27372: Lemieux: Newspaper editorial: Contra Costa Times: Suffering more visible than hope in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JD Lemieux <lxhaiti@yahoo.com>

Posted on Sat, Jan. 28, 2006

GUEST COMMENTARY

Suffering more visible than hope in Haiti

By Gwen Watson
GUEST COMMENTARY

WE WENT TO Haiti last week to rescue a falsely
imprisoned priest who is gravely ill with
leukemia and ended up finding a country needing
to be rescued.

I was part of a human rights trip led by Catholic
Bishop Tom Gumbleton and Human Rights Attorney
Bill Quigley. Our delegation had two major goals:
One, free Father Gerard Jean-Juste and arrange
for medical treatment for him outside Haiti, and
two, help the parishioners establish health care
at St. Claire's Parish in Port-au-Prince.

We stormed heaven and earth -- Archbishop Miot,
Papal Nuncio Mario Giordina, the U.S. Embassy,
television and print media -- for the release of
Father Gerard. As an advocate for the poor and a
voice for justice, he was jailed on trumped up
charges.

In spite of verbal support from the U.S. Embassy,
a visit of the Papal Nuncio with the prime
minister, and thousands of letters from around
the world requesting Father Gerard's release from
prison on humanitarian grounds, he remained
imprisoned as we departed Port-au-Prince. We were
partially consoled that the charges against him
were dropped and replaced with a superficial
reason for keeping him locked up -- associating
with malefactors. (The malefactors were not
named.)

During our stay in Port-au-Prince, we had a
chance to observe much of what the Haitian
citizens are suffering. Hunger is the greatest
problem. With the rate of unemployment at 70 per
cent, many people are starving. A lack of health
care for the poor is another problem. We visited
a clinic with equipment so old it would be only
found in medical museums in the states. And there
was neither a CT Scan machine nor equipment for
cancer radiation at the hospital we toured. We
heard story after story of poor people being
refused hospital care because they couldn't
afford the charges.

Throughout our visit I wondered, where's the hope
for the long-suffering people of Haiti?

As the Feb. 7 election approaches, instability,
insecurity and violence are increasing. I have
concluded that in the short term, the hope for
Haiti is a fair election. Long-term hope will
come when social programs are organized to
obliterate hunger, reach full employment, and
provide health care and education. That's when
Haiti will lose its record as the hungriest
nation in the world.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watson is co-chairwoman of the Social Justice
Alliance of the Interfaith Council of Contra
Costa County. She lives in Lafayette.


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