[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

26573: Leiderman: Re: 26571: Candidate in a Tailspin? (fwd)





From: Stuart M Leiderman <leidermn@cisunix.unh.edu>


Dear Readers:

Thank you for the long article from Port-au-Prince this morning about the Haitian-born businessman who protests the presidential ballot because his name is not on it. I note that there is also no name attributed to the article the promotes the candidate. I conclude that it is a piece of campaign propaganda and not actually a news-article.

For an attentive group of readers such as ours and a people such as Haitians who defend the rights of journalists who risk their lives to identify with and stand behind their writing, why should we post this kinds of item without also posting the name of the person who created it? I know that on some occasions we accept articles that only give the name of a news service, such as "AP", etc., but that's because we can usually track it back to the hand that wrote it. Is this the case with this article? If so, please identify the writer.

Someday, maybe I'll meet the disappointed candidate and we might even find common ground. But at the moment, I am tempted to say that the gentleman is, indeed, acting too much as a "Haitian-born businesman" (his own words) and not enough as a "Haitian-born citizen" (my words). He seems to be caught in the fringes of two shadows: One shadow is his selective allegiance to two countries that are still at war with each other. This leaves no friendly basis for reconciliation among opportunistic citizens/citoyens. The other shadow is Haitian national law that often resembles "Haitian personal law", swinging back and forth between rigid Constitution-thumping and floppy Constitution-bending. This is like an adolescent caught between the demands of parents vs. peers. There is an overwhelming desire to obey or satisfy everyone, but that only leads to patterns of deception, disapppointment, betrayal and bitterness. The passage of time never completely heals those adolescent wounds; I think the weakest grow up to become law-breakers.

I acknowledge this predicament, but there will be no end of disappointed candidates until their supporters come out from the shadows and identify themselves.

Meanwhile, we should stand clear of their tailspins.

Thank you,

Stuart Leiderman