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5863: RE: 5523,5520, 5513 (fwd)
From: archim <archim@globelsud.net>
The negative comments regarding Ira Kurzban's statements re.
Haitian and US elections, need to be countered. Joel Dreyfuss surely
makes several correct points, but they are points which have nothing
to do with Haiti and its manner of counting votes in the previous
election(s). As Joel should know, our problem in Haiti is not how we
count the votes; or who counts them; or who certifies them; or who
is/was in charge of the electoral council; or, quite honestly, who is
running for president! Our problem is one of jealousy, back-biting,
envy, megalomania and down-right corruption! In a society where no one
respects the law, it appears to me that we need to have a leader who
can inspire people to have a love for their country and in so doing
develop that necessary respect for the law.
The people of Haiti overwhelmingly elected Jean-Bertrand Aristide
when the importance of "democracy" was emphasized by our "big brother"
to the north. Those elections were monitored...even by Jimmy Carter,
and Aristide won. I was not in favor of Aristide at first, but when I
realized that the Haitian people...the voice of democracy in
Haiti...wanted him, I rallied 'round their choice. But what happened?
That same "big brother" to the north didn't like him and so they
collaborated with the minority voice in Haiti (big businessmen,
military leaders, megalomaniacs, etc.) to overthrow him. That was a
big, big mistake! That was an anti-democratic action supported by the
very society which prides itself on *its* version of democracy.
And look what happened: international public opinion pretty-much
forced the USA to return Aristide and fly the evil ones away...at the
expense of the US public. Following the return of Aristide, his
opponents (in Haiti and elsewhere...especially in the US) have
carried-on a relentless campaign of disinformation and jealousy;
murder annd intrigue, and political smear, all, I might say, without
effect on the majority of the Haitian people. We all know that
Aristide will win; that's a given. Most of us want Aristide to win,
and that's a given also!
Garry Pierre-Pierre's comments really do sum up the situation,
especially where he uses his supposeed loss of $40,000 in revenue as a
main reason for his dislike of Lavalas. "Big business" is directly
responsible for the deep abyss into which Haiti has fallen, not
Lavalas. Had all those big businesses paid their taxes, paid living
wages to their employees, and shown some compassion for the majority
of the Haitian people (instead of building magnificent mansions in the
hills), maybe Aristide could have started his work at the second stage
of reform: creating respect for the leader, for the country, and for
its laws. The big businessmen didn't respect the laws, so why should
the people be expected to do so?
On Nov 26...next Sunday, the majority of Haitians will vote, and
there is no doubt that Aristide will win. Haiti has already started
its "winning-streak" by standing firm against outside pressures to
postpone the election, and by refusing to bow to those who demanded a
"recount" of the May elections.
Haiti is a "fledgling democracy", so give us a chance to do our own
thing and let's see if we know more about how our country should be
run than do those who do not live here. Yes, pre-election time is
"spooky" in Haiti, as Richard Morse wrote (see 5522), but the country
is filled with "spooks" so what can we expect. Let's stand behind the
leader of the majority and stive to dispel the spookiness in the
coming years.
+AM/FM