#1465:Questions about Leadership : Dorce replies

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From:LAKAT47@aol.com


Guy Antoine:
<< The following questions are addressed to all forum participants:
 
 1) In a system of government such as the one recently adopted
 by Haiti, what would be the most desirable attributes of a
 President?  The most desirable attributes of a Prime Minister?

  The leader of Haiti should be driven to put the country first over his/her 
own needs      
   and ego.  Someone said recently on this list that a revolutionary leader 
is different 
   from an administrative one.  I agree, but the revolution is just begun not 
finished.  
   So this leader should be given the authority to do those things which need 
to be 
   done to get the country on track for an administrative leader to take 
over.  As for 
   president and prime minister, I am against this arrangement.  Why should I 
vote
   for someone who is nothing more than a figure head???  I do not get this 
at all.
   As far as I am concerned this is a ploy to strip Aristide of his 
power...let him do
   his job.  

 2) Will the people of Haiti ever truly consider the Prime Minister 
 as the official truly in charge of running the government, and 
 entrust him with more effectual power than the President, the 
 head of state?
 
   No.  And neither do I (see above.)  What a horrible idea.  Dump the PM.
 
 3) Given the political and social realities of Haiti, what are the 
 limits, if any, of moral leadership?  What are the limits, if any, 
 of constitutional adherence?  What are the limits. if any, of 
 national sovereignty?  

   Any constitution written by the US for Haiti should be considered null and 
void.  
   Limits.....you mean where should the moral authority of the leadership 
end?  OK,
   I feel that there should be an interim method of government that will 
allow the 
   leadership to accelerate the timing of making needed changes in Haiti.  Old
   and bad habits die hard, corruption and graft don't stop because someone 
says
   stop.  They start to kill people who threaten the old ways of amassing 
fortunes.
   This translates to a more authoritarian system than we in the US are 
comfortable   
   with....but we are not talking about the US we are talking about a 
moribund system
   that will destroy Haiti if it is not changed.  I am for giving this 
interim government a
   specific amount of time to accomplish these changes after which the 
constitution 
   kicks in and democracy reigns once again!   
 
  I leave #4 to others....that was enough for a non-Haitian to  
  offer. 

thank you for opening up this discussion to all of us Guy, I have appreciated 
your contributions to this list,

Kathy Dorce'