#3469: Reciprical (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: oloffsonram <oloffsonram@globelsud.net>

Mr Pena feels he was attacked by the defacto government. It could be 
true. Sometimes these attacks are made and we can only make an educated 
guess as to where the attack originated. I believe him. The fact that 
team "A" makes an attack, however, doesn't mean that team "B" can't 
make the same sort of attack. Just because one team is wrong, doesn't 
mean the other team is right. Aristide isn't really a preacher of non-
violence. He's more of the Malcolm X school. At one point Malcolm X 
preached "by any means necessary". This is not a criticism, but an 
observation. Its not the road I would choose. This procedure definately 
destabalizes your opposition, but at the same time it creates a 
destructive climate where its becomes very difficult to create an 
economy or working environment for your constituency. In the long run 
every one loses. Too much time is being spent on official priority 
matters, (politics, justice) and not enough time is being spent on 
practical matters (economy, job training/education, environment).One of 
the biggest problems facing the U.S. right now is that there aren't 
enough trained workers for the work force. Thats just the opposite of 
Haiti. The two ought to be able to work something out.  This politicing 
back and forth isn't getting anyone anywhere. Its creating a media 
campaign which is keeping investors away. Even the re-patriated boat 
people are saying they're going out again. Before, when they left, 
people said its because Aristide's in Washington and the defactos are 
killing us. Well now Aristide's been here for six years and we're still 
rotating on our thumbs. Where's the capacity for effective negotiation?
Investment, whether local or international is going to be key in trying 
to turn this situation around. How can someone invest in a country that 
doesn't supply the basic necessities of security and infrastructure and 
public communication. Here I am with a business in the middle of Port-
au-Prince and my phones go down for two months. The road in front of 
the Hotel is torn up with no warning, no schedule, no alternative 
traffic route. No electricity timetables. When it goes off, it goes 
off, when it goes on, it goes on. Your guess is as good as mine. We 
used to criticize the defactos for violence, the embargo, no free 
speech, no electricity, and yet, where's the progress. I don't mean 
personal progress, because there are some whose bank accounts are 
skyrocketing (don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with making a 
little money). But we should have progress for the society. For the 
Nation. I can't quite figure out, who's defending the Haitian people.

Richard Morse