coming election is a defining moment in the
Haitian politic; this coming election is very, very
and very crucial. A successful election may prevent a
bloody civil war and a fail election may make Haiti
becoming the next Lebanon or Somalia in the Caribbean.
 Can we prevent this ?Inevitable? (civil war) from
taking place? Yes, we can.  ?Someone said: ? une
guerre une fois commencée, nul ne peut predire sa fin
(a war once started, no one can predict its end)?

Today, folks the situation is under your control, you
have the authority to alter that sad course which can
prevent Haiti from becoming a no man land. The CEP as
it is today cannot organize this general election and
therefore, I call upon those in charge to reshuffle or
form a new CEP and use Article 289.

Today, we have over 54 Candidates for the presidency
and each sector is represented which is good.  The
first round is indeed the primary; the best two go to
the second round, which is indeed the real election.
This election is up for grab, and no one has a clear
majority.  Hopefully, there will be a new CEP or
reshuffling this current CEP.   What is the rational
to have a new CEP or a reshuffling this current CEP?
The members of the CEP are using the media to discuss
internal matter; the extend on a daily basis the
deadline of the registration and they cannot agree on
a firm date; Some areas do not have a registration
office and this is being done on purpose; many members
of the CEP represent various political parties or
groups and there can be conflict of interest.

ARTICLE 289:


Awaiting the establishment of the Permanent Electoral
Council provided for in this Constitution, the
National Council of Government shall set up a
Provisional Electoral Council of nine (9) members,
charged with drawing up and enforcing the Electoral
Law to govern the next elections, who shall be
designated as follows:


1) One for the Executive Branch, who is not an
official;
2) One for the Episcopal Conference;
3) One for the Advisory Council;
4) One for the Supreme Court;
5) One for agencies defending human rights, who may
not be a candidate in the elections;
6) One for the Council of the University;
7) One for the Journalists Association;
8) One for the Protestant religions;
9) One for the National Council of Cooperatives.


There is no reason to rush;  February 7, 2006 is not
the END of the world, and we need to take our time to
organize an impartial, free, and fair election.

Rational: Article 149

We shall stop fooling ourselves and the 1987
constitution has nothing to do with what is going on
right now in Haiti. According article 149, The
election of a new President for a new five (5) year
term shall be held at least forty-five (45) and no
more than ninety (90) days after the vacancy occurs,
pursuant to the Constitution and the Electoral Law.

The first round cannot be held in November since a new
CEP or a reshuffle CEP needs more time to register the
4.5 million of the voters and Haitian people like
voting and they will register to vote. Secondly, the
candidates need more time to launch a sound campaign
and make their cases in front of the Haitian people
throughout the country and not the republic of
Port-au-Prince.

It could be great to have the first round in January
or early February and the second round in March and
the elected president shall take office at least 30
days after the election.

Joseph Alfred, Educator
P.O. BOX 1022
Douglasville, GA 30133



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