28033: McCalla (statement) Turning Haiti Around Will Not Be Easy (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Jocelyn McCalla <info@nchr.org>

I am pleased to share with you the following statement issued
today by the National Coalition for Haitian Rights on some of
the challenges facing President-elect Rene Preval

New York, March 2, 2006 -- On February 7, 2006, more tan 2
million Haitian voters went to the polls to choose a new
President and new Senators and Assemblymen. They came undeterred
by disabilities, hardships or illiteracy, and waited patiently
and calmly in long lines to cast their vote despite the slow,
frustrating and chaotic process. When the polls closed, national
and international observers hailed the vote as free and fair. We
salute the people of Haiti, whose dignified and exemplary
behavior on election-day commands all of us to seek progress and
build a viable democracy in Haiti through non-violent means.

René Préval won the presidential contest by a four-to-one
margin, but it appears that none of the leading candidates for
the legislature garnered enough votes to avoid a second-round
runoff. The people of Haiti will have to go again to the polls
and decide on the composition of the legislature. And hopefully
Haiti will have a functioning government in the near future.
Meanwhile we congratulate the President-elect and look forward
to working with his office to uphold the human rights of
Haitians everywhere.

The majority of Haitian voters have decided that Préval is
Haiti's best hope and placed their faith in his capacity to turn
Haiti around. During the campaign, Preval cast himself as
someone who would be able to be a bridge between the poor and
the wealthy, and bring peace, stability and capital investment
back to Haiti. Since the vote, international donors, including
the US have praised the elections and indicated their readiness
to continue providing support to the President-elect and the new
government that will emerge from this process. It is incumbent
on Mr. Préval to assemble from the start a solid team of
respected, competent and non-partisan advisors to help craft
policies and programs susceptible to meeting the hopes and
dreams expressed on election-day.

Nonetheless turning Haiti around will not be easy. The Haitian
economy is all but destroyed. Thousands of young men and women
are idled by joblessness, and lack of opportunities and
education. Programs that put them to work repairing and building
the infrastructure, improving sanitation and developing a clean
and inviting environment ought to be implemented without a
minute's delay. And international donors should speed up their
assistance to the new government in line with their recently
reaffirmed commitment to stay the course in Haiti.

Until Haitian security forces are strong, large and sufficiently
law-abiding to maintain peace and tranquility on their own, UN
security forces should remain in Haiti long enough to
effectively build peace. However, the international security
force composition should tip towards more police officers rather
than troops. Together with Haitian leaders, the international
community must share full responsibility for progress or the
lack thereof in establishing the rule of law, and eliminating
corruption and immunity from prosecution. In this regard, we
hope that the new government will revive long-dormant
investigations into political crimes, such as the murder of
Radio Haiti Director Jean Dominique, and prosecute these crimes
successfully.

Haiti and its international allies should tap the Haitian
Diaspora?s wealth of skills and resources to help with restoring
basic government functions. We note that the President-elect
will be visiting with North American, Caribbean and Latin
American leaders to secure their support. We urge Mr. Préval to
use these opportunities to begin laying the foundations of a
comprehensive solution to Haitian migration.

We also note that President Bush has personally extended his
congratulations to President-elect Preval and indicated that the
United States was looking forward to mutually beneficial
cooperation. We have but one immediate suggestion for President
Bush: establish Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for
out-of-status Haitians in the US, like it has been done for
nationals of Central America who needed temporary safe haven
because of political or natural disasters, and you'll give Haiti
the time and space it needs to provide a decent and sustaining
environment for its noble citizens.