=?x-unknown?q?27170=3A__Durban_=28comment=29=3A__Bataye=2C_th?==?x-unknown?q?e_Strike=2C_and_Solving_Cit=E9_Soleil_=28fwd=29?=

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

Lance Durban <lpdurban@yahoo.com> writes:

Bataye Ouvriye, those militant union folks, went to some pain to
explain why they opposed Monday's strike, called by the elites and
promoted by the media to spur the U.N. peacekeepers into a more
aggressive stance against various chimère, kidnappers, etc. etc.

It would have been nice had Bataye based its logic on concern for the
poor, with whom they claim to empathize.  And they could have done
that.  Indeed, it is much easier to strike "on principal" if you are
well off than if you are living hand-to-mouth.  But their opposition to
the strike revolved around something quite different:  alleged concern
that if and when the violence was quelled, the Haitian elite would then
run roughshod over the rights and dignity of poor masses.  How's that?

In its statement, Bataye shows itself to be far more anti-elite than
pro-working class.  A long-time hunch is confirmed:   Bataye is simply
using its organizing as a means to whack the Haitian and Dominican
elite.  For them, the economic pain caused to a Haitian land owner when
Grand Marnier pulls out trumps the pain caused by loss of jobs in that
same incident.

Strikes are almost always a bad idea, and today's costly effort was no
exception.  It's hard to believe that this strike will bring about a
change in U.N. policy.  What will bring about a change is the level of
violence itself, and recognition by most everyone that an election will
be hard to hold unless security improves.

What's needed for Cité Soleil is a variation of the Ariel Sharon
approach.  Let's hire a lot of people to make an 8' wall of stacked
cement blocks around the place.  Call it the Sharon Wall.  Build and
man U.N. guard posts every 100', also in stacked cement blocks and
sandbags.  People and vehicles can leave the zone, but no one can
re-enter it for 6 months.  All bags are subject to search, and no
weapons can leave the zone.  A weapons buy-back policy should recover
most arms when the weapon's owner decides to come out to eat.  And
sooner or later, they WILL come out to eat.  Give it two weeks or so
and then send in the troops in for a thorough house-by-house weapons
search.  Obviously, no money paid for those stashed weapons we find.

Next, use U.N. funds to trace new streets and mark houses to be removed
to make room for the streets.  A big white "X" on the house will do
fine.  Put the curbs in right away to mark the streets.  Put in street
lighting on the assumption that we are going to get this electricity
problem resolved also.

In 6 months we have a new president, and residents will be allowed back
in, accompanied ONE AT A TIME, to identify and re-claim their homes.
Haitian judges will be there to rapidly adjudicate ownership/squatter
claims.  People returning to find their homes marked for removal for
the new roads will get some cement blocks from the soon-to-be
demolished "Sharon Wall" as in-kind compensation for their house.  Most
will sell their blocks, but some will actually use them to build a new
house.

Lance Durban