7460: Re: 7454: Re: 7438: Haiti violence spreads to provinces (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JAALLEN181@aol.com

I am in agreement with Amy Willentz about the charrade of the parallel 
government.  From the start I felt that this was not a good idea that 
ultimately would serve Aristide. 
      After seeing firsthand what happened in Port-au-prince this week (
yes 
I was there), I feel that Mr. Aristide is now behaving like an opposition 
figure, not the president that he is.  If he has a legitimate claim
against 
Mr. Gourgue, he must resolve this legally and not like a reactionnary.
The 
legal system affords the state nearly dictatorial powers, if he is right,
he 
must make his case and act on a carefully stated legal argument that all
of 
us can understand. 
      It is customary in Haiti for the opposition to shut Port-au-prince 
down to put pressure on the government; this is the first time the
government 
or the president decides to hurt the economy, to score political points
(what 
a blunder!).  Mr. Aristide lost credibility in the crisis.  Moral
authority 
of a leader is earned and not defined by law; it is only measured by the
way 
a politician responds to challenges. 
      So far, no one in the government has condemned the uprising.  Mr. 
Aristide responded far too late to the crisis; in fact, this belated and
weak 
response allows us to question his role in the development if not 
orchestration of the operation ( a qui profite le crime).   
      Mr. Aristide has managed to turn a mere irritant into a real
political 
challenge. This will contribute to embloden the opposition, and only 
Aristide's mishandling of the crisis could have acomplished that.  Since
most 
of the opposition figures have worked closely with Mr. Aristide in the
past, 
they must have banked on his limited tactical skills to offer a poor
response 
to an idea that might be laughable to any reasonable observer. 
      In the United States, hurting the economy is not a good idea,
hurting 
potential supporters is not a good idea; using all available legal means
at 
ones disposal is the responsible way for a true leader deserving of our 
respect.  In the end, someone will have to tell president Aristide that he 
and not Gerard Gourgue is the president of "all the haitians".  By not 
understanding the true role of a president, he undermines his own
legitimacy. 

Joseph A. Allen DDS 
Miami, FL