30144: Vedrine (article) Can Haitians move on politically? (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: E Vedrine <evedrine@hotmail.com>


CAN HAITIANS MOVE ON POLITICALLY?

by Emmanuel W. VEDRINE
Boston Haitian Reporter, March 2007

Oh Lord! What a question for an article? We don’t have any concrete answer yet, 
seeing Haiti’s current situation, one that is deteriorating and a divided 
Diaspora over current political issues that concern Haiti.

Many (voiceless) Haitians would think that it’s about time for Haitians to put 
some issues behind, one year after Haiti’s presidential elections, if they 
really want to see Haiti moving forward in this new century.

René Préval did choose to return to Politics (that was his choice as a 
citizen), and if we are fair, we can say that he had no control over the final 
results of last year’s elections that almost gave rise to  a civil war in 
Haiti. But I published an article beforehand in the Boston Haitian Reporter, 
wishing “good luck” to whoever would be the winner, and that person would be 
the Haitian people’s president. I mentioned before the results were in that 
whoever gets elected president, we’ll hear a lot of blah, blah, blah from other 
parties and fans to reject that winner. This is not something new in Haitian 
politics.

As of now, what’s needed to be done would be criticizing what those who are 
currently in power should do and have not done. I think it’s important for both 
Haitian critics and politicians to see how Politics in the US work (in terms of 
putting some issues behind and move on) to work for the country’s welfare.

Certainly, Haiti has been living through a very chaotic situation 21 years 
after the fall of the Duvalier. The situation in Haiti seems to be worse today, 
compared to 21 years ago (tough “macoutes” no longer exist, but we now have the 
“kidnappers” that terrify the population, particularly in urban areas of the 
capital and its outskirts). I talk fairly as a Haitian who cares about Haiti’s 
future, a country where everyone can live peacefully with respect and dignity, 
but not as a supporter of any regime.

Let’s see the current problems that Haiti is facing (e.g., insecurity, 
kidnapping, unemployment, blackout, teen prostitution to survive, 
deforestation, ecological problems, Haitian peasant leaving the country to go 
to the Dominican Republic, no free schools, no long term vision for the 
country, etc.) and “voye monte” (rambling or trash talk) and see what can be 
done, what should be done and how it can be done. What can different Haitian 
groups in the Diaspora do to help Haiti if they are really organized? And what 
can be done to change the unproductive political culture in Haiti.

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