6963: The Haitian Times editorial (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Tttnhm@aol.com

The Haitian Times editorial  - 31 January 2001

End the Madness
Come February 7, we may have two presidents. 

Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was elected in a contested election and whomever 
the opposition party wants to choose as its president. So this is where we've 
come after more than a decade of struggle to establish democracy in a country 
that has known little of it. Though we've been critical of Aristide, there is 
no way we can support the chicanery that the opposition party, which calls 
itself Convergence, is trying to pull. 

The international community has remained silent and seems to give this 
nonesense its tacit support. We urge the diplomatic community to distance 
itself from Convergence's silly attempt at circumventing Aristide's power. 
This power play is sophomoric and won't last long. Former Senator Yrvelt 
Chery told some staffers of this newspaper that he and his party created the 
monster that became Aristide. But Chery, who is now opposed to Aristide is 
making the same mistake twice. He and his acolytes are simply prolonging the 
myth of Aristide. If they think that organizing a so-called "alternative 
government" is the best way to counter Aristide, they have another thing 
coming. 

Aristide has shown them over and over that he is a cagey politician who can 
maneuver himself out of a tight spot. At this point the country would have 
been bickering about Carnival and that pageantry's lack of organization. 
Instead, we're debating the absurdity of the country having two governments. 
The opposition should come to grip to the fact that it did not prepare itself 
to counter Aristide and regroup and strategize for 2006.

Haiti is a shattered country. It is becoming poorer and poorer. This is a 
time for people to come together and try to bring about a solution. Last 
month,, The Haitian Times published a heartwrenching story chronicling the 
country's poverty. We think that the opposition should organize a commission 
to come up with a platform to fight this poverty. The people have real needs 
and they need leaders who are looking out for their best interests. 
Ironically, the opposition has a good chance of countering Aristide. But it 
seems to be wasting it away. If they don't be careful, we may have Aristide 
for more years than they care to stomach. 

Let's end the madness and stop making us the laughing stock of the region, if 
not the world. We're not alone. People are watching.