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#4987: Re: #4977: Comments on the St Louis Haitians letter to the OAS (fwd)
From: Jepiem@aol.com
The group calling itself "Combite Resistance des Amis et Patriotes Haitiens
de St Louis" has taken the OAS to task for its position regarding what are
being called the irregularities associated with the Mai elections in Haiti.
They were quick to assign responsibility for those "irregularities" to "lack
of logistical support" whatever that may mean. Who was supposed to provide
that logistical support. Various reports from the fields have expressed the
concerns of people engaged in Haiti about the massive fraud which began with
stuffing of ballot boxes, stealing of ballot boxes before they were counted,
intimidation of non aligned candidates before and after the elections etc....
To attack the OAS and remain silent about the plight of those in Haiti who
felt they were cheated in the process to me is like kicking kicking the dog
on your way out because you couldn't stand the argument inside. We are
witnessing in Haiti something similar to what happened in Haiti in 1957, with
Duvalier an obviously popular and possibly eventual winner of the election
marring the whole electoral process with fraud in order to ensure his
victory. We all know what happened afterwards. The similarities today are
quite freightening. If there are voices being raised to remind those in power
that the country and its people shouldn't be taken for granted, the best we
in the diaspora can do if we don't feel convinced enough of the validity of
their protests or if we can't go join one side or the other is to remain
silent and wait to see how the battle unfolds. I have been to Haiti often
enough to know that the established power is entrenched enough to be able to
defend itself against accusations from the OAS or any other group. Witness
the assassinations, the intimidation groups operating in th country and the
lawlessness which forces a large segment of the population to flee everyday
or to live under constant fear. Doesn't that remind anyone of the years past?
One can only wonder why the people of Haiti got rid of the Duvalier regime in
the first place, for to replace one form of tyranny with another to me is
none better.