27609: Dailey (Comment) Mr. President (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

Dailey

Comment

Although I don't share Madison Bell's estimate of Rene Preval's practical 
ability or political leadership- Naje pou Sorti seemed like an extraordinary 
thing for a Head of State to say- Preval's remarkable mandate gives him the 
best chance of any of the candidates to stay afloat during the stormy days 
ahead. He will be presiding over a government most of the real power of which 
rests in a Prime Minister representing a coalition of various parties. Within 
days of taking office he will be under attack from both the left- see today's 
Prog- and the right, and will face unrealistic expectations regarding the 
climate of insecurity that will continue to deter further initiatives by donor 
nations.

Latortue's hopes for his premiership were based on the expectation that the 
international community would provide hundreds of millions, much of which he 
intended to channel into a massive public works and employment program 
commencing October, 1994. What happened instead was Operation Baghdad. There 
was little to suggest that the donor nations  would have responded with an 
outpouring of support had any of the other candidates been elected, and Preval 
obviously will be viewed with suspicion. He will have the unenviable task for 
the near future at least of personifying a system of managed scarcity, and 
defending a continuing MINUSTAH presence. As Latortue is said to have remarked 
recently, being the Leader of Haiti is no fun.