28154: Senou: (Comment): Time to Move on (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

Senou@yahoo.com

Time to move on

The country has a new elected president and he needs
to form a coalition government. Ladies and gentlemen:
we need to move forward and turn once for all this
sorrow page of our history. My friends, yesterday is
history no matter what had happened, it was beautiful,
it was awful, it was painful; this should be behind
your back.

You shall never forget history, because it might
repeat itself.  The questions we should all ask
ourselves: What can we do today to improve our lives?
What can we do today to assist our community and what
you can do today to prevent another reoccurrence?

We are living the reality of today and there is a
reason for everything. 203 years and counting, the
state of Haiti will survive. And the best of Haiti is
yet to come.

We are living the reality of today and the result of
the presidential election is the second compromise in
Haitian turbulent history and we should use this
opportunity to put some structure in place. Now, it is
time to move on, again you have a choice to make: But
before you make that choice, do you embrace an idea or
a person? Do you have allegiance to a party or a
person? Do you support a cause or a person? Again keep
your emotion and passion at bay and deal with this
current situation. Haiti deserves a Chance. Let?s move
on!

I call 2006-2007 a decisive Year. You need to engage
and help change the face of the land of Toussaint
Louverture.

The mistrust that may exist among us is fictional and
it is due mainly to a lack of interaction. If we open
the door of communication and start talking to each
other, we will bring down that barrier. Most of us are
working independently, sometimes on the same project,
and our resources are extremely limited. We end-up
working more and spending more energy for a minimal
result.  The wheel has already been invented. There is
no reason to reinvent it or create another one.

Again, there is a reason for everything. That
political compromise had indeed spared the country
from an eminent civil war. The world was prepared to
see clashes on February 7 of this year, but the
Haitian people were more concerned about exerting
their right to vote peacefully.

Haiti is facing a period of uncertainty that can lead
easily to a bloody civil war and what will make it
even worst: a civil war without a leader. First of
all, the religious leaders have lost their moral
authority and the country does not have someone who
can ask the people to stop this imminent carnage. In
1986, the religious leaders intervened and used their
influence to stop the ?dechoucage?; 20 years later
which sector that can use its influence to stop this
inevitable? None.

As of today, Haiti has met all the required conditions
for the ?Inevitable? (civil war) and it is going to be
ugly, and very ugly. Again, it is preventable. When
someone has no hope and no reason to live for, when a
country has score of educated people who may spend
their lifetime unemployed, we can see taking place a
violent, a brutal and an uncontrolled revolt.

The election of Mr. Rene Garcia Preval may delay the
?inevitable = Civil War? and we Haitian Nationals and
the friends of Haiti need to use this golden
opportunity to shift the free fall of our country and
bring hope back again to the Haitian people.

Regardless of where you stand on the outcome of the
presidential election, we shall all agree that a
political compromise had indeed spared the country
from a bloody revolt. And the United States after
losing Venezuela and Bolivia is not willing to lose
Haiti for now. That political compromise has indeed
delayed the departure of Haiti and the emergence of
Venezuela has a world power with its Petro-Dollars is
giving everyone something to think about.

Shortly after the announcement of the winner of the
presidential election, many questions are focusing on
the eventual return of the former presidents and
leaders. No decision makers are willing to take a
public stand on this issue. No one who has a political
aspiration that is directly tied to Haiti or living in
Haitian strong hold area in Miami, Montreal, New York,
and New Jersey will take a stand on this issue. And
this issue alone has the propensity of adding another
layer of divisions among Haitian Nationals and many
are going to use it for that purpose.

I call this new focus a distraction which is purely
base on emotion and passion. The presidency is not a
privilege but a responsibility and the elected
president has a presidential decision to take. And
that decision can be one of the biggest decisions of
his presidency. Et c?est déjà vu. Comme a dit l?autre,
les deux cotés le mal est infini.

The past is the past and now it is time to embrace the
future.

The elected president has a golden opportunity to
change the course of Haiti. Many of his supporters are
still in jail and his support base may be willing to
take revenge. The tableau of Haiti is very similar to
South Africa when Mr. Nelson Mandela was elected
president. The apartheid was tough and those who
believe in revenge thought that the ANC was going to
take revenge. But instead, President Nelson Mandela
created a Reconciliation Commission and gave full
amnesty to anyone who confessed of his/her crimes and
life goes on. Today, Thanks to president Nelson
Mandela South Africa is not a no-man land.

I urge the elected president to follow Mandela?s foot
step. He needs to create a Reconciliation Commission
similar to South Africa, he needs to join hands with
the new parliament and give a general amnesty to all
Haitians. He needs to start a National Dialogue that
shall lead to ?truth reconciliation? among the sons
and daughters of Toussaint Louverture, Dessalines,
Petion and Capois la Mort.

Also, he needs to satisfy the demand of the Haitian
Nationals who are living outside of Haiti by sending a
bill to the new parliament asking for an expedite up
and down vote de mettre en veilleuse articles 13 and
15 of the constitution until the up coming amendment
of the constitution.

Now, it is time to move on

NB: Those of you who plan to have a medical mission or
a relief effort to Haiti: Please, consider the city of
Ouanaminthe as your first choice. You can fly to Santo
Domingo and drive to Djabon and cross the bridge to
Ouanaminthe. You will take this unique opportunity to
visit Fort-Liberté, Baie de menceline, Capotille, and
discovering Ouanaminthe at night. The restaurants are
created with all of you in mind and sometimes you can
cross the bridge and go chill in Djabon.

By the way,  the Championnat National de Volleyball
aura lieu à Ouanaminthe  les 4, 5 et 6 août prochain.

Joseph Alfred
P.O. BOX 1022
Douglaville, GA 30133
Email: joe_alfred@yahoo.com


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