Haitian Politics Forum

2010-12-20T17:17:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Edwidge Danticat on her nomination as Global thinker 2010

By Moss M.Jack
Founder & President
Haitian Diaspora Institute For Progress

New York, December 20,2010

Foreign Policy Magazine has just published its second Annual 100 top global thinkers,people from all works of life: politics,arts, business, philanthropy,journalism,civil society,economy... who are shaping our world with their ideas.

This year, for the 2010 list,a lot of great personalities from all over the world are making the cut: the Clintons,Bill and Hillary; Barack Obama; General David Petraeus;Steve Jobs; Warren Buffett;Bill Gates;Zhou Xiaochuan,Governor of People's Bank in China;Celso Amorim, Foreign minister of Brazil; Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany;Mohamed ElBaradei,Democracy activist in Egypt;Paul Collier,Economist, Oxford University in Britain;Paul Farmer,Medical anthropologist, Harvard University in Boston;Ory Okolloh,Executive director of Ushahidi in Kenya...

We are pleased to welcome on the 2010 list,The writer Edwidge Danticat,who was born in Haiti and moved to New York City when she was 12 years old. This is what FP wrote about her:

"91. Edwidge Danticat

For affirming the moral necessity of art, even in the worst of circumstances.

It was a surreal year for Haitian writers abroad. On top of the trauma of Jan. 12's earthquake, Haiti's expatriates found themselves suddenly treated as representatives of a country they had taken great pains to escape. Author of award-winning books about Haiti, human rights activist, and 2009 winner of a MacArthur "genius" grant, Edwidge Danticat took on the mantle with honesty and humility, as she has for years in her advocacy for immigrants' rights both in the United States and in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. She has taken up the plight of Haitian women, a cause left rudderless after four prominent women's rights activists died in the quake, and worked with the International Rescue Committee to bring literature, including her new children's book about a boy trapped under earthquake rubble, Eight Days, to the Port-au-Prince disaster zone. "After a tragedy, we're always trying to get a sense of who we are," Danticat told Newsweek. "Art is proof that we're alive beyond breathing."...

The FP Top 100 Global Thinkers
Foreign Policy presents a unique portrait of 2010's global marketplace of ideas and the thinkers who make them.
DECEMBER 2010.See the full list:
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/11/29/the_fp_top_100_global_thinkers?print=yes&hidecomments=yes&page=full

2010-10-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

Haiti Cholera:Il ne manquait que ça.

Par Echo d'Haiti

La soi-disant épidémie de choléra est venue augmenter aux péripéties de la population en Haïti. C'est une calamité de plus, une de trop qui amplifie les rigueurs de l'enfer que vivent les haïtiens dans leur pays mais aussi a remis sous les feux des projecteurs et sous les yeux des observateurs du monde entier, la misère et la désolation que nos familles endurent depuis le 12 janvier 2010. Sans qu'il n'y ait effectivement de réelles actions et de sérieuses mesures touchant le déplacement des haïtiens et la promiscuité qui est la toile de fonds de la vie de la grande majorité, les nouvelles disent pour rassurer les esprits que la situation est sous contrôle.

La confusion entretenue par les déclarations des officiels du Gouvernement qui veulent attribuer une origine externe au virus: "virus importé" alors que d'autres réflexions font porter la responsabilité soit aux vieux déchets échappés des turbines de Péligre ou aux soldats népalais, marginalisent en fait les conditions de déficiences sanitaires qui existent sous les tentes, à travers la capitale Port-au-Prince et même dans la grande majorité des villes de province et sections rurales reculées qui n'ont jamais eu de systèmes d'adduction d'eau potable. En fait Haïti a toujours vécu ainsi depuis longtemps sans pour autant être la proie à cette épidémie.

Un fait est certain, c'est que la situation de nos familles n'a pas changé depuis le 12 janvier malgré les montants faramineux promis et dépensés en Haïti sans que l'on puisse le justifier dans le réel. Nous savons que trois cent mille personnes ont péri le 12 janvier 2010 mais l'on ne saura jamais le nombre de ceux-là qui feront le grand voyage pendant ces dix long mois, pour cause de manque de soins, manque d'insuline pour les malades du diabète, par arrêt du cœur et bien d'autres causes encore.

Aussi, les quelques morts de plus par choléra sensibiliseront-ils la Communauté Internationale et nos "figurants dirigeants" sur l'obligation morale qui leur incombe à porter secours à personnes en danger et, le fait de ne pas répondre de leurs obligations ne devraient-ils pas faire face à la vindicte populaire.

Une fois de plus, c'est l'illogisme qui a le dernier mot en Haïti. Alors que la population passe toutes ses journées sous des tentes et exposée à toutes formes d'intempéries, d'incertitudes, de banditisme, de privation et autres, la Communauté Internationale et le pouvoir en place en Haïti ne pensaient qu'à réaliser des élections et maintenant que le choléra se mêle de la partie, ils disent que le cap est maintenu c'est-à-dire "per fas et nefas", on aura des élections le 28 novembre 2010.

Au point où l'on en est, ne convient-il pas de se serrer la ceinture au lieu de se plaindre? Ne convient-il pas de prendre conscience des dangers qui nous guettent et de nous unir afin de récupérer le patrimoine à la dérive? Nous n'avions pas su gérer l'Indépendance que nos Aïeux nous ont léguée en héritage, il est temps après toutes nos erreurs de nous unir pour enfin récupérer notre Haïti.

La bataille s'annonce très rude et très longue car elle a tout-à-fait l'air d'une longue lutte qui va opposer une frange très puissante de la Communauté Internationale en parfaite conspiration avec les traites et les apatrides d'Haïti contre le peuple haïtien qui ne demande qu'à vivre libre dans son pays.

Nous devons comprendre qu'avec la présence d'une Force de l'ONU en Haïti (MINUSTHA), source de nos déboires et de surcroit consommatrice de fonds immenses, fonds qui pourraient être utilisés à l'amélioration des conditions de vie de la population au lieu de payer les ébats de touristes chez nous; qu'avec tous ces étrangers qui ont bâti leur petit empire dans notre pays et qui n'ont pour toutes motivations que d'entretenir le climat de dépendance justifiant leur présence; qu'avec le choléra qui se mêle de la partie et qui nous met d'avantage sous la guillotine de ces forces macabres de l'Internationale, il ne nous reste qu'une seule chance que de nous unir.

Echo d'Haiti

2010-09-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

Editorial:Haiti:une quantité

négligeable et négligée

Pourquoi Haïti ne figure-t-elle pas dans le rapport annuel de compétitivité globale des nations 2010-2011?

Par Moss M. Jack*

La compétitivité d'un pays, au niveau international ,selon le forum économique mondial se mesure en fonction de 11 critères: institution, infrastructure, environnement macroéconomique, santé et éducation primaire, université et formation professionnelle, efficacité du marché des biens et services, efficacité du marché du travail, développement du marché financier, développement technologique adéquat, taille du marché, perfectionnement adéquat du monde des affaires.(voir en détail ces critères)(1).

Haïti est un coin de terre frappé par toutes sortes de calamités et de désastres aussi bien naturels que ceux causés par des hommes dépourvus de caractère, de vision et de grandeur d'âme. Après plus de 205 ans d'histoire tumultueuse, Haïti vient d'être frappée par un sévère séisme qui a tout mis sous les décombres. Plus de 7 mois après le séisme du 12 Janvier 2010, le pays est toujours au point mort, entre temps, le peuple soumis, victime et victimisé espère toujours qu'il y aura un lendemain meilleur.

Si Haïti ne figure pas dans le rapport de compétitivité globale 2010-2011 ce n'est pas précisément à cause du tremblement de terre, car d'après les experts internationaux, même avec 11 milliards de dollars de reconstruction, il faut plus de 10 ans pour qu'Haïti puisse retourner à l’époque d’avant le séisme dévastateur ; or, avant le séisme, Haïti est classée par Transparence Internationale parmi l'un des 5 pays les plus corrompus du globe(2) après Afghanistan, et suivie par Iraq, Myanmar et Somalie. Une Haïti où la corruption, la criminalité, le kidnapping, la pauvreté, la bêtise humaine se mêlant avec l'incompétence, la mauvaise foi, la méchanceté de la petite élite économique et politique offrent un cocktail putride qui défie l'intelligence, le bon sens et la raison.

Si Haïti se réduit à être une quantité négligeable et négligée, allez demander des comptes à Préval et à son gouvernement médiocre, dangereux et antinational. Allez demander des comptes au petit groupe mafieux qui s'accapare et contrôle tout, qui tue et est prêt à tuer tous ceux qui, au nom du peuple, osent élever leur voix contre leurs intérêts mesquins. Allez demander des comptes aux mercenaires de la communauté internationale qui s'associent avec la mafia locale pour s'enrichir dans des commerces illicites et la vente de nos ressources naturelles. Allez demander des comptes à ces criminels de rue qui tuent, kidnappent, violent et détruisent tout sur leur passage. Allez demander des comptes à ces administrateurs de justice qui ont entre les mains un lourd dossier d’assassinats politiques, de meurtres, de crimes perpétrés contre de paisibles citoyens. Allez demander des comptes à ces méchants traditionnels qui offusquent et zombifient toute initiative individuelle et touts réussite personnelle. Allez demander des comptes à ces leaders politiques qui ont des programmes politiques abracadabrants ou ces soi-disant leaders politiques qui n'ont aucun programme.

Nous étions étonnés de voir que le programme politique de Madame Mirlande Manigat, celle-ci étant qualifiée par plus d’uns la candidate politique la mieux compétente de tout le corps politique haitien,est une collection de vœux pieux, bien rédigée, bien articulée mais qui n'offre aucune solution réelle, aucune approche sérieuse pour résoudre les problèmes du pays. Etrangement, le Plan stratégique de sauvetage national tant promu par le groupe Boulos fait un travail beaucoup plus réaliste en ce sens, mais quelque peu incohérent. Il ne n'agit pas seulement d’identifier un problème, de disserter comme bon vous semble là-dessus, il convient tout aussi bien de nous dire comment vous allez vous y prendre pour le résoudre.

Formuler une ingénierie haïtienne susceptible d’engendrer un développement socio-économique qui cadre avec notre vie de peuple, telle est l’historique tache qui interpelle la conscience de tous ceux qui rêvent d’une Haïti moderne, souveraine et démocratique. Tant que les Haïtiens ne comprennent pas la nécessité et l'urgence d'être artisans de leur propre futur, la vie sur ce coin de terre est terriblement menacée et l'existence même d'Haïti est terriblement menacée.

*Moss M. Jack
   Président-Fondateur
   Institut National Haïtien de Leadership Progressiste
   Institut de la Diaspora Haïtienne Pour le Progrès

Déclaration Publique:

Moss M. Jack est une voix indépendante et progressiste. Il n’est ni un politicien, ni un candidat à aucune fonction élective.il n’est membre d’aucun parti politique, il ne mène aucune campagne pour qui que ce soit. Il est un citoyen engagé qui veut travailler à coté de tous ceux qui militent pour la défense des intérêts d’Haïti et du peuple haïtien. Il ne cesse de préconiser la création d’une Haïti moderne, souveraine, visionnaire et prospère. Il peut être contacté à son blogue: http://haitianpoliticsforum.blogspot.com/

Note:
1-Pour voir en détail les critères de compétitivité entre pays et le rapport complet de compétitivité 2010-2011, cliquez sur ce lien: https://sites.google.com/site/nathaitianleadershipinstitute/
2-Transparence internationale, rapport 2009
http://www.transparency.org/publications/publications/global_corruption_report/gcr2009

2010-08-24T05:11:00.000-07:00

Congratulations To Sarodj Bertin For Representing Haiti in Miss Universe Pageant 2010

Miss Mexico Wins The Crown:Miss Universe 2010

By OSKAR GARCIA, Associated Press Writer
Tue Aug 24, 12:03 AM PDT

From flags to Facebook, 22-year-old Jimena Navarrete has quickly made it clear what she plans to promote as the world's newest Miss Universe — her home country of Mexico.

"I want the whole world to know about my country and my people," the Guadalajara native said after beating 82 competitors for global bragging rights at the pageant in Las Vegas.

"I imagine that they're all going crazy in Mexico right now," she said through an interpreter. "I'm extremely proud and I'm sure they're very proud, too."

She donned a flowing red dress, strutted confidently in a violet bikini, and said onstage that the Internet is indispensable and requires parents to impart family values.

The model-turned pageant queen then posed for pictures with a Mexican flag and Mexico's last Miss Universe as congratulations from her countrymen came pouring in.

"Her triumph is a source of pride and satisfaction for all Mexicans, who see in her the fruits of perseverance," Mexican President Felipe Calderon said in a statement. Immediately after her win, Calderon said on Twitter that her victory would help Mexico's image as a country.

"We won, long live Mexico!" Navarrete said on her fan page on Facebook, spurring 478 "likes" and 218 comments in about one hour.

She was cheered by Spanish-speaking reporters clamoring to talk with her after the pageant, and twice answered questions about Arizona's recent immigration law.

"Every country has the right to impose and enact their laws," she said, wearing her new sash and sparkling tiara. "But I tell you that all the Mexicans and the Latins that are living here in the United States are hardworking people — people who want to improve on their quality of life."

The Miss Universe pageant is known for grabbing headlines — and Navarrete appears ready to make her mark.

She's Mexico's second Miss Universe. Lupita Jones — Navarrete's national pageant director — won in 1991. Navarrete has been modeling since she was 15 and came to Miss Universe after winning for Jalisco, then Mexico, in the country's Nuestra Belleza pageant.

Navarrete replaces Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez of Venezuela. She also spoiled a bid by Miss Venezuela Marelisa Gibson from giving the South American country a third consecutive victory. Neither Gibson nor Miss USA Rima Fakih made the top 15 finalists.

With fans in some 190 countries watching on television and keeping tabs on social networks, Navarrete and her competitors introduced themselves while wearing over-the-top national costumes. They then danced in silver and black dresses for the show's opening number before the last 15 finalists were announced.

The final 15 walked in swimsuits while Cirque du Soleil musicians played Elvis Presley songs including "Viva Las Vegas." The last 10 impressed in their gowns while John Legend and the Roots played a soulful medley including "Save Room."

By the end of the show, seven of the top 10 trending topics on Twitter had to do with the pageant, its contestants, its judges or owner Donald Trump. The mogul co-owns the pageant with TV network NBC.

The show was without any major gaffes, except for Miss Philippines' answer when asked what her biggest mistake in life was and how she fixed it.

"In my 22 years of existence, I can say there is nothing major," Venus Raj said.

Before the pageant, Raj was rated among the top contestants in an online poll on the pageant's website. She finished in fifth place.

Asked by Olympic gold-medal figure skater Evan Lysacek how she felt about unsupervised Internet use, Navarrete said the Internet is important.

"I do believe that Internet is an indispensable, necessary tool for the present time," she said through an interpreter. "We must be sure to teach them the values that we learned as a family."

Lysacek was one of this year's nine celebrity judges. The others were actresses Jane Seymour and Chynna Phillips; actors Chazz Palminteri and William Baldwin; magician Criss Angel; MSNBC anchor Tamron Hall; drummer Sheila E.; and supermodel Niki Taylor.

Navarrete won a package of prizes including an undisclosed salary, a luxury New York apartment with living expenses, a one-year scholarship to the New York Film Academy with housing after her reign, plus jewelry, clothes and shoes fit for a beauty champion.

Campbell won the Miss Congeniality Universe award. Miss Thailand Fonthip Watcharatrakul won Miss Photogenic Universe and a second award for having the best national costume.

First runner-up was Miss Jamaica Yendi Phillipps, while second runner-up was Miss Australia Jesinta Campbell.

Fakih, a 24-year-old Lebanese immigrant from Dearborn, Mich., spurred celebrations among Arab-Americans when she won Miss USA. Pageant records aren't detailed enough to show whether Fakih is the first Arab-American, Muslim or immigrant to win Miss USA.

Miss USA has not been named Miss Universe since Brook Lee won the title in 1997.

2010-08-18T15:43:00.000-07:00

Haiti:L’Agenda Mafieux De

L'international

Par JOEL LEON

The Haitian national palace collapsed during the earthquake on January 12,2010

« L’occident mentait à l’homme noir, à l’homme jaune et a l’homme blanc. Il mentait au moins depuis quatre siècles a tous les colonisés de la terre »
René Depestre (Alléluia pour une femme jardin)

La communauté internationale a beaucoup d’agendas pour Haïti. Elle veut un état stable à la manière de la république Dominicaine ou les mouvements sociaux subissent les « lois du sacrifice pragmatique » imposées par les investisseurs étrangers. Il faut des élections pour assurer l’alternance politique sans violence, faire d’Haïti une extension touristique de la république Dominicaine, maintenir dans une cage le peuple revendicatif d’Haïti en l’arrosant de jobs dans les hôtels et restaurants, s’approprier silencieusement de la souveraineté nationale et envahir le pays d’homosexuels et lesbiennes pour satisfaire les désirs des riches pervertis. René Préval, par l’intermédiaire de ses conseillers canadiens, le connait très bien, l’agenda international, il s’impose comme le seul garant de cette stabilité. Les blancs le crurent jusqu'à ce que des manifestations nationales éclatent dans le pays réclamant sa démission. L’image qu’il s’était projetée de lui s’évapore a grande vitesse qui pousse les blancs à interroger ses multiples promesses. L’agenda international dépend en grande partie de la capacité des dirigeants à pacifier les masses populaires. Le prochain président d’Haïti sera un homme fort pour ne pas dire un « san manman » capable de rééditer le massacre de René Préval a cite soleil au mois de décembre 2008.

QUELLE STABILITE !

L’international veut que des technocrates s’investissent du pouvoir en Haïti en vue de renforcer une classe moyenne haïtienne sans vocation et moribonde. L’administration publique, doit être dirigée par des cadres ayant étudié dans les grandes capitales occidentales. D’après cette Policy, c’est le seul moyen de stabiliser le pays en invitant plus de bouches autour de la table. Le problème c’est qu’a chaque coup d’état, traditionnellement conceptualisé et financé par la CIA, des cadres sont contraints à l’exil volontaire ou involontaire afin d’échapper a la chasse aux sorciers déclarée par le gouvernement issu du coup. Ainsi bon nombre de professionnels haïtiens quittent le pays, se refugiant sous d’autres cieux plus cléments que celui d’Haïti transformé en cauchemar par les puissances occidentales. L’exode de la classe moyenne est la conséquence de la politique de terre brulée pratiquée contre les masses revendicatives haïtiennes qui crée cette instabilité chronique.

Les masses ne font pas partie de cet agenda cynique de renforcement de la classe moyenne ; on s’en fout pas mal, qu’elles crèvent ! Le seul problème c’est comment parachuter les technocrates au pouvoir pour s’assurer d’une certaine « stabilité ». L’expérience de Gérard Latortue a la primature après le coup du 29 février fut un projet pilote pour conditionner l’avenir. Son échec patent a mis cette tendance en détresse, car l’un des problèmes avec les technocrates en exercice, dans le tiers-monde et les pays de l’ancien bloc de l’est, c’est qu’ils ne pensent pas, ils mettent en pratique des recettes comme des robots, très souvent mal apprises et inadaptées. En guise d’amélioration, très souvent les technocrates conduisent les pays à des catastrophes économiques obligeant les dirigeants à faire marche-arrière sur les cadres indigènes. Gérard Latortue, s’est envolé sans pouvoir assister à la passation des responsabilités étatiques au nouveau locataire de la primature, parce que sa tête a été mise à prix dans les milieux populaires. Malgré tout, les technocrates venus de l’étranger sont indispensables aux élections à venir.

Le suffrage universel, c'est-à-dire les élections, que l’occident promote à coup d’argent et de manipulations depuis plus de 50 ans, ne s’affirme pas toujours comme un outil déterminant et fiable a leur cause. Le cas d’Haïti du 16 décembre 1990, s’impose comme un échantillon incontournable de la fragilité du suffrage universel. Jean B. Aristide, le candidat des pauvres a fait une razzia au cours de ces élections, au prime a bord destinées a Marc Bazin. La participation massive des pauvres dans ces joutes à porter les « Policy makers » à revoir totalement leurs copies et recourir a la méthode sauvage de coup d’état pour se défaire du défi des masses. Cette arrogance des pauvres a été punie par plus de 5000 morts pendant 3 ans, naturellement, non sans résistance. Aujourd’hui, les transfuges ne seront pas admis, il faut des valets authentiques à la première magistrature de l’état. Donc, les élections ne seront que des formalités !

QUELLES ELECTIONS !

Comme je l’avais déjà ecrit dans « Haïti : eleksyon pike kole », les élections prévues pour je ne sais quand, seront une farce. Maintenant, il importe de comprendre pourquoi sont elles si colorisées avec ces multitudes de candidats folkloriques. Il ne faut jamais s’illusionner sur la capacité de l’occident a faire triompher sa cause, il le fait avec succès depuis plus de 2000 ans. Wyclef Jean et les autres sont là pour exciter de l’intérêt à la mascarade, parce que le peuple a d’autres chats à fouetter qui sont beaucoup plus fondamentaux que la comédie des « amis d’Haïti ». Pour cela, tous les moyens sont bons, y compris transformer le processus en un carnaval des fleurs animé par des musiciens en mal de pouvoir. Cependant, il ne faut pas négliger les technocrates qui sont aussi dans la course.

Tout d’abord, déblayons le terrain ! Les occupants ne font pas confiance aux politiciens locaux.
Sur le plan international, on a toujours eu ce problème avec Haïti, les impondérables sont trop courants dans notre histoire et déraillent souvent les calculs des plus grands stratèges du département d’état et des autres sphères d’intérêts politiques. Drôle de pays, drôle de peuple ! Au département d’état on n’est pas optimiste a propos de la mission confiée à Bill Clinton en Haïti. S’il est vrai que Bill n’est pas étranger à la politique haïtienne, néanmoins ses limites sont patentes en termes de mettre ensemble une grande frange de la classe politique au profit d’un candidat. La mission de celui-ci est sous haute surveillance parce que tous les paramètres ne sont pas maitrisés. Il y a une certaine affinité typiquement haïtienne que les étrangers n’arrivent toujours pas à comprendre dans le pays, le jeu des alliances. Dans ce sens, ils n’arrivent pas a trouver une formule capable de cimenter autour de leurs hommes appropriés une alliance durable parce que chaque haut fonctionnaire rêve de devenir chef d’état un jour. Les ennemis d’aujourd’huipeuvent conclure des alliances inimaginables en moins de 24 heures. Ajouter a cela que dans les réunions internationales, l’haïtien dit toujours oui, pour se renier plus tard sans aucune gêne ou aucune explication plausible. L’exemple le plus condescendant à ce niveau est le cas d’Aristide. Apres avoir passe 3 ans en exil aux Etats-Unis, on croyait l’avoir pris au piège. Or, après son retour, en quelques jours, une remise en question de tout un ensemble de décisions ou promesses étaient déjà en branle à l’intérieur d’un plan de rectification. Les Clinton ne pardonneront jamais ce spectaculaire revirement à Aristide. Donc, la réalité politique haïtienne reste toujours mouvante avec des politiciens qui sont maitres dans l’art du jeu de dilatoire, qu’ils soient de droite ou de gauche. A partir de cette lecture, rien n’est totalement joué à l’ avance dans ce pays. Cependant, il faut que coute que coute les hommes du département d’état soient au pouvoir pour s’assurer du succès de l’agenda décrit plus haut, dont des parlementaires dociles a la cause.

D’AUTRES ENJEUX ELECTORAUX

Depuis le départ forcé de Jean B. Aristide pour l’exil, le 29 février 2004, plusieurs dizaines d’accords internationaux sont signés par Gérard Latortue et René Préval. L’exécutif pose ses actes très souvent en dehors du droit de contrôle du parlement haïtien. Des dizaines d’autres attendent le nouveau parlement, donc les élections législatives sont plus importantes que jamais pour le pays. Tous ces accords sont liés avec les gisements de toutes sortes que le pays possède dans son sous-sol. Déjà des compagnies sont sur le terrain exploitant de l’or, sans que le bureau des mines puisse produire des explications à ce sujet. Il suffit de jeter un coup d’œil dans le « livre blanc » de Fanmi lavalas pour se faire une idée des richesses minérales que le pays a en réserve.

Des rumeurs persistantes courent les milieux diplomatiques Haïtiens et les couloirs des Nations-Unies sur la forte probabilité qu’Haïti s’étende sur une réserve pétrolifère comparable à celle de l’Arabie Saoudite. Au Canada, le premier ministre Jean Max Bellerive, avait admis que le pétrole est bel et bien existé en Haïti. Sans compter, au bureau des mines, les demandes exploratoires des 4 plus grandes compagnies mondiales dans ce domaine. Donc, un parlement « koupyon » est nécessaire pour ratifier les accords antinationaux et promulguer des lois tributaires a la nation. Le combat pour la conquête du pouvoir exécutif se fait sous les éclats des media, mais l’autre lutte pour le contrôle du législatif se fait sans les regards du public qui, est beaucoup plus fondamentale encore pour le futur du peuple haïtien. Le parti de René Préval, INITE, le comprend absolument bien et s’investit à fond pour s’octroyer une majorité absolue au sein du nouveau parlement.

« LOIS DU SACRIFICE PRAGMATIQUE »

« Lois du sacrifice pragmatique » est une approche consistant à négocier avec les gouvernements des pays de la périphérie des termes invisibles, ne figurant nulle part, que les autorités du travail doivent fourrer dans la gorge des syndicalistes jaunes. Sous formes de « renforcement institutionnel et démocratique », des organisations comme l’IRI, MDI, Open Society, National endowment for democracy etc. sont la pour maitriser les organisations sociales et populaires. Les voyages à l’étranger dans des conférences ou séminaires sur le travail sont très courant, ce qui crée un sentiment de supériorité chez les dirigeants syndicaux par rapport aux masses salariales. Tout ceci dans l’objectif de créer un climat stable favorable aux investissements étrangers, d’après ce qu’on dit, indispensable a la croissance économique et création d’emplois. Pour eux, stabilité est synonyme d’obéissance aveugle, voir même d’abandon des droits revendicatifs des travailleurs de lutter pour améliorer leurs conditions de travail et de vie. En fait, ils d’une société civile haïtienne docile.
L’agenda en cours n’est pas national, d’où la nécessité de le combattre du bec et des ongles.

JOEL LEON

Haitian Politics Forum: Miss Haiti Sarodj Bertin: A Breath Of Fresh Air Fo...

2010-08-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

Haitian Politics Forum: Miss Haiti Sarodj Bertin: A Breath Of Fresh Air For Haiti...: Posted by Moss M.Jack – Tue Aug 17, 10:14 am ET

2010-08-17T11:26:00.000-07:00

Miss Haiti Sarodj Bertin: A Breath Of Fresh Air For Haiti

By SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS, AP Entertainment Writer – Tue Aug 17, 10:14 am ET

NEW YORK – The first Miss Haiti in 22 years is not the typical contestant you'd find in a beauty pageant. She is a young lawyer who speaks four languages and is happy to be able to help her country after the horrific earthquake that devastated the impoverished Caribbean nation last January.

Sarodj Bertin had a privileged childhood in Puerto Principe until age 9, when her mother, lawyer and opposition leader Mireille Durocher Bertin, was gunned down after announcing the creation of a political party that would compete with that of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in the upcoming elections.

Her father then moved Sarodj and his other children to the neighboring Dominican Republic, where the 24-year-old beauty, who considered her mother her idol, studied law and worked for the International Alliance for Haiti's Recovery.

Nevertheless, she was obsessed with the Miss Universe pageant. After the earthquake, she entered a contest, won and spent the last few months in Puerto Rico with the director of the Miss Dominican Republic and Miss Haiti franchises, Magali Febles, who took charge of her training for Miss Universe, to be held Aug. 23 in Las Vegas. (The pageant will air on NBC and Telemundo, 9 p.m.-11 p.m. EDT.)

In a recent interview at the Miss Universe headquarters in New York, Bertin spoke with The Associated Press about the importance of her new role, how she expects to help her country and a mishap that would have been the end of the world to any other contestant: Her luggage with her entire Miss Universe wardrobe disappeared on a recent flight to Miami.

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AP: What are you going to wear now that you have lost your Miss Universe wardrobe?

Bertin: The people of Haiti have been extremely supportive. They learned what happened and a few designers came to me and loaned me their gowns, bags, shoes. And I, I feel like the most special person in the world right now because they cared for me.

AP: You are a lawyer, you're studying for a masters, you speak French, Spanish, English and Creole, and you are learning Mandarin. You are not the typical Miss Universe contestant.

Bertin: The Miss Universe pageant has always been a dream for me, since I was a kid. I used to watch the contest and think, "Why is my country not participating? I want to see Haiti participating." ... When I finished college, I gave up on the idea. I thought it would never happen. I thought someday ... I could celebrate the contest and send a girl myself. So when they told me that they were going to do it this year ... I trembled, I cried, I screamed.

[Related: Miss Universe body paint photo controversy]

AP: Some criticized the contest, considering it too frivolous, especially amid such a state of emergency.

Bertin: Everybody remembers Haiti in moments of crisis. ... I want them to see also the beauty that there is in my country, to be interested in giving opportunities to the young people. ... They should see it as a light, a hope.

AP: How do you think your participation in the contest can help your country?

Bertin: There are many people who want to help but don't know how and sometimes they need a voice to tell them what are the necessities of the people. I want the people, through me, to be who says what their necessities are.

AP: What are your expectations for the big day?

Bertin: Obviously, if I win I'm going to be the happiest woman. ... (But) regardless what occurs that night, my objectives are the same: work for my people.

2010-07-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

Haiti-Reconstruction

US Has Delivered Zero on $1B Aid Pledged to Haiti
And most of the rest of the world has done no better.

By Kevin Spak| Posted 12 hours, 15 minutes ago|

(Newser) – Remember all that money the nations of the world generously pledged to help with Haiti’s earthquake relief efforts? It hasn’t materialized, CNN reports. Less than 2% of the $5.3 billion promised at an aid conference in March has actually been delivered to the UN, with only Brazil, Norway, Estonia, and Australia ponying up the cash. The US hasn’t given a dime of the $1.15 billion it pledged—Congress still hasn’t approved the money.

Bill Clinton, the UN’s special envoy to Haiti, says he intends to pester nations that haven’t paid. “I’m going to call all those governments,” he said. “I think they’re all having economic trouble, and they want to hold their money as long as possible.” The pledges were for the 2010-11 fiscal year, so countries have a while before the money is actually overdue, but Clinton wants them to give him a hard schedule of when to expect it.

2010-06-28T16:58:00.000-07:00

US Census: Haiti population booming after quake

Monday,June 28,2010

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Haiti's population will continue to grow quickly despite the tremendous loss of life in the January earthquake, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released Monday.

The bureau estimates Haiti's current population at 9.6 million, based on an estimated quake death toll of 230,000.

It projects the impoverished country will recover and surpass its pre-quake population level by 2012. By 2050, the bureau says, Haiti will have 13.4 million people.

The Dominican Republic, with a nearly identical population, is expected to keep up the same pace. By contrast the populations of now-similarly sized European countries like Sweden and Belarus are expected to decline over the same period.

Overcrowding is already blamed by aid workers and experts for many of Haiti's woes, from environmental degredation and hunger to the deaths of thousands crushed by stacked concrete homes during the earthquake.

The figures were published in the census bureau's online International Data Base, with estimates and projections for 226 other countries and areas.

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Online at http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/

2010-06-16T19:10:00.001-07:00

A great Haitian passed away: Marc L.Bazin

Marc Louis Bazin (March 6, 1932 – June 16, 2010) was a former World Bank official, former United Nations functionary and Haitian Minister of Finance and Economy under the dictatorship of Jean-Claude Duvalier. He was prime minister of Haïti appointed on June 4, 1992 by the military government that had seized power on September 30, 1991.

He was considered to be the favorite Haitian presidential candidate of the George H. W. Bush administration and the bourgeois population of Haïti.when the country could no longer last in foreign relations as a military dictatorship and had to open the government up to free elections in 1990. Bazin was seen as a front runner if the elections were to happen before the Left in Haïti had time to reorganize.

He received 14% of the vote, Jean-Bertrand Aristide winning with 67%.[2] After nine months, Aristide was deposed by a military coup. In June 1992, the army appointed Bazin as acting prime minister. Washington's initial response was that he held the post illegally, but they soon warmed up to him and pressed Aristide to negotiate with the military and Bazin. With the change in administrations, the policy changed.He resigned on June 8, 1993.

Bazin was also a fervent political opponent of Aristide, and ran in the 2006 election for the presidency of Haïti, but was reported to have received only about 0.68% of the vote in the 35-candidate race.

Apres Duvalier Marc Bazin a St Marc

2010-06-16T19:02:00.002-07:00

Marc Bazin-corruption et le regime de Duvalier

2010-06-16T19:02:00.001-07:00

2010-06-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, June 16,2010
A great Haitian passed away:Marc L.Bazin

Marc Louis Bazin (March 6, 1932 – June 16, 2010) was a former World Bank official, former United Nations functionary and Haitian Minister of Finance and Economy under the dictatorship of Jean-Claude Duvalier. He was prime minister of Haïti appointed on June 4, 1992 by the military government that had seized power on September 30, 1991.

He was considered to be the favorite Hatian presidential candidate of the George H. W. Bush administration and the bourgeois population of Haïti.when the country could no longer last in foreign relations as a military dictatorship and had to open the government up to free elections in 1990. Bazin was seen as a front runner if the elections were to happen before the Left in Haïti had time to reorganize.

He received 14% of the vote, Jean-Bertrand Aristide winning with 67%.[2] After nine months, Aristide was deposed by a military coup. In June 1992, the army appointed Bazin as acting prime minister. Washington's initial response was that he held the post illegally, but they soon warmed up to him and pressed Aristide to negotiate with the military and Bazin. With the change in administrations, the policy changed.He resigned on June 8, 1993.

Bazin was also a fervent political opponent of Aristide, and ran in the 2006 election for the presidency of Haïti, but was reported to have received only about 0.68% of the vote in the 35-candidate race.

2010-05-23T04:38:00.000-07:00

Commentary: Haiti and its flawed electoral process!

Published on Saturday, May 22, 2010

By Jean H Charles*

The Haitian Constitution stipulates that regular presidential elections shall take place every five years on the last Sunday of November, with a presidential inauguration to take place on the following February 7, to correspond ab eternum to the day the Haitian people delivered themselves from the Duvalier dictatorial regime.

The earthquake of January 12, 2010, has destroyed the capital city of Port au Prince as well as surrounding cities of Jacmel, Leogane, Petit Goave and Grand Goave, with more than 1.7 million people sleeping under a tent, sometimes in the rain amidst squalor and the mud. Vital records have been destroyed, the dead have been cremated without proper state sponsored identification and the Preval government has exhibited a culture of deception, corruption, and perversion of the electoral process. It is a perfect storm to create a disaster in lives lost in the next few months. It is also the perfect tool for maintaining the status quo through a flawed electoral process.

Yet the international community, through the voice of the OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin, the United Nations representative Edmond Mulet, the CARICOM delegate PJ Patterson, is pushing full speed ahead for a flawed election to take place under the baton of Rene Preval, a master mind of cunning, double talk, and plain disregard for the plight of the majority of the Haitian people.

He personifies the man Paul Berman would qualify in his recent book, The Flight of the Intellectuals, as the Pretender, saying different things to different audiences with no truth and no conviction to either. He is neither a capitalist, nor a socialist, nor a nationalist. He is “a dark smudge of ambiguity”. Here are some relevant facts on Preval’s past election records.
The election of April 6, 1997 was set for the renewal of one third of the Senate; he forced upon the electorate Fourell Celestin, a recently drug convicted. There was opposition from the Electoral Board, causing its president Leon Manus to be spirited by an American helicopter to safer pasture abroad to avoid injury to his person.

The election of May 2000 as well as the election of November 26, 2000 was mired in irregularities and disfranchisement of the majority.

The election of April 21, 2009 has repeated the canvass of the election of April 6, 1997, with President Preval incubating with state funds the candidates of notorious human rights violators. There was very low national participation.
He was on his way of forging ahead with his macabre plan of succeeding himself through his newlywed wife or one of his trusted companions when, to quote the malicious Haitian people, God got Himself into the fray and allowed the earthquake the very afternoon after a crucial meeting of Preval in the national palace to seal the election in his favor.

May 18 commemorates the weaving of the flag made with the blue and red piece of cloth from which the white piece symbolizing colonial France has been extirpated. On this very day of celebration, the people of Haiti are demonstrating en masse, on the street demanding the forced departure of the Preval government so they can go on with their lives, and ensure a fairly clean election.

Will Preval and the international community, through misguided policy, succeed in maintaining a status quo that will lead to disaster in the coming months of the hurricane season with millions of people at risk? Or will the Haitian people succeed in forging a new order of business in running the Republic of Haiti?

To solve this dilemma, I will peer into the history of the Haitian Revolution and the story of the United States Black Emancipation for inspiration as to the outcome of this David and Goliath re-enacting the biblical battle.

I am now 64 years old. I have only lived 11 years in my youth in the bliss of the dream of living in a country where hope was part of the staple of the daily life. Yet I belong to the 10 percent minority of Haitian people where the roof was sound, the food was always on the table and the best education was a given expectation and a reality.

For the past 50 years, the mass of Haitian have endured a living hell. Through dictatorial regimes Duvalier pere and Duvalier fils, through military regime, Namphy, Avril and, Regala, through the populism regimes of Aristide and Preval, through government of transition, Malval, Latortue, it has been for Haiti and for the Haitian people: the more things change, the more they remain the same.

The United Nations, through several acronyms:
MICIVIH February 1993- May 1998 to support the embargo against Haiti
UNMIH September 1993- Jun 1996 to support the American military intervention
UNSMIH July 1996- 1997
UNTMIH August 1997 – November 1997
MIPONUH December 1997- March 2000
MINUSTAH April 2004 to present
(Source: http://solutionshaiti.blogspot.com/2009/01/haiti-facts-and-foreign-occupation.html)

have promised that they will stand fast to support and help the Haitian people to gravitate towards a better life. Yet, Haiti has since been sinking deeper into bigger risk in food security, diminution of human life protection and severe environmental degradation. It was Edmond Mulet of the United Nations who picked up Rene Preval from his hamlet of Marmelade to help to catapult him into his second mandate. Mr Mulet has today the odious task of helping Preval to choose his successor.

The Haitian intellectual and political class has for once entered into a holy alliance with the masses to say no to this plan. They have decided that Haiti must enter into a new paradigm where the children will be fed and schooled, where taking a leaking boat to Miami or the Bahamas is a nightmare of the past, where the government will work with the Diaspora to create a land hospitable to all, where the flora will be replenished with precious wood such as mahogany. They also plan to unleash the creativity of the critical mass of Haitian people for their own benefit and their personal wealth accumulation.

The international community has responded with unusual humanity and compassion to the earthquake-stricken Haiti with ten billion dollars, the corrupt regime and the partisans of the status quo will easily sink $100 billion with no apparent result for the Haitian people. They have discovered a brand new concept: disaster profiteering.

It took the advent of Abraham Lincoln after sixty years the American Independence to recognize that “American slavery had been an offense that God was ready to see destroyed”. Frederic Douglass, the black American avenger, saw the Federalist War against the South as a path to the nation’s healing, even “when the cold and greedy earth drinks up the warm red blood of our patriot sons, brothers, husbands and fathers, carrying sorrow and agony into every household.”

Will the deaths of some 300,000 Haitian people be in vain? Parodying Lincoln “with malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation’s wounds”! This is the rallying cry of the new Haitian coalition that plans to remake the Haitian Revolution of 1804 in 2011 not with bullets but with ballots. We need a culture of respect for the electoral process.

Indeed, two hundred years ago, Napoleon Bonaparte succumbing to the pressure from the former colonial planters of Haiti, formerly St Domingue, invaded the country to re-establish slavery dismantled by Toussaint Louverture. Napoleon succeeded in kidnapping Toussaint but the roots of liberty were too deep to be uprooted. The Haitian indigenous army rebuilt and energized by the Congress of May 18, 1803 submitted a definitive blow to slavery for the benefit of the entire world. The only predecessor to this epic story of defying slavery was a vain attempt by Spartacus against the Roman Empire in 73 BC!

The Western world has succeeded in realigning Haiti to a de facto slavery condition through the connivance of its own leaders after the assassination of the black avenger, Jean Jacques Dessalines, in 1807. Haiti is today, after two hundred years, a de facto apartheid regime. The labeling is cheap but the facts are convincing. Not one of the 565 rural hamlets of Haiti has received any funding for infrastructure and institution building. Seven million Haitian people out of the 9 million population live in extreme misery, neglect and ostracism from their own government.

The holy coalition amongst the Haitian civil society, the masses, the Diaspora, the intellectual class is determined to dismantle that status quo. No amount of intimidation and pressure from the Haitian government and its allies – the so-called friends of Haiti- will stop this new alliance. Haiti needs a café au lait revolution a la Martin Luther King or a la Nelson Mandela to create a culture of inclusion for the majority.

The Vatican some two hundred years ago was supporting slavery! It did oppose the recognition of Haiti! Victory is always on the side of morality. In the long run! There is a Creole proverb that says: la guerre avertie pa tue co-co be. Cicero said it best: Caveat Consules!

*Jean H Charles MSW, JD is Executive Director of AINDOH Inc a non profit organization dedicated to building a kinder and gentle Caribbean zone for all.

2010-05-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

Pétition pour demander la démission du président Préval et de son gouvernement et la formation d'un gouvernement de salut Public et de reconstruction

Depuis le 12 Janvier 2010 le peuple haïtien vit dans une situation exécrable où le mensonge d'un Etat haïtien s'est éclaté au grand jour. Le gouvernement de Préval-Bellerive est incapable de gérer l'état de crise post sismique et devient aux yeux de tous une honte nationale.

Les pays soi-disant amis d'Haïti en voulant se servir avec ceux par qui le scandale arrive prouvent une nouvelle fois à tous ceux qui veulent le comprendre qu'ils entendent garder le même statu quo discriminatoire et mener la même éternelle politique d'interference, d’ingerence, de diktat dans les affaires haïtiennes à leur profit et non au profit du peuple haïtien.

IL est temps que les haïtiens se réveillent et prennent leur destinée en main et négocient avec tout pays qui entend respecter la souveraineté d'Haïti et veut nous aider dans un esprit de partenariat et de coopération à rebâtir le pays où tous les haïtiens ont droit de vivre.

En consequence, nous appelons solennellement à la démission du président Préval et de son gouvernement et son remplacement par un gouvernement de salut public et de reconstruction pour jeter les bases d'une nouvelle Haïti souveraine, moderne et visionnaire.

La tache de ce gouvernement de salut public et de reconstruction composé de 5 membres c'est de:

- coordonner une meilleure distribution de l'aide internationale destinée aux victimes et aux sinistrés.

-prendre le contrôle de la gestion de la crise post sismique et de la reconstruction de concert avec la communaute internationale et tous les secteurs de la Societe civile.

-inventorier la géographie physique du pays et revaloriser la contribution de la diaspora dans le but de trouver des atouts majeurs pouvant aider à la reconstruction du pays.

-tracer une ligne de démarcation profonde entre les intérêts de la communauté internationale et ceux du peuple haïtien.

-Relancer et recréer les institutions haitiennes, le pouvoir executif, l’appareil juduciaire, la sécurité publique, la police, les forces armées Haitiennes, l’administration publique, la décentralisation du commerce et des activités économiques.

-promouvoir la régionalisation économique en valorisant tous les départements géographiques du pays.

-Combattre l'inégalité économique et la monopolisation de la richesse nationale.

-lancer un plan stratégique national de développement basé sur le long terme.

-préparer les élections générales dans tout le pays quand toutes les conditions sont réunies.

Cette pétition est un rejet historique du statut quo politique haitien, du gouvernement incompétent de Preval-Bellerive, de la mainmise hypocrite sur Haïti des pays dit amis d'Haïti et de la centralisation de la sphère politique et économique par une petite élite seculaire motivée seulement par l’appât du gain personnel et mesquin au détriment de la grande masse pauvre et paysanne.

Aujourd’hui est l’heure du changement, le pays ne peut plus attendre.

Fait le Jeudi 11 Février 2010,l'an 206 de l'indépendance d'Haiti.

Suivent les signataires:
Moss M. Jack
President fondateur
Institut National Haitien de Leadership
Institut de La Diaspora Haitienne Pour Le Progrès

Priere de faire circuler la petition

Pour signer la petition ou ajouter votre nom,aller sur le site:

http://sites.google.com/site/nathaitianleadershipinstitute/

une autre facon d'ajouter votre nom aussi consiste a envoyer un email.

2010-05-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

A tall order for the next President of Haiti!

By: Jean Herve Charles
Commentaries on Saturday May 8th, 2010
The President of Haiti, Rene Preval, according to the Haitian Constitution in its articles, 134.3 and 149, cannot seek another mandate nor can he prolong his tenure beyond February 7th 2011; He has sent legislation to the Haitian Congress seeking a prolongation of his term until May 4th 2011. Such steps in the past have caused the demise of two Haitian Presidents, Dumarsais Estime in 1950 and Paul Eugene Magloire in 1956.

The next President of Haiti will have a tall order on his or her shoulder; he will have to combine the vision of John Marshall and Winston Churchill after the Second War in shaping the reconstruction of Europe for the rebuilding of the country, the magnanimity of Abraham Lincoln in preserving the Union while going to war against the rebelling South, the gallantry of Nelson Mandela in embracing his white jailers after his decade of imprisonment and he will need also the bravura of Dr. Martin Luther King in redeeming the United States to make good on its promise of one nation under God.

He will have to first, delve into the state of state of Haiti, the reasons why it is in a situation where, when you apply even the minimum standard of welfare and modernity, Haiti falls short in hospitality to its citizens before the earthquake of January 12, 2010.

The brand name Haiti is forever associated with the concept of a nation that defy the world order to dismantle the practice of slavery as it was implemented all over the Western Hemisphere. The gallant Haiti of 1804 is also the infamous Haiti of 1806 that assassinated its Liberator Jean Jacques Dessalines and eradicated its name from the National frontispiece for the next one hundred years.

Henry Christophe the second in command has tried but failed to inculcate the concept of nation building into the entire country. Supported by the French secret diplomacy, Alexander Petion succeeded in taking away the full command of the entire territory from Christophe, he succeeded also in imprinting the Haitian cultural ethos that we have today, Papa Petion and his subsequent successors is all right as long as he has a legacy that count a lyceum in Port au Prince, Lycee Petion, and a city named after him, Petionville.

The citizens of Haiti have come to the reality of expecting little from their government and their government has assumed the obligation of providing not even the minimum standard of services to its citizens. Imagine out of the 565 rural hamlets in Haiti not five, not three not a single one is equipped with electricity, portable water, decent roads, affordable habitat, incubation to business and entrepreneurship.

This Haiti ruled by mulattoes and few illiterate black Presidents during the first one hundred fifty years of its life as a nation has caused an occupation by the American in 1915 and underdevelopment in every aspect of the national life. The indices in health, education, infrastructure and welfare were below standard in the entire republic.

Around that time Jean Price Mars, a towering figure, a Martin Luther King, a Nelson Mandela before the time, came with a message and a promise of redemption. He failed though to create a school and a movement that would carry the concept, we are all Haitians, as such beautiful and proud, deserving respect from each other, and services from a government for the people and by the people. By contrast Lorimer Denis, Francois Duvalier and Dumarsais Estime his students, succeeded in prostituting the concept of Black is also beautiful into a doctrine of noirisme. It is now time for Blacks only to get into the seat of power and influence.

Paul Eugene Magloire the ideological neutral president failed to realize the extent of the abyss of the Haitian social structure between people of the same nation, to bring about much needed correction. As such his successors, Duvalier, Aristide and Preval with their strict application of the noirisme doctrine has sink Haiti into an abyss so deep that the world were taken by surprise on January 12, 2010 when the lead was raised into the open on the state of squalor so widespread into the entire country. In fact the black Presidents of the last fifty years have been as delinquent in their governance of Haiti as the Mulattoes Presidents have been in their one hundred fifty years of government.

To solve the puzzle the next president will have to shift into another paradigm of conceptual thinking to move Haiti into a sustained development mode. If we expect each president to only build their own trophy city: ‘Petionville, Magloireville, Estimeville, Augusteville, Prevalville” we may wait another one hundred years before Haiti is equipped with rudimentary structure of modernity.

To apprehend and solve the problem of Haiti he must apply the Renan Doctrine of solidarity to and welfare for all. Ernest Renan, albeit his racists remarks about Blacks have laid down the best known formula to create a nation that shall become harmonious and hospitable to all. His criteria called for the full control of one’s border with one’s own army to do so. He called for the love and the admiration of the founding fathers through civic education into the mores and the ethos of the nation; last but not least the obligation to leave no one behind, alien or not, minorities as well as the majority to create a nation harmonious for all.

The next President of Haiti will have to go beyond the politics of slogan to institute true affirmative action programs in the form of incubating small business enterprises to fill the deep divide between the different social classes in the country.

He will need to call on investors – national and international- to form a public – private partnership to build roads, airports, ports and power plants. He will have the task of decentralizing the institutions to make them hospitable to all citizens while rooting out the virus of corruption. He will need also to effectuate a better coordination of the mission and the tasks of the many non profit organizations – ONG - established in the country.

The new government will need to go back to the drawing board to stop the implementation of the tent cities. No nation ever developed under a tent city. The internal refugees shall be encouraged to return to their ancestral homes with funding, and institutional resources to root them in the new setting. The Republic of Haiti has 140 small towns, 565 rural hamlets and 10 major cities beyond the Capital that would welcome the refugees with open arms with a minimum of national funding. In fact the amount of money wasted in temporary tent cities would have already put Haiti into the rail of reconstruction if this ill advised policy was not implemented.

Last but not least he will need to build artist’s villages to rekindle the creativity of the critical mass of Haitian artists. The next President shall also try to make Haitian people smile and laugh again while they tell stories, jokes and wits that are the hallmark of the Haitian ethos.

Haiti in 2011 will have to lead an epic battle not with bullets but with ballots to recreate or perfect 1804. In 1807, it make a left turn from the founding fathers doctrine and dream to create a Haiti and a world that would be full of opportunity for all instead of a dog eat dog principle with the crumbs going to the perceived meek and the lowly.

The United States with the advocacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and the leadership of Lyndon Johnson have embarked into the road of a more perfect society. It is a work in progress; it has already produced the first black family in the White House, the Obama family.

Recently some countries in Asia, Singapore and Malaysia in particular have understood the strength of the Renan doctrine. Their government has sought to apply the principle in their governance practice. Malay, Indians and other ethnic groups have learned to leave and coexist with each other for the glory and the wealth of the nation.

In the Caribbean, Haiti occupies the last place in development with Guyana because of their governance discriminatory practice. The Indo Guyanese have their own political party the PPP and the Black Guyanese have also their own, the PNP. The Indo-Guyanese, in majority, that occupy the seat of power, pay a lip service to the Black Guyanese pauperizing the country for both.

There is a movement now in Trinidad to export that movement into the political canvass with the Unity Party organized by the Indo-Trini citizens. I am predicting it will not succeed; Donald Manning will win the May election on the strength of the tradition of multi cultural harmony in Trinidad between most of the ethnic groups.

The new Haitian government will have to engage the Diaspora and the true of friends of Haiti all over the world to create the space of hospitality for the majority of Haitians. We have seen not only on TV but with our own eyes how there was no respect for the living nor for the dead. Pretending as some counterparts in the international community want us to accept the status quo as the guiding light to continue a legacy and shape the future of Haiti can only lead into a Goudou-goudou or a Poseidon much stronger and much destructive than the one on January 12 2010.

Haiti will have to deliver albeit with their ballots the blow the Haitian founding fathers deliver to the troops of Napoleon on November 1803 to create a country hospitable to all.

I have laid down the hospitable doctrine in several articles (the Haitian solution part II) in www.Haitinetnews.com one should visit the site in the section commentaries.

To conclude Haiti and its new government should reflect and ponder on this message:

I have been without sleep, and I have fought, sometimes alone
And if I have been fortunate enough to transmit into your hands
The sacred legacy that you have trusted with me
Remember it is now into your hands to cherish and maintain that
Sacred Nation.

Jean Jacques Dessalines
Message to the Nation
On January 1st 1804

2010-05-05T05:41:00.000-07:00

President Obama Signs Debt Relief Bill for Haiti
May 5, 2010

President Obama has signed into law a bill calling for the United States to take the lead in forgiving debt owed to international lenders by earthquakeravaged Haiti.

The bill, signed April 26, urges major multinational institutions to cancel all debt owed to them by Haiti and recommends that all aid to the country for the next five years be provided in the form of grants rather than loans.

“The President’s signature on this bill is further indication of the United States’ support for the people of Haiti,” Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), who sponsored the House version of the bill, said in a statement.

The bill was approved in the House on April 14 and passed the Senate earlier in April.

Under the measure, the Treasury Department is required to instruct U.S. executives at the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other institutions to use the force and influential power of the United States to cancel Haiti’s debt.

The bill calls for Haiti to receive aid in the form of grants until Feb. 1, 2015. Following that date, multilateral development institutions may resume aid in the form of new loans.

2010-05-01T06:14:00.000-07:00

Plaidoyer pour une politique des idées:
Des visionnaires pour transformer Haïti:

Pour transformer Haiti, les Haïtiens doivent se concentrer sur la politique des idées.

Par Moss M. Jack*

Vendredi 30 Avril 2010 8:51 A.M.3:37 P.M.
*Président fondateur de l'institut de la Diaspora Haïtienne pour le progrès.

http://www.haitianpoliticsforum.blogspot.comQue vous aimez Marc Bazin ou pas, il est notre, nous pouvons apprendre et nous apprenons beaucoup de lui. Il a écrit:" Il faut faire de la politique pour servir le pays et ne pas se servir du pays pour faire de la politique".C'est lui qui a dit encore:"Quand un pays n'a pas d'argent, il lui faut avoir des idées, beaucoup d'idées, car c'est avec des idées qu'on crée des projets qui génèrent des ressources"( Réf. Marc L. Bazin: Des Idées pour l'action, Tome 1,l'imprimeur II, Port-au-Prince, Haïti, Mai 2008)

Des idées aussi farfelues exprimées sur nos forums comme HACUDOR (un marché commun entre Haïti, Cuba et République Dominicaine) par Kenny Bastien que celle d'organiser les jeux olympiques en Haïti en 2024 par Carl Henri sont- elles impossibles?

L’histoire prouve que des idées considérées comme folles, inapplicables, inadmissibles, exprimées dans certaines époques se révèlent plus tard les joyaux de notre civilisation moderne, de la science et de la technologie, bref, du progrès humain.

L'idée de la création d'une armée haïtienne moderne pour redonner à Haïti sa fierté souveraine, est-elle impossible? Comment se fait-il qu'a travers La Soi-disant Mission pour stabiliser Haïti (MINUSTAH), tous les pays au monde peuvent envoyer leurs soldats en Haïti qui gaspillent un budget équivaut a plus de $700 millions de dollars alors que les haïtiens se voient interdits d'avoir leur propre armée. Qu'est-ce qu'ils ont entrain de faire dans le pays que nous ne pouvons pas faire? Si l'ONU nous aime tellement pour quoi ne réduit-elle pas son effectif dans le pays de moitié et nous donne l'autre moitié de leur budget pour remettre sur pied une armée moderne et vraiment nationale? Ce n'est pas à eux de reconnaitre l'idée de le faire. C’est à nous. Plus d'uns se basant sur l'histoire du pays nous ont porté à croire que c'est l’armée qui est le problème majeur de l'instabilité politique du pays. Non, l'armée a toujours été utilisée comme un accessoire, un instrument dans les mains de l'éternelle petite élite politico-économique qui a le contrôle du pays. A preuve, les différents coups d’état n’ont jamais apporté aucune amélioration dans les conditions de vie de la masse pauvre et paysanne. Depuis la destitution de l’armée en 1995 le pays n'est pas plus différent que de toutes les périodes historiques ou nous n'avons pas d'armée. Peut-on créer une armée moderne pour la protection des vies et des biens aussi bien que du territoire et utiliser cette dite armée comme un instrument de développement ? L'idée est-elle impossible?

L'idée exprimée par l'économiste Jean-Eric Paul de mettre sur pied une intégration économique avec la République Dominicaine qui respecte la souveraineté des deux pays, est-elle viable? L'idée exprimée par notre ami Latortue de freiner une fois pour toutes l'immixtion des étrangers dans les affaires du pays en fermant les bureaux de la Banque Mondiale, du FMI, d’USAID et autres est-elle applicable? L’idée de fermer ou d’expulser toute ONG qui ne travaille pas dans une ligne de développement tracée par un gouvernement responsable ? Est-elle impossible ?

L'idée de la création d'une Haïti moderne, visionnaire, souveraine et prospère que nous ne cessons de promouvoir et preconiser,est-elle impossible?

Les haïtiens sont malades d'une maladie qu'ils ont infligée à eux-mêmes. Sont-ils assez sages pour reconnaitre que la guérison ne peut venir qu'eux? Nous portons en nous l'enfer aussi bien que le paradis, la vie et la mort. La laideur et la crasse de nos rues que tant d'autres dénoncent ne sont-elle pas le reflet de notre âme, de notre état d'esprit et de notre façon de penser?

Pour sauver Haïti a l'heure actuelle, les Haïtiens doivent se concentrer sur la politique des idées.Je n'ai pas de temps pour m'occuper du cynisme, du pessimisme, du doute des autres. Ceux-ci ne valent qu'eux.

Il nous faut des idées innovatrices pour sauver Haïti. Il nous faut des visionnaires pour transformer Haïti. Il nous faut créer des centres d'idées (think tank) pour questionner, scrutiner, étudier toutes les idées qui peuvent être appliquées pour pousser Haïti de l'avant. C’est ainsi qu'on construit un pays. Il n'y a pas à sortir de la.

Haïti est en train de mourir a petit feu, sommes-nous assez hommes et femmes pour le reconnaitre. Moi, je suis assez homme pour le reconnaitre, tant d'autres sont assez hommes et femmes pour le reconnaitre.si le séisme du 12 Janvier 2010 ne réveille pas les haïtiens. Je ne sais qui ou quoi peut les réveiller.
Moss M. Jack
Président fondateur
Institut de la Diaspora Haïtienne Pour le Progrès
Blog: www.haitianpoliticsforum.blogspot.com
New York

2010-04-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

Des visionnaires pour transformer Haïti:
Plaidoyer pour une politique des idées.

Pour sauver Haïti a l’heure actuelle, les Haïtiens doivent se concentrer sur la politique des idées.

Par Moss M. Jack*
Jeudi 29 Avril 2010 8:51 A.M.

*Président fondateur de l'institut de la Diaspora Haïtienne pour le progrès.

Que vous aimez Marc Bazin ou pas, il est notre, nous pouvons apprendre et nous apprenons beaucoup de lui. Il a écrit:<>.C'est lui qui a dit encore:( Réf. Marc L. Bazin: Des Idées pour l'action, Tome 1,l'imprimeur II, Port-au-Prince, Haïti, Mai 2008)

Des idées aussi farfelues exprimées sur nos forums comme HACUDOR (un marché commun entre Haïti, Cuba et République Dominicaine) par Kenny Bastien que celle d'organiser les jeux olympiques en Haïti en 2030 par Carl Henry sont elles impossibles?

L’histoire prouve que des idées considérées comme folles, inapplicables, inadmissibles, exprimées dans certaines époques se révèlent plus tard les joyaux de notre civilisation moderne, de la science et de la technologie, bref, du progrès humain.

L'idée de la création d'une armée haïtienne moderne pour redonner à Haïti sa fierté souveraine, est-elle impossible? Comment se fait-il qu'a travers La Soi-disant Mission pour stabiliser Haïti (MINUSTAH), tous les pays au monde peuvent envoyer leurs soldats en Haïti qui gaspillent un budget équivaut a plus de $700 millions de dollars alors que les haïtiens se voient interdits d'avoir leur propre armée. Qu'est-ce qu'ils ont entrain de faire dans le pays que nous ne pouvons pas faire? Si l'ONU nous aime tellement pour quoi ne réduit-elle pas son effectif dans le pays de moitié et nous donne l'autre moitie de leur budget pour remettre sur pied une armée moderne et vraiment nationale? Ce n'est pas à eux de reconnaitre l'idée de le faire. C’est à nous. Plus d'uns se basant sur l'histoire du pays nous ont porté à croire que c'est l’armée qui est le problème majeur de l'instabilité politique du pays. Non, l'armée a toujours été utilisée comme un accessoire, un instrument dans les mains de l'éternelle petite élite politico-économique qui a le contrôle du pays. A preuve, les différents coups d’état n’ont jamais apporté aucune amélioration dans les conditions de vie de la masse pauvre et paysanne. Depuis la destitution de l’armée en 1995 le pays n'est pas plus différent que de toutes les périodes historiques ou nous n'avons pas d'armée. Peut-on créer une armée moderne pour la protection des vies et des biens aussi bien que du territoire et utiliser cette dite armée comme un instrument de développement ? L'idée est-elle impossible?

L'idée exprimée par l'économiste Jean-Eric Paul de mettre sur pied une intégration économique avec la République Dominicaine qui respecte la souveraineté des deux pays, est-elle viable? L'idée exprimée par notre ami Latortue de freiner une fois pour toutes l'immixtion des étrangers dans les affaires du pays en fermant les bureaux de la Banque Mondiale, du FMI, d’USAID et autres est-elle applicable? L’idée de fermer ou d’expulser toute ONG qui ne travaille pas dans une ligne de développement tracée par un gouvernement responsable ? Est-elle impossible ?

L'idée de la création d'une Haïti moderne, visionnaire, souveraine et prospère que nous ne cessons de promouvoir et preconiser,est-elle impossible?

Les haïtiens sont malades d'une maladie qu'ils ont infligée à eux-mêmes. Sont-ils assez sages pour reconnaitre que la guérison ne peut venir qu'eux? Nous portons en nous l'enfer aussi bien que le paradis, la vie et la mort. La laideur et la crasse de nos rues que tant d'autres dénoncent ne sont-elle pas le reflet de notre âme, de notre état d'esprit et de notre façon de penser?

Pour sauver Haïti a l'heure actuelle, les Haïtiens doivent se concentrer sur la politique des idées.Je n'ai pas de temps pour m'occuper du cynisme, du pessimisme, du doute des autres. Ceux-ci ne valent qu'eux.

Il nous faut des idées innovatrices pour sauver Haïti. Il nous faut des visionnaires pour transformer Haïti. Il nous créer des centres d'idées (think tank) pour questionner, scrutiner, étudier toutes les idées qui peuvent être appliquées pour pousser Haïti de l'avant. C’est ainsi qu'on construit un pays. Il n'y a pas à sortir de la.

Haïti est en train de mourir a petit feu, sommes-nous assez hommes et femmes pour le reconnaitre. Moi, je suis assez homme pour le reconnaitre, tant d'autres sont assez hommes et femmes pour le reconnaitre.si le séisme du 12 Janvier 2010 ne réveille pas les haïtiens. Je ne sais qui ou quoi peut les réveiller.

Moss M. Jack
Président fondateur
Institut de la Diaspora Haïtienne Pour le Progrès

2010-04-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

Des visionnaires pour transformer Haïti: Plaidoyer pour une politique des idées.
Pour sauver Haïti a l’heure actuelle, les Haïtiens doivent se concentrer sur la politique des idées.

Par Moss M. Jack*
Jeudi 29 Avril 2010 8:51 A.M.
*Président fondateur de l'institut de la Diaspora Haïtienne pour le progrès.
Que vous aimez Marc Bazin ou pas, il est notre, nous pouvons apprendre et nous apprenons beaucoup de lui. Il a écrit:< Il faut faire de la politique pour servir le pays et ne pas se servir du pays pour faire de la politique>.C'est lui qui a dit encore:( Réf. Marc L. Bazin: Des Idées pour l'action, Tome 1,l'imprimeur II, Port-au-Prince, Haïti, Mai 2008)

Des idées aussi farfelues exprimées sur nos forums comme HACUDOR (un marché commun entre Haïti, Cuba et République Dominicaine) par Kenny Bastien que celle d'organiser les jeux olympiques en Haïti en 2030 par Carl Henry sont elles impossibles?
L’histoire prouve que des idées considérées comme folles, inapplicables, inadmissibles, exprimées dans certaines époques se révèlent plus tard les joyaux de notre civilisation moderne, de la science et de la technologie, bref, du progrès humain.L'idée de la création d'une armée haïtienne moderne pour redonner à Haïti sa fierté souveraine, est-elle impossible? Comment se fait-il qu'a travers La Soi-disant Mission pour stabiliser Haïti (MINUSTAH), tous les pays au monde peuvent envoyer leurs soldats en Haïti qui gaspillent un budget équivaut a plus de $700 millions de dollars alors que les haïtiens se voient interdits d'avoir leur propre armée. Qu'est-ce qu'ils ont entrain de faire dans le pays que nous ne pouvons pas faire? Si l'ONU nous aime tellement pour quoi ne réduit-elle pas son effectif dans le pays de moitié et nous donne l'autre moitie de leur budget pour remettre sur pied une armée moderne et vraiment nationale? Ce n'est pas à eux de reconnaitre l'idée de le faire. C’est à nous. Plus d'uns se basant sur l'histoire du pays nous ont porté à croire que c'est l’armée qui est le problème majeur de l'instabilité politique du pays. Non, l'armée a toujours été utilisée comme un accessoire, un instrument dans les mains de l'éternelle petite élite politico-économique qui a le contrôle du pays. A preuve, les différents coups d’état n’ont jamais apporté aucune amélioration dans les conditions de vie de la masse pauvre et paysanne. Depuis la destitution de l’armée en 1995 le pays n'est pas plus différent que de toutes les périodes historiques ou nous n'avons pas d'armée. Peut-on créer une armée moderne pour la protection des vies et des biens aussi bien que du territoire et utiliser cette dite armée comme un instrument de développement ? L'idée est-elle impossible?

L'idée exprimée par l'économiste Jean-Eric Paul de mettre sur pied une intégration économique avec la République Dominicaine qui respecte la souveraineté des deux pays, est-elle viable? L'idée exprimée par notre ami Latortue de freiner une fois pour toutes l'immixtion des étrangers dans les affaires du pays en fermant les bureaux de la Banque Mondiale, du FMI, d’USAID et autres est-elle applicable? L’idée de fermer ou d’expulser toute ONG qui ne travaille pas dans une ligne de développement tracée par un gouvernement responsable ? Est-elle impossible ?

L'idée de la création d'une Haïti moderne, visionnaire, souveraine et prospère que nous ne cessons de promouvoir et preconiser,est-elle impossible?

Les haïtiens sont malades d'une maladie qu'ils ont infligée à eux-mêmes. Sont-ils assez sages pour reconnaitre que la guérison ne peut venir qu'eux? Nous portons en nous l'enfer aussi bien que le paradis, la vie et la mort. La laideur et la crasse de nos rues que tant d'autres dénoncent ne sont-elle pas le reflet de notre âme, de notre état d'esprit et de notre façon de penser?

Pour sauver Haïti a l'heure actuelle, les Haïtiens doivent se concentrer sur la politique des idées.Je n'ai pas de temps pour m'occuper du cynisme, du pessimisme, du doute des autres. Ceux-ci ne valent qu'eux.

Il nous faut des idées innovatrices pour sauver Haïti. Il nous faut des visionnaires pour transformer Haïti. Il nous créer des centres d'idées (think tank) pour questionner, scrutiner, étudier toutes les idées qui peuvent être appliquées pour pousser Haïti de l'avant. C’est ainsi qu'on construit un pays. Il n'y a pas à sortir de la.

Haïti est en train de mourir a petit feu, sommes-nous assez hommes et femmes pour le reconnaitre. Moi, je suis assez homme pour le reconnaitre, tant d'autres sont assez hommes et femmes pour le reconnaitre.si le séisme du 12 Janvier 2010 ne réveille pas les haïtiens. Je ne sais qui ou quoi peut les réveiller.

Moss M. Jack
Président fondateur
Institut de la Diaspora Haïtienne Pour le Progrès

2010-04-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

INTERNATIONAL DONORS' CONFERENCE AT THE UN:

FOR $ 10 BILLION OF PROMISES, HAITI SURRENDERS ITS SOVEREIGNTY

by Kim Ives

March 31 - April 6, 2010

Haiti Liberte
Vol. 3, No. 37

It was fitting that the Mar. 31 "International Donors Conference Towards a New Future for Haiti" was held in the Trusteeship Council at the United Nations headquarters in New York. At the event, Haitian President René Préval in effect turned over the keys to Haiti to a consortium of foreign banks and governments, which will decide how (to use the conference's principal slogan) to "build back better" the country devastated by the Jan. 12 earthquake.

This "better" Haiti envisions some 25,000 farmers providing Coca-Cola with mangos for a new Odwalla brand drink, 100,000 workers assembling clothing and electronics for the U.S. market in sweatshops under HOPE II legislation, and thousands more finding jobs as guides, waiters, cleaners and drivers when Haiti becomes a new tourist destination.

"Haiti could be the first all-wireless nation in the Caribbean," gushed UN Special Envoy to Haiti Bill Clinton, who along with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, led the day-long meeting of over 150 nations and international institutions. Clinton got the idea for a "wireless nation," not surprisingly, from Brad Horwitz, the CEO of Trilogy, the parent company of Voilà, Haiti's second largest cell-phone network.

Although a U.S. businessman, Horwitz was, fittingly, one of the two representatives who spoke for Haiti's private sector at the Donors Conference. "Urgent measures to rebuild Haiti are only sustainable if they become the foundation for an expanded and vibrant private sector," Horwitz told the conference."We need you to view the private sector as your partner.to understand how public funds can be leveraged by private dollars."

"Of course, what's good for business is good for the country," quipped one journalist listening to the speech.

The other private sector spokesman was Reginald Boulos, the president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti (CHIC), who fiercely opposed last year's union and student-led campaign to raise Haiti's minimum wage to $5 a day, convincing Préval to keep it at $3 a day. He also was a key supporter of both the 1991 and 2004 coups d'état against former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, now exiled in South Africa.

In counterpoint, the only voice Aristide's popular base had at the conference was in the street outside the UN, where about 50 Haitians picketed from noon to 6 p.m. in Ralph Bunche park to call for an end to the UN and US military occupation of Haiti, now over six years old, and to protest the Haitian people's exclusion from reconstruction deliberations. (New York's December 12th Movement also had a picket at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza on 47th Street).

"No to neocolonialism," read a sign held up by Jocelyn Gay, a member of the Committee to Support the Haitian People's Struggle (KAKOLA), which organized the picket with the Lavalas Family's New York Chapter and the International Support Haiti Network(ISHN). "No to Economic Exploitation Disguised as Reform. MINUSTAH [UN Mission to Stabilize Haiti], Out of Haiti! "

The exclusion of Haiti's popular sector was masked by the inclusion of other "sectors" in the Donors Conference, although their presentations were purely for show, with no bearing on the plans which had already been drawn up. Joseph Baptiste, chairman and founder of the National Organization for the Advancement of Haitians (NOAH), and Marie Fleur, a Massachusetts state representative, spoke on behalf of the "Haitian Diaspora Forum." Moise Charles Pierre, Chairman of the Haitian National Federation of Mayors and Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay spoke on behalf of the "Local Government Conference." Non-governmental organizations had three spokespeople: Sam Worthington for the North American ones, Benedict Hermelin for the European ones, and Colette Lespinasse of GARR, for the Haitian ones. Even the "MINUSTAH Conference" had two speakers.

Michele Montas, the widow of slain radio journalist Jean Dominique and former spokeswoman for Ban Ki-Moon, spoke in English and French on behalf of the "Voices of the Voiceless Forum" which held focus group discussions with peasants, workers and small merchants in Haiti during March. "A clear majority of focus group participants," she said, "from both rural and urban areas, strongly believe that there is a critical need to invest in people. Focus groups highlighted five key immediate priorities: housing, new earthquake resistant shelters for displaced people; education, in all of the school systems throughout the country; health, the building of primary healthcare facilities and hospitals; local public services, potable water, sanitation, electricity; communications infrastructure, primarily roads to allow food production to reach the cities... There seemed to be unanimity on the need to invest in human capital through education, including higher education."

"Support for agricultural production," Montas continued, "was stressed as a top priority... Agriculture, perhaps more than other sectors, is seen as essential to the country's health, and the prevailing sentiment is that the peasantry has been neglected."

Even Préval has recognized this neglect, but he got in trouble last month when he called on Washington to "stop sending food aid" because of its deleterious effects on the Haitian peasant economy (see Haïti Liberté, Vol. 3, No. 36, 3/24/2010). The U.S. responded that there was "severe corruption" in his government.

Préval fell back into line. His government prepared a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment report (PDNA), the conference's reference document, with "members of the International Community." Of the $12.2 billion total it requested for the next three years, only $41 million, or 0.3 percent, would be earmarked for "Agriculture and fishing."

The centerpieces of the Clinton plan are assembly factories and tourism (see Haïti Liberté, Vol. 3, No. 36, 3/24/2010). But the former president still pays lip-service to agriculture.

In the hallway outside the Trusteeship Council, Haïti Liberté asked Bill Clinton what had led him last month before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to renounce his policies as US president of dumping cheap rice on Haiti.

"Oh, I just think that, you know, there's a movement all around the world now," Clinton responded. "I first saw Bob Zoellick, the head of the World Bank, say the same thing, where he said..., starting in 1981, the wealthy agricultural producing countries genuinely believed that they and the emerging agricultural powers in Brazil and Argentina... that they really believed for twenty years that if you moved agricultural production there and then facilitated its introduction into poorer places, you would free those places to get aid to skip agricultural development and go straight into an industrial era. And it's failed everywhere it's been tried. And you just can't take the food chain out of production. And it also undermines a lot of the culture, the fabric of life, the sense of self-determination... And we made this devil's bargain on rice. And it wasn't the right thing to do. We should have continued to work to help them be self-sufficient in agriculture. And that's a lot of what we're doing now. We're thinking about how can we get the coffee production up, how can we get ... the mango production up, ... the avocados, and lots of other things."

In other words, the U.S. and other "agricultural powers" would provide Haiti food, "freeing up"Haitian farmers to go work in U.S.-owned sweatshops, thereby ushering in "an industrial era," as if the cinder-block shells of assembly plants represent organic industrialization.

Now Clinton, sensitive to the demands of Montas's "focus groups," promotes agriculture, but as a way to integrate Haiti into the global capitalist economy. Many peasant and anti-neoliberal groups see agricultural self-sufficiency as a way to disconnect and insulate Haiti from predatory capitalist powers.

At a 5:30 p.m. closing press conference, Ban Ki-moon announced pledges of $5.3 billion in reconstruction aid for the next 18 months, exceeding the Haitian government's request of $3.9 billion. The total pledges amount to $9.9 billion for the next 3 years "plus" - a significant detail given how notoriously neglected UN aid promises are. Bill Clinton announced that only 30% of his previous fund-raising pledge drive for Haiti had been honored.

Haitian Prime Minister Jean Max Bellerive and President Préval played only supporting roles at the Conference, requesting support at the start and thanking nations at the end.

The essence of this conference was summed up by Hillary Clinton. "The leaders of Haiti must take responsibility for their country's reconstruction," she said as Washington pledged $1.15 billion for Haiti's long-term reconstruction. "And we in the global community must also do things differently. It will be tempting to fall back on old habits - to work around the government rather than to work with them as partners, or to fund a scattered array of well-meaning projects rather than making the deeper, long-term investments that Haiti needs now."

So now, supposedly, NGOs will take a back seat to the Haitian government, but a Haitian government which is working with the NGOs and under the complete supervision of foreign "donors." Under the Plan, the World Bank distributes the reconstruction funds to projects it deems worthy. An Interim Commission for the Reconstruction of Haiti (HRIC), composed of 13 foreigners and 7 Haitians, approves the disbursements. Then another group of foreigners supervises the Haitian government's implementation of the project.

The only direct support the Haitian government got at the Donors Conference was $350 million to pay state salaries, only 6.6% of the initial $5.3 billion pledged. This came after the International Monetary Fund warned that the budgetary support was necessary to keep the Haitian government from printing money, thereby risking inflation.

"We trust that the numerous promises heard will be converted into action, that Haiti's independence and sovereignty will be respected and ennobled, that the government of President René Préval and Prime Minister Jean Max Bellerive will be facilitated to exercise all its faculties, and that it will be able to benefit, not the white and foreign companies, but the Haitian people, especially the poorest," said Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parilla at the conference. "Generosity and political will is needed. Also needed is the unity of that country instead of its division into market shares and dubious charitable projects."

Indeed, there are some interesting ideas in the Haitian government's Action Plan, also presented at the conference. It calls for 400,000 people to be employed, half by the government and half by "international and national stakeholders," to restore irrigation systems and farm tracks, to develop watersheds (reforestation, setting up pastureland, correcting ravines in peri-urban areas, fruit trees), to maintain roads, and to work on "minor community-based infrastructure (tracks, paths, footbridges, shops and community centers, small reservoirs and feed pipes, etc.) and urban infrastructure (roadway paving, squares, drainage network cleaning) ... and do projects related to the cleaning and recycling of materials created by the collapse of buildings in the areas most affected by the earth-quake."

All that sounds nice, but unfortunately, now the decision is up to the strategists at the World Bank.

SOURCE: Haiti Liberte. http://www.haitiliberte.com/

2010-04-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

Governor General Michaelle Jean:Time For Haiti To Rise

April 6, 2010
By Louisa Taylor

OTTAWA — Haitians and the rest of the world are ready to seize the opportunity created by the January earthquake not just to rebuild, but to re-imagine the country, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean said Tuesday.

Speaking at the opening session of a two-day symposium on Haiti's future, Jean described what she learned on her recent trip to devastated regions of her native country, and at a conference of donor countries at United Nations headquarters last week.

"The time has now come," Jean said, "to help an entire country rise from its destruction and, as Haiti's Action Plan for National Recovery and Development states, to 'reverse the spiral of vulnerability.' "

In Haiti, Jean held discussions with representatives of non-governmental organizations, women's groups, politicians and educators. In New York, she listened to deliberations between donor countries, aid agencies and Haitian officials, and was impressed that "what was said there was not expressed in UN language, it was from the heart."

"They were aware a commitment for sustainable development goes beyond Haiti," Jean said. "This is a unique opportunity for the international community to rethink the way of doing things and re-target global action."

Striking a theme common to every speaker in the opening session of the symposium, Jean said an equal partnership with Haitians — rather than terms dictated by donor nations — is the only way to achieve true change.

Jean said the answer to the "burning question" of what we can do in the face of the Haitian catastrophe lies in "unshakable solidarity" with the Haitian people. Jean once again thanked Canadians for their generosity toward Haiti, and for "collectively and unanimously rejecting indifference when it came to the fate of their sisters and brothers in Haiti."

The Governor General then offered reflections on the challenge in Haiti based on her March trip to the country. She described meeting a little girl, who wanted to know when her school would reopen.

"The thirst for knowledge shone in that child's eye like an oasis in the desert of the ruins at her feet," Jean said. "This child's concern for her school was a powerful reminder of the importance of re-establishing Haiti's education system."

Jean went on to argue the importance of including the regions of Haiti in the recovery plan, not just the capital city of Port-au-Prince, the scene of greatest devastation.

"The civil society representatives I met in Port-au-Prince, Leogane and Jacmel all said that we must strengthen abilities outside the capital and decompartmentalize (sic) the regions," Jean said.

The Governor General concluded by touching on the topic of youth and the importance of making the young an integral part of reconstruction.
"The danger of seeing a generation of young people falling victim to organized crime and those who prey on human suffering is very real," Jean said. "Over half of the Haitian population is under the age of 20. What great energy for us to use, before others take it for not such laudable purposes."

The symposium at the University of Ottawa, titled Haiti Today, Haiti Tomorrow, continues through Wednesday and features presentations from the mayor of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian Ambassador to the United Nations and numerous other Haitian and Canadian experts and dignitaries. The aim is to produce concrete plans and ideas that can be acted upon in the coming months, said organizer Andrea Martinez, director of the school of international development and global studies at University of Ottawa.

"We will be asking, what are we prepared to do? How can we work together in the short-term and in the long-term?" said Martinez. "My hope is to have another meeting one year from now to see what we have done.

2010-04-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

UN Donors conference and Global Response on Behalf of Haiti

By Jean H Charles*
Saturday April 3,2010

* Mr Jean H Charles, MSW, JD is Executive Director of AINDOH Inc. a non profit organization dedicated to building a kinder and gentle Caribbean zone for all. He is a friend and contributing author to the Haitianpoliticsforum.blogspot.com

An unprecedented event happened last Wednesday at the United Nations in New York. Some one hundred countries sent their Ministers of Foreign Affairs or their Ambassadors to pledge their contribution to the earthquake stricken Haiti.

As in a Baptist church, each nation steps up to present its envelope to the Speaker on behalf of Haiti. At the end of the day some ten billions dollars were raised for the Haitian people who are still in the mud in the refugee tents of Port au Prince and in the rural hamlets in the mountains of Haiti deprived of any modern infrastructure.

This unexpected global response on behalf of Haiti moves me personally; the people of Haiti should know the entire world is on their side.

The speeches by the delegates were in unison praising the resilience and the patience of the Haitian people. They deserve the helping hand.

Would it be tricking down to those in most need? It was the underlying issue expressed by the Chinese representative who contributed only one million dollars to Haiti. I shared my surprise to the Chinese diplomat sitting near by me in the hall of the United Nations.

He told me China is concerned about management and transparency at all levels: the Haitian government, the United Nations, the Red Cross etc.

He added we have been able to raise the welfare of some 800 million Chinese to the middle class level in less than a generation (25 years) without asking or borrowing one cent!

He said further, helping the nine million Haitians arrive to an income from $1.00 to $ 100.00 a day is a child's game if only we have a minimum of diplomatic relationship with Haiti!

The enthusiastic response indicates the nations of the world are ready to offer more than money at the donor's conference. It is important to capsule the energy into resources that can be utilized to bring about growth to Haiti.

The nations of the world are at an impasse; the Haitian government has failed to provide a minimum coordinating unit that would facilitate the delivery of services to the refugees. Yet in deference to the Haitian government, the foreign allies have hesitated to create an effective coordinating unit.

In the end the victims are the Haitian people who are still in the mud in spite of the outpouring of love and support from the whole world.

To solve this issue, I would propose a strategic winnable solution. The country of Haiti a nation of nine million people is divided into ten departments or ten states. To facilitate the delivery of services in face of the compounding problems it would serve the Haitian government and the donating countries to divide Haiti into three clusters of three million people each for the purpose of coordinating the rescue and the resettlement process.

The Northern part of Haiti that include the departments of the North, North East and North West, the Artibonite and the Center with approximately three million would be shepherded by Canada leading the role of a quarter back with other countries attaching themselves to that main branch.

The second branch of quarter back would be played by the United States helping the West part of the country that includes the Capital City, Port au Prince to move from a desperate situation to some normalcy. The United States would call on other countries to plug themselves into the aid movement.

Last but not least, France would coordinate the southern part of Haiti that includes South-east, Nippes, South and Grand Anse. Akin to the other quarter back, France would call on any other nations that want to help in that venture.

Those countries, - Canada, United States and France- have been chosen because of their affinity with Haiti. They all have a large Haitian Diaspora that can play a crucial role in facilitating the development of the country. This division of labor would have the convenience of not offending the sovereignty of the Haitian people and the sensitivity of the Haitian government. It would place some coordinating responsibility into the hands of the quarter back nations while leaving the moving force to the Haitian government and to the Haitian people.

It would provide immediate relief and start the decentralization process of the Haitian nation. It is a win- win solution that can and should satisfy all parties. Next September the United Nations promised to call again the parties to review the job done; this time instead of announcing as the United States have done, successive grants totaling 4 billion dollars since 1990 with no visible signs of results, the Haitian government along with the three quarters back will stand up to report on a job well done.

To arrive to that result a minimum of 3 million dollars should be spent in each one of the 150 small towns along with their rural hamlets. This financial structural engagement has not been done since the nation has been borne two hundred years ago. It would provide in addition to the wireless internet – a pet project of Bill Clinton- clean water, decent housing, elementary education, clean sewers, and paved streets to a nation thirsty of modern standard of living.

The earthquake on January 12, 2010 has pulled out from the underground a little dirty secret of the Haitian ethos. A proud daughter of lady Liberty, Haiti has turned into a de-facto apartheid system where the majority of its citizens live in almost abject poverty similar to their ancestor’s time during the slavery era. Since it has been discovered, the problem of Haiti is now the world’s problem. The trio quarter-back will have to help Haiti with that fault line by facilitating a culture of a shared vision of the future amongst all the citizens.

The Haitian people so patient and so resilient would be on their way of to have a decent job, a roof that would not fall on their head, portable water to drink, children happy and well fed who learn in school, young men who give up the gang culture because there are learning a trade. This Haiti is possible if only a minimum of strategic coordination is implemented after this biblical outpouring of love and support.

Link: www.Haitianpoliticsforum.blogspot.com

2010-03-27T04:58:00.000-07:00

Commentary: The world as seen from the mountains of Haiti

Published on Saturday, March 27, 2010
By Jean H Charles

Each nation, whether as small as Haiti or as big as the United States, tends to believe it is at the center of the universe, the world turns around them and their action can have global impact. Indeed, some nations albeit small in size did and continue to have some repercussions that affect the entire world.

Jean H Charles MSW, JD is Executive Director of AINDOH Inc a non profit organization dedicated to building a kinder and gentle Caribbean zone for all. He can be reached at: jeanhcharles@aol.

I have in mind two countries where I have detected some fragrant similarities in their historical path. The people of Israel enslaved by Egypt some five thousand years ago were for two thousand years before Christ, selected as the venue for a God made man, who would come to earth, to teach humanity how to behave amongst each other and how to develop a personal relationship with the Creator. Christ indeed came; the historical testimony of some twelve apostles plus Saul converted into Paul have attested to the living proofs of that event. The story of the Crucifixion on Good Friday and the miracle of Resurrection on Easter Sunday is the basis of the tenets of the Christian church.

The nation of Haiti occupies similar global interest; some fifteen men in a leadership position in their country have turned around three centuries of global policy of maintaining black men and women in eternal bondage and servitude. Easter Sunday was a turning point for man’s relationship with God; January 1, 1804, was also a turning point for the relationship of man amongst man. The myth of the black man as less of a human being could not hold together anymore.

In a recent article, How Haiti helped create the United States, Ted Widmer provided the trajectory of an “America that might never have come into existence without the help of our island neighbor’, St Domingue. It would become Haiti later; it was the richest colony in the world, it provided more income for France than all the other Spanish colonies combined.

The Boston Tea party at the origin of the colonists’ rebellion against the British stemmed from the fact that commerce by New England with Haiti/St Domingue was so lucrative for the Americans that the yoke of the British Empire was too heavy to continue to be carried for a longer time. The commerce of cod fish for alcohol and sugar produced, on both sides of the Caribbean Sea, entrepreneurs “rich as a Creole”.

French support for the American Revolution was the determinant factor that insured the success of the war of Independence. France did not want the prized Haiti to fall into the hands of the British. It paid, according to Ted Widmer, the equivalent of 9 billion dollars to support the war. This war chest was nothing else than the blood, the sweat and the labor of thousands of Haitian slaves from the mighty Haiti colony.

They gave more than money; the battle of Savannah in 1779 was fueled by a contingent of French and Haitian men, including the young Henry Christophe, who would grow up to become the second king of Haiti after the country’s independence.

Haiti’s contribution to America’s formation did not stop there, while John Adams, from New England, the second President of the United States was promoting a good neighbor policy with Toussaint Louverture, his successor Thomas Jefferson sided with Napoleon Bonaparte to re-establish slavery dismantled in the island by Toussaint.

The French incursion into Haiti to put Toussaint Louverture in his place as commander of the slaves encountered the bravura of Dessalines and Christophe. The mighty French troops that succeeded all over Europe were defeated by the gallant Haitian freedom fighters. Napoleon, dejected from his hegemonic plan to create an Empire in the Americas, ceded for a penny to the acre, the Louisiana territory facilitating as such a United States shining from sea to a shining sea.

Haiti’s contribution to humanity extended also to Latin America. Alexander Petion, the country’s third president offered to Simon Bolivar arms, food, support and money to go and liberate the slaves in the countries of Bolivia, Venezuela and Colombia. He had no other obligation for the money lent than to create a land of hospitality for all in the territories delivered from slavery.

Later, during the Jewish pogrom in Germany, Haiti took the bold stand of providing legal documents to hundreds of Jews persecuted by the Nazi regime. An exhibit in Montreal this week celebrated the forgotten history of Jews and Haitians as one nation always in the avant-garde, standing to protect those who are persecuted. At the League of Nations, Haiti was again the determining vote and voice to help Israel to become a nation when the crucial vote was counted at the world forum. Haiti’s past vibrant diplomacy played a crucial role in helping Libya, Belgium and Greece to become independent nations.

Nicholas Sarkozy, on his recent visit to Haiti, reminds the world it was again Haiti that helped to facilitate the use of the French language as an official tool of communication of the United Nations, helping to spread and maintain the culture and the language of millions who use French as their lingua franca.

After the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010, I have seen the pain and the misery of a country but I have also seen the resilience and the courage of a nation that bends but does not fall. I have come to believe that God in his firmament has a special eye and concern for the Haitian people.

2010-03-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

Food dependency is poverty trap for quake-hit Haiti

Laborers at Haiti's only working sugar mill, the Jean Leopold Dominique de Darbonne, chew on sugar cane stalks to sustain themselves as they prepare the factory for another grinding season.

But it is foreign imported sugar and rice, besides dirt-poor subsistence farming, that sustains Haiti's nearly 10 million population -- an underdevelopment dilemma that has been highlighted as the Caribbean nation struggles to rebuild after the devastating earthquake in January.

More than two centuries ago, Haiti was Saint Domingue, France's Caribbean jewel built on sugar and slavery, and the richest colony in the world. A bloody slave revolt won independence from France in 1804.

But the Haiti that was bludgeoned by the January 12 earthquake had the unenviable identity of being the poorest state in the Western Hemisphere, unable to feed itself and spending a staggering 80 percent of its revenues to pay for food imports.

Since the disaster, which Haiti's government believes may have killed more than 300,000 people, foreign relief groups have brought in vast quantities of food aid to feed more than 1 million people left homeless by the quake.

But as the government and foreign experts prepare for a donors' conference to be held in New York on March 31, they are calling for a complete reform of Haiti's decrepit farm sector to break the crippling dependency on food imports and aid.

"We won independence 200 years ago but ... not really, because we're begging consistently," Regine Barjon of the Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce, who is pressing for private investment in Haiti's agriculture, told Reuters.

She said foreign donors, multilateral lenders and aid groups must concentrate on making Haiti economically self-sustainable, especially in food, after the quake, if the country can ever hope to escape from its poverty trap.

Barjon said imports of rice, sugar and poultry, largely from the United States, were $550 million a year. "If Haiti was able to produce all these things, and it can ... we would reduce our annual trade deficit by 50 percent," she said.

"The mills and plants for sugar, rice and poultry are there. What they need are investments to restart."

One example is the Darbonne sugar mill, located southwest of the capital Port-au-Prince outside Leogane, a town near the quake epicenter which was devastated. Most of its inhabitants live in tent camps situated between the ruins of their homes.

LACK OF SUGAR CANE

Built in the early 1980s with Italian cooperation, the mill was closed after two years because it could not compete with cheaper imports of sugar. Left prey to neglect and vandalism, it was restarted with Cuban help in 2001 following a request to Cuban leader Fidel Castro by Haitian President Rene Preval.

But the factory has been producing well below its full capacity, even though a team of Cuban technicians has kept it operational for nearly a decade.

It produced 2,607 tons of sugar in 2005, its best year since restarting, but made no sugar in 2009, instead manufacturing syrup for alcohol distillers.

This meager output compares to the 250,000 tons of sugar that Haiti imports each year, from the United States, the neighboring Dominican Republic and other sugar producers.

Experts now acknowledge that the influx over the past two decades of subsidized cheaper farm imports, ushered in by World Bank and International Monetary Fund free-trade policies that obliged Haiti to open its markets, delivered a virtual death blow to Haitian agriculture from which it has never recovered.

"Haiti should be producing its own sugar," said Dominique Volcin, the Darbonne mill's technical director since 2003.

"We need to modernize, because agriculture is the economic base of our country," he added, saying the sugar sector needed a combination of determined state support and private investment to allow it to replace the cheaper imports.

The Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce's Barjon is also the CEO of BioTek Solutions Inc, a U.S.-based company that is proposing a public-private partnership for the Darbonne mill.

The team of Cuban technicians who maintain the factory say it is technically sound but the main obstacle to increased output is the lack of sufficient sugar cane.

The factory sustained only minor damage in the earthquake and was to open the 2010 grinding season on Friday.

"We think the biggest problem is the supply of cane," said one of the Cubans, Jorge Luis Perez.

Most of the cane growers in the surrounding area of Leogane and Gressier are peasant farmers working tiny half-hectare plots with poor resources. This means they cannot produce the sufficient quantities of high-yielding cane the mill needs.

"WRONG-HEADED" PAST GLOBAL POLICY

On a visit to quake-stricken Haiti this week, former U.S. President Bill Clinton recognized that the United States and international financial institutions like the World Bank, albeit well-intentioned, had been wrong to push developing states into opening their markets to cheap subsidized imports.

During his presidency from 1993 to 2001, he said he had signed legislation that had effectively increased the penetration of American rice into Haiti, which decimated that country's own rice production.

"I think it was a mistake, I think it was part of a global trend that was wrong-headed," Clinton told reporters, adding he was now looking to boost Haitian farm output by providing seeds and fertilizer through his own charitable foundation.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in collaboration with the Haitian government, has prepared a $721 million investment blueprint for the agricultural sector aimed at developing rural areas and production and boosting distribution channels and agricultural services.

But achieving the food self-sufficiency goal will clearly take time and political will, and also involve loosening the grip of past alliances between powerful importing impresarios and the country's political rulers.

"So as to not import, you have to produce enough to feed everyone, and if you don't produce enough, you have to buy it from somewhere else ... that's life," said Volcin.

Source:Reuters.(Editing by Vicki Allen)

2010-03-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

Monday,March 29,2010

Proposition d'un marché Commun entre Cuba, Haïti et la République Dominicaine

Par Kenny Bastien*.

*Le Docteur Kenny Bastien est le Président directeur général de l'Union pour la Mobilisation Patriotique Permanente(UMPP),une organisation qui entend travailler à la creation d'une Haiti moderne et prospere..Il est un ami du blogue Haitianpoliticsforum.blogspot.com

La communauté internationale a fini par accepter le fait regrettable que l'actuel gouvernement haïtien dirigé par Son excellence René Préval n'est pas à la hauteur de sa tache et ne peut, par manque d'intégrité et de compétences, gérer les fonds qu'ils ont l'intention de débloquer en vue de la relance de la nation haïtienne. Le cancer de la corruption a atteint tous les échelons du gouvernement. Les sinistrés du 12 janvier sont livrés à eux-mêmes, malgré la présence des organisations non gouvernementales désireuses de contribuer au redressement de leur condition. Le gouvernement de son Excellence Mr. René Préval affiche une incompétence exécrable et insoutenable. La nation est frappée de stupeur face au cynisme criminel des dirigeants haïtiens. Les meurtres programmés et le vol institutionnalisé qui ne s'embarrassent plus d'aucune pudeur,gangrenent toutes les instances gouvernementales et chacun de leurs membres qui,tot ou tard meritent d' etre investigués pour crimes contre l'humanité, de droit commun et détournement des fonds de l'Etat haïtien.

Il est rapporté que son Excellence Mr Rene Préval, ancien boulanger de son état, dispose actuellement d'une fortune de plus de 300 millions de dollars. Les autres membres du gouvernement qui mangeaient de la vache enragée, avant d'accéder aux sphères du pouvoir, forts de leur impunité, ne résistent même plus à l'ostentation des signes extérieurs de richesse, alors que leurs cousins et cousines des provinces et de la capitale, croupissent dans une fange infrahumaine et une misère indescriptible juxtaposées sur fond d'apocalypse.

On retrouve le boulanger en Equateur, montrant ses dents au monde, au lendemain même du drame qui a livré à la rue et aux intempéries des milliers d'haïtiens qui n'ont rien ni à boire ni à manger. Il semblerait que plus la situation se détériore, plus cela convient aux hommes du pouvoir. Ils en font l'argument de leurs rapines et de leurs confiscations. Ils ont décrété qu'une Haïti misérable et aux abois fait mieux leur affaire. Ils savent qu'il ne leur reste plus que quelques mois avant l'échéance de leur spectacle ignoble et lamentable, et s'imaginent qu'ils vont se retirer de la scène pour jouir tranquillement du fruit de leurs incompétences et de leur indécence. Ils se trompent. Préval et ses acolytes seront poursuivis par l'Etat haïtien.

Ils ne se rendent pas compte que le monde a changé autour d'eux. Haïti n'évolue plus en vase clos sous la coupe de dictateurs incultes et barbares qui décident que la terreur, les viols, le vol et le crime constituent les meilleures recettes de gouvernance. L’agroéconomie a fait de la terre un grand village.

La catastrophe du 12 Janvier et la crise mondiale suscitent une prise de conscience aiguë de l'étroite interdépendance des Etats et des nations du globe, démontrent qu'il est devenu inacceptable, inhumain et honteux qu'aux portes de la nation la plus puissante et la plus riche du monde, agonise dans un décor médiéval, une république dont les prouesses historiques illustraient jadis la conquête de la liberté, cette vertu supérieure qui distingue l'homme de la bête.

Haïti doit par la force des contingences échapper à la spirale infernale du sous-développement. Haïti doit se mettre debout. Il faudra pour cela faire preuve de créativité et d'audace.

Pourquoi ne pas créer avec Cuba et la république Dominicaine un espace libre de circulation de biens et de personnes qui permettrait la résorption de nos différences , de nos retards et de nos handicaps ,et la complémentarité de nos ressources pour une accélération de notre croissance économique, industrielle et technologique?

Nous pourrions créer un modèle communautaire à l'image du BENELUX que nous appellerions les Etats du HACUDOR (Haiti, Cuba et République Dominicaine).

Une telle initiative aura le mérite de préserver l'identité nationale de chacun des Etats, leur souveraineté et leur intégrité territoriale en même temps qu'une mise en commun des ressources respectives devant assurer leur développement économique en un temps record. La République Dominicaine échappera de cette manière au mirage trompeur du tourisme aliénant,un marché extremement vulnérable et volatile,que n'importe quelle catastrophe naturelle ou épidémie peut terrasser. Haïti émergerait de sa torpeur et sa diaspora reviendrait plus facilement pour participer à ce nouveau marché dynamique et prometteur qui renforcerait les échanges avec le Panama, leVénézuela et les autres pays de la région. Cuba accéderait au marché du monde libre ans une autorisation spéciale du géant du Nord.

Le monde se mettrait à changer bien vite autour de nous. Qu'attendons-nous pour passer à l'action?

Link: www.Haitianpoliticsforum.blogspot.com

2010-03-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

US wants the Inter-American Development Bank to cancel all of Haiti's US$447 million debt.

19 March 2010 | 14:16

Although significant crippling foreign debt remains, treasury sources in Washington say the US wants the Inter-American Development Bank to cancel all of Haiti's US$447m debts.

Treasury sources in Washington say that the US wants the Inter-American Development Bank to cancel all of Haiti's US$447 million debt.

The US Senate last week unanimously approved a resolution calling for easing the earthquake-shatterd nation's debt burden to help with reconstruction efforts in the wake of the devastating January 12 earthquake.

Move could put onus on World Bank

If the $447 million to the organisation were cancelled, the act would dwarf the World Bank's announcement today of a US$65 million grant to assist Haiti with rebuilding its infrastructure.

A statement from the World Bank said the $65m would help restore key Haitian government economic and financial functions, "including data recovery, revenue and expenditure management, accountability and transparency functions in the ministry of economy and finance and other key institutions."

But the $65m in funds are already part of a US$100m grant the World Bank announced for Haiti one day after the January 12 quake.

Donors summit proposes $4bn

A separate announcement on Wednesday from the prepatory committee for the March 31 Haiti donors summit proposed giving the Caribbean nation more than US$4bn in reconstruction funds.

But even by the World Bank's own account, Haiti will need US$11.5 billion dollars over three years to rebuild.

Debt remains sticking point

Despite announcements of financial aid, debt is the crucial developmental sticking point for Haiti.

The G7 - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US vowed in February to cancel their remaining bilateral debt with Haiti, but foreign debt remains of around $US890 million - a staggering amount even before the country's weak economy was devastated by the earthquake.

And while the Paris Club have agreed to cancel debt to its members of over US$200m, 27 per cent of the country's foreign debt of US$890m is owed to the World Bank; at the same time that the Bank announces aid packages, the debt remains.

But with 41 per cent of that US$890m owed to the InterAmerican Develop-ment Bank, any cancellation on the IDB's part would go some way to assisting Haiti.

Although the bank is based in Washington, the US maintains just over 30 per cent of the voting powe rin the internationally-structured organisation. which lends to Latin American and Carribean nations.

Source:http://www.sbs.com.

2010-03-13T07:18:00.000-08:00

Commentary of the week:

The President of Haiti and the concept of leadership

Published on Saturday, March 13, 2010

By Jean H Charles

The earthquake of January 12, 2010 that shook Port au Prince and its surrounding areas could not find a country so ill prepared for such catastrophe as the Republic of Haiti. It has no building code enforcement mechanism, property insurance is not mandatory; squatting on public land (and on private property) by internal migrants is not prevented by public authority and the Haitian government has failed to heed the the advice of national and international experts in preparing its people for elementary steps to be taken in case of an earthquake disaster.

Jean H Charles MSW, JD is Executive Director of AINDOH Inc a non profit organization dedicated to building a kinder and gentle Caribbean zone for all. He can be reached at: jeanhcharles@aol.

Countless people have died because they have rushed into crumbling buildings thinking they were facing the end of this earth. By contrast, similar or stronger earthquakes in San Francisco, have produced only 64 deaths, and in Chile 200 deaths. Haiti may have more than 500.000 deaths, making this disaster one of the most devastating events in modern history!

It is as such, proper and fit to look into the leadership style of the Haitian government, in particular its president, Rene Preval, to understand why there is such a large discrepancy in the protection of life and lamb in Haiti. I have met President Preval twice in my life. I met him some five years ago, when he was out of power (Preval has been president of Haiti twice) in the bucolic village of Marmelade where he retreated after his first term as president. I was the guest of one of the advisers of former President Jean Bertrand Aristide on his trip to Marmelade as the village was celebrating its patron Saint, Mary Magdalena. My friend was representing the president at the official Catholic mass in the village fiesta.

After the ceremony, friends and officials were invited to the president’s parental home for what I was expecting to be a small gathering with some coffee, Haitian patties and the customary pumpkin soup. To my distress, Preval (not president then) did not offer anything to his guests. I later presented to Mr. Preval my congratulations for dotting his village with the rudiments of good living that I am expecting to see in all the other villages of Haiti: a good school, access to internet, paved streets, a bamboo furniture factory. I suggested to him that such aura of welfare should be extended to the other two surrounding villages of Dondon and St Michel, creating as such a halo of sustainable growth in the region.

He left me thirsty for an answer or even an explanation of why he could not go further. I met President Preval again last year at a meeting arranged by the Clinton Global Initiative in New York while he was an official guest of the annual Conference. I shared with him the project for the decentralization of Haiti, while using some of the funds of the Petro Caribe dollars (an arrangement where Haiti receives oil from Venezuela below market price with 60% paid up front and 40% financed with a soft loan to be repaid in 25 years at one per cent interest) to initiate such a policy. His non-commitment as well as the non-engagement of his economic advisers is symptomatic of the style of government of President Rene Preval.

The president of Haiti does not understand that the buck stops with him. His most important task is to make decision. He would engage commissions for different tasks, but when the commission is over, the president must decide on one alternative or the other, yet the work of one commission after the other is catalogued into a drawer with no cause for action.

President Rene Preval comes from a middle class family in the northern part of Haiti. His father, Claude Preval, was a competent agronomist with a sterling reputation who scaled the rank of public service to become a Minister of Agriculture under President Paul Magloire. Rene did his elementary studies at George Marc College run by a friend of the family, one of the best mathematicians that Haiti has ever had. He was sent later to Brussels to complete his professional studies. To the deception of his father, young Rene was more interested in Marxist dialectic than in pursuing a regular course of study leading to a professional degree. He enrolled on his own in Lumumba University in Moscow.

On his return to Haiti he tried a bakery business, where he reconnected with some friends from Brussels, in particular Claudette Antoine WerLeigh, who was engaged with Jean Bertrand Aristide in the underground movement to uproot the dictatorial and military regime of the Duvaliers. He was presented to Aristide by Werleigh; history has it they became like Siamese brothers.

From 1991 until today 2010, in the last twenty years President Rene Preval has occupied one way or the other the seat of power in Haiti. I have again, with permission of a friend, attended a Lavalas-Lewpwa meeting in the town of Terrier Rouge, Haiti, where the members have pledged they would hold power for the next forty years in Haiti.

President Preval’s most important task in ruling Haiti has been to uphold that pledge. No decision is taken without that goal in mind. On his last visit with President Barack Obama last Wednesday, his main request was not to help the millions of Haitians get out of the fetid and horrid tent cities into their ancestral villages with all the amenities that would retain them there; it was instead to get 100 million dollars to conduct an election where he would manipulate the electoral machine to perpetuate his grip unto power.

President Preval and his Siamese brother Jean Bertrand Arisitide during these last twenty years (20) have managed to sink Haiti into an abyss much deeper than the twin father and son Duvaliers have done in their thirty five (35) years of bad and dictatorial governance. He is proud of two achievements: road building and governance continuity. Yet these trophies are pregnant with the seed of corruption. Employees and government officials known as graft specialists are maintained or promoted. The program of road building is funded through the Petro Caribe trust that the president refuses to put into the regular public treasury account for transparency and accountability.

Leadership is the complex set of character that distinguishes one leader from the other. After the depression of 1929, President Herbert Hoover believed that the government should stay out the personal lives of the citizens, as such prolonging the crisis. By contrast, Franklin D. Roosevelt, upon assuming office in 1933, brought a pro-active leadership, offering a new deal to the American citizens, while instilling into the men and the women of America to live according to their means; pennies were saved, belts were tightened. His motto: “The only fear we have to fear is fear itself”, resonates again today. The president used the crisis to attack several fronts at the same time, funding to revitalize business, food and shelter for the needy and job creation in the big projects that last again today; America was reborn, stronger and better.

After the 9/11 attacks, the rest of the world saw itself as American, we thought frivolity was no more a cashable currency but this expression of good will was squandered and not turned into a new blood to push forward the American manifest destiny.

Haiti’s disaster lesson could go to waste if President Preval does not change course in his style of leadership. As President Obama just told President Preval, the country is set for another disaster as the hurricane and the rainy season is on the way. The world cannot continue to look at Haiti with the same detachment that it did in Rwanda or in Burma.

President Preval, as well as his Prime Minister Jean Max Bellerive, keeps complaining about the ill-engagement of the international organizations in Haiti yet the appointment of a strong Minister of Coordination with the NGOs (with a small portion of their funding going towards financing that Ministry) would go a long way in helping service providers and Haitian refugees to receive much needed solace.

A project of decentralization with adequate funding going towards the small villages will propel Haiti into an orbit it has never been in before. An influential member of the Preval government has told me he has not been able to convince the government that he should engage into that path, instead of building the tent cities. The horde of refugees is needed for election time. Buying each vote with a token is easier and preferable to the government than the welfare of each individual.

For those guardians of the status quo in Haiti, the souls of those half a million unnecessary deaths will haunt you at night, scratching your feet and preventing the benefit of a peaceful night while turning your days into a mortal zombie!

As I have said in previous columns before the earthquake, the year 2010 is a turning point for Haiti; the whole legislative body, all the mayors, and all the sheriffs of the rural villages as well as a new president must be elected.

As goes Haiti, so goes the rest of the world! It was first to uproot the world order of slavery in 1804; it was again first to propagate the people’s revolution of 1986, it was first to start the food riot in 2004, questioning the developed world payback to their agriculture industry; the chain of earthquakes in this decade has started first with Haiti.

Helping to usher a democratic, fair and competent leader in Haiti, away from the plethora of corrupt, inept and non sensitive Presidents that Haiti have known for the past 60 years, will be the signal that this world is ready to enjoy a string of a better years to come!

About the author:Jean H Charles MSW, JD is Executive Director of AINDOH Inc a non profit organization dedicated to building a kinder and gentle Caribbean zone for all. He can be reached at: jeanhcharles@aol.com

2010-03-13T06:48:00.000-08:00

NGOs Falling Short in Haiti

Ben Sanders | March 12, 2010
http://reason.com

CNN has a pretty good review of the pitfalls of foreign aid, looking at how the massive effort in Haiti could end up harming the country in the long run. Given that there are about 10,000 NGOs at work in Haiti right now, and that the United States has already spent $700 million on aid to Haiti, it would be good to have some signs that it's not, you know, making things worse.

What's the right way to provide aid?

“There's nothing worse than a bunch of foreigners coming in to fix everything," said David Humphries, a spokesman for CHF International, a humanitarian organization that is in Haiti. "Self-esteem and buy-in are very important for any community. They need to say, 'This is our building, our hospital.'"

Local input can also avoid wasting precious resources, Humphries says.

"You can build a hospital, but if there's no functional road to it, it's a white elephant," Humphries said. "People will despise it. Go in the community, get their input and employ them."

Good advice. So when the NGO Refugees International went to Haiti last month to study how the relief effort was going, what did they find?

Currently, coordination and communication between Haitian civil society and UN and international NGOs are largely missing, with both sectors operating along parallel and separate lines. Local organizations have a hard time accessing meetings at the UN compound in Port-au-Prince, where UN agencies and international NGOs have established task-specific cluster groups to improve communication across operating agencies, discuss specific needs, and coordinate activities in order to avoid overlap and maximize outreach and coverage of a response. Haitian groups are either unaware of the meetings, do not have proper photo-ID passes for entry, or do not have the staff capacity to spend long hours at the compound.

Sounds about right. The CNN piece also pointed out how U.S. farm subsidies have helped undermine Haiti's agriculture. A country that used to be able to produce all its own rice is now the fourth largest importer of American rice.

Unfortunately, the CNN article also aired generic complaints about companies flocking to Haiti because of the availability of cheap labor:

“Even those companies that promise to help rebuild Haiti must be viewed with suspicion, one scholar says.”

As millions of Chinese factory workers have shown, being “exploited” in a factory for a few years can be the key to springing one's family out of poverty for good.

2010-03-12T05:40:00.000-08:00

Haiti Debt Relief Bill Authored by Congresswoman Maxine Waters Passes the House

Source:http://sflcn.com/story.php?id=8215

Washington, DC – The House of Representatives passed the Debt Relief for Earthquake Recovery in Haiti Act (H.R. 4573), authored by Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), last night. This legislation directs the United States to seek the cancellation of Haiti's debts to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and other multilateral development institutions. The Senate is expected to adopt the Congresswoman’s bill this week, clearing the way for President Obama to sign it into law.

“I am pleased that my bill to cancel Haiti’s debt held by multilateral development institutions is set to become law. Debt relief is essential for Haiti’s future. However, we must also keep in mind the immediate needs of survivors who, without adequate shelter, will be further subjected to the elements and to disease during the upcoming rainy season. I applaud the efforts of our government, military, and charitable organizations for the assistance they have provided thus far, and I will be doing everything in my power to continue to work with them to alleviate the suffering and attend to the basic needs of the Haitian people.”

Having returned from Haiti earlier this week – her second trip there since the earthquake in January – the Congresswoman continues to sound the alarm about the need to urgently provide more shelter to the hundreds of thousands of Haitians whose homes were destroyed. Many Haitians are living outdoors in makeshift camps, and the upcoming rainy season is putting them at greater risk of flooding and disease. The Congresswoman has repeatedly called on the international community to deliver and distribute durable tents to Haitians and has raised the issue with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other officials.

“My second trip to Haiti since the earthquake only reaffirms what I’ve long known – the situation for hundreds of thousands of homeless Haitians is going to rapidly deteriorate when the heavy rains and hurricanes soon begin,” said Congresswoman Waters. “Malaria, typhoid, scabies and other highly infectious and deadly diseases are going to spread like wildfire unless a comprehensive plan is implemented to acquire thousands more durable shelter units and set them up safely, sustainably, and immediately.”

During her trip to Haiti last weekend, Congresswoman Waters:

• Met with the U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Ambassador Lou Luck, who is coordinating on-the-ground humanitarian efforts, and the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Relief;
• Brought food and supplies to Cité Soleil, the poorest neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, an area where residents have received little or no assistance from relief groups since the earthquake;
• Reviewed a food distribution operation in Pétionville led by a non-governmental organization;
• Toured a large camp that is housing approximately 12,000 survivors and was taken by locals to a camp unknown to relief workers where 700 people live. After Congresswoman Waters alerted USAID of the camp’s presence, USAID entered the camp into its database so it could be evaluated and will receive relief supplies moving forward;
• Discussed contracting opportunities for local workers with 150 Haitian business leaders and the USAID Contracting Officer, and reviewed some of the “jobs for cash” programs currently under way;
• Visited a temporary shelter demonstration site, showcasing different forms of shelter;
• Attended a “cluster” meeting at Bo-Jeux Parc where recovery and response efforts are coordinated and saw an army-grade medical tent she secured during her previous visit to Haiti being used by medical care providers to deliver babies; and
• Brought a U.S. seismologist to the country to study aftershocks and share information with Haitians about the potential for future disasters and what can be done to prevent widespread devastation.

“What really resonated with me during this trip was the stark reality of just how long it will take Haiti to recover and rebuild,” said Congresswoman Waters. “Many areas of Port-au-Prince are still not being regularly serviced by relief workers – and some camps are subsisting completely on their own. The coordination and organizational efforts are clearly under way, but I am well aware that it remains a work-in-progress. Much more must be done to provide all Haitians with food and clean water, secure shelter, and economic livelihood.”

Congresswoman Waters was among a select group of Members of Congress at an event yesterday at the White House with President Obama and Haitian President René Prevál, having been invited in recognition of her leadership on assistance for Haiti. Also attending were representatives of non-governmental organizations and foundations involved in the relief effort, Haitian-American community leaders and members of Urban Search and Rescue teams from Los Angeles and other cities.

2010-03-09T07:24:00.000-08:00

ICAO To Visit Haiti To Assess Aviation Infrastructure

By Antonio Percy
Aviation Online Magazine

March 9, 2010 - A multi-disciplinary team from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is conducting a three-day mission to Haiti to assess the status of the aviation infrastructure in the country following the January 12th earthquake and to recommend a course of action for reconstruction and assistance.

From March 9 to 11, ICAO officials will assess airport and air navigation facilities and services, flight operations, and aircraft handling. They will also review assessment reports prepared by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the military of the United States.

The mission will also discuss with Haitian authorities the use of ICAO’s Technical Cooperation Program to administer and deliver donor assistance for the reconstruction of the aviation system and for strengthening the Office national de l’aviation civile (OFNAC) of Haiti.

The overall objective of the mission is to ensure that the reconstruction and future development of the Haitian civil air transport system conform to ICAO globally recognized standards, as well as national and regional air navigation plans. It is also to avoid duplication of efforts and overlap in offers of assistance by donor States or organizations.

The mission is led by the Director of the North American, Central American and the Caribbean Office of ICAO, Mrs. Loretta Martin, with officials from the regional office and ICAO Headquarters in Montreal. It is coordinated with the United Nations and Haitian government authorities, including the OFNAC.

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti, severely damaged the airport's air control facility, rendering it inoperable. The government of Haiti asked the U.S. government to help with a solution. In response, the FAA produced a mobile control tower used for relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

In mid January, in a true demonstration of the international support of the relief efforts in Haiti, U.S. Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration officials paired with a Russian airlift contractor to deliver a mobile air traffic control tower out of Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida to the Aeroport Toussaint L'Ouverture in Port-au-Prince. The structure is currently used as the airports air traffic control tower until a permanent facility can be rebuilt, according to FAA officials.

The Antonov An-124 from Polet Airlines, the world's largest cargo aircraft, arrived at Homestead Air Force Base. More than 100 Airmen helped position the equipment on the flightline and assisted the Russian crew as they loaded the aircraft. Mikhail Trapeznikov, the An-124 flight manager and radio operator, said he and his team are proud to be a part of this mission. "We've done a lot of (humanitarian) missions," Mr. Trapeznikov said. "It's nice to be a part of it."

In addition to the Air Force and Polet Airlines, other organizations such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the FBI also contributed to the effort, Mr. Wall said. The mobile air traffic control tower took approximately 48 hours before it become fully operational.

2010-03-07T07:16:00.000-08:00

Rahway donates high-tech purifier to Haitian earthquake victims

By Eliot Caroom/For the Star-Ledger
March 07, 2010, 6:14AM

A solar-powered water purifier, donated by Rahway to a town in Haiti, sits on a boat off the coast of the earthquake-striken country.

http://media.nj.com/ledgerlocal/photo/un0307haitilnsjpg-abdac47a6d40a2b7_large.jpg

RAHWAY -- Rahway mayor James Kennedy was watching television news coverage of the Haiti earthquake’s aftermath in January when he saw something in the background that caught his eye.

“I had been watching TV, and I noticed the graffiti on a wall, and it said, ‘Water is currency,’” Kennedy said last month. “It was just a powerful statement.”

So Kennedy and Rahway’s city council decided to donate a water purifier to a town in Haiti to help meet one of the people’s most pressing needs: potable water.

With the help of a donation from United Water, Rahway’s utility, Kennedy is in the Haitian city of Bon Repos this weekend to deliver and install a solar-powered water purifier invented and built by a Princeton-based firm.Rahway donates a water purifier to a town in Haiti

http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2010/03/rahway_donates_high-tech_purif.html

Bon Repos, a city of 105,000 about 10 miles north of Port-au-Prince, is a good site for the purifier, Kennedy said, because there is a well in a church courtyard that can supply a steady source of water.

The machine was paid for with funds from Rahway’s capital budget for its water plant, according to city officials. The purifier was purchased for a discounted price of $50,000 from Princeton’s Worldwater & Solar Technologies. The one-year-old company has sold purifiers to the U.S. military and humanitarian organizations in Iraq, Sudan, Tamil and Haiti.

The machines, which ship folded up in cubes, have solar panels that can produce energy even on cloudy days. The power can clean 30,000 gallons of water a day by filtering it and bathing it in ultraviolet radiation.

“This is the same as a 747 arriving on site fully loaded with bottled water every day,” said Quentin Kelly, founder of Worldwater & Solar Technologies.

The company has ties to Haiti. Its vice-president of operations, Mickey Ingles, previously installed solar panels at the Louverture Cleary School, a 350-student Catholic boarding school in Port-au-Prince where he is a board director. Kelly said that half the students there became orphans after the quake.

Without clean drinking water, Ingles said more people in Haiti could die. Pure water is even more rare in the country after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit on Jan. 12, killing more than 215,000 people and leaving a million others homeless.

“Every 20 seconds a child under 5 dies for illnesses related to a lack of having clean drinking water in the world, and Haiti’s at the bottom of that scale,” Ingles said. “They absolutely need clean water, just like everyone else does.”

The Worldwater purifier had just been manufactured when Rahway decided to buy it and ship it to Haiti. The machine’s journey on a boat named the Sea Hunter lasted several weeks and was side-tracked by port officials and a change in boat captains.

For the last month, Kennedy has been making phone calls to port officials in Miami and Haiti to leapfrog bureaucratic obstacles to get the machine on land.

The machine finally disembarked from the boat in Haiti on Friday, according to Kennedy.

For several years, Kennedy has spent time working on international water issues. He served as the U.S. representative at the World Water Forum, an international conference in Mexico City, in 2006.

Now, all of Kennedy’s phone calls have paid off. If all goes according to plan, the machine should be installed early next week.

“Without water, you have nothing,” Kennedy said last week before leaving on a U.N.-chartered flight for Haiti to see the machine installed. “When you saw the report of the kid coming out after 12 days, it was only because he had water in the little space he was confined in in the collapsed building.”

2010-03-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

Haiti Recovery Act passes Senate

The Haiti Recovery Act, legislation introduced by Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Dick Lugar (R-IN), today passed the Senate by unanimous consent. The legislation would encourage the elimination of Haiti’s remaining debt to international financial institutions, currently totaling over $1 billion, and instruct these institutions to offer grants rather than loan assistance to Haiti, in order to end the debt-relief cycle.

“The people of Haiti face a long and difficult road ahead,” said Dodd. “But today, the United States Senate made it clear that they will not have to walk that road alone. Just as the worldwide outpouring of support helped to alleviate suffering in the days after the earthquake, this critical assistance will help make it possible for the Haitian people to build a brighter future in the years to come.”

“I commend Sen. Dodd for his efforts to move this legislation and other initiatives to help Haiti. The Senate will continue to assess measures that will help Haiti and develop greater stability and hopefully new opportunities. Dealing with Haiti’s crippling debt burden is an important initial step,” U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Lugar said.

Additionally, the Haiti Recovery Act calls on the Administration to support the creation of an international trust fund for Haiti, to support investment in infrastructure including the development of electric grids, roads, water and sanitation facilities, and reforestation initiatives.

Dodd is a senior member of Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Global Narcotics Affairs.

2010-03-05T05:33:00.000-08:00

Haiti-reconstruction:Moss M.Jack disagrees with Edmond Mulet about his declaration that Haiti Should Hold elections despite earthquake 's ravages

To Edmond Mulet,

Acting Head of UN mission in Haiti.

The haitians need to pause and rethink the political landscape and the political vision of the country.The political legitimacy of Preval doesn't do Haiti any good.

If Preval doesn't want to stay in power,advise him to leave right now,so a government of national unity can reshape the future of the country.

In this post earthquake era,What Haiti needs right now is not precipitated, disorganized and fraudulent elections that will undermine the chance of the country to rebuild itself after more than 20 years of destabilization.

Elections are not Haiti's best asset right now to redefine a modern,visionary and prosperous country.

Moss M.Jack

President & Founder

National Haitian Progressive Leadership Institute

Diaspora Haitian Institute For Progress.

Blog:www.Haitianpoliticsforum.blogspot.com

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UN envoy says Haiti should hold presidential elections despite earthquake's ravages

06:35 PM Mar 05, 2010
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - The top U.N. official in Haiti says the country must proceed with presidential elections.

The acting head of the U.N. mission in Haiti, Edmond Mulet, told The Associated Press the country cannot afford a constitutional "slippage" as it rebuilds from the Jan. 12 earthquake.

Two elections were scheduled this year before the quake ravaged the capital.

A planned February legislative election was canceled.

The presidential contest was salted for fall. President Rene Preval has pledged to step down at the end of his five-year term in February 2011.

Mulet is U.N. Assistant Secretary-General in charge of all peacekeeping operations worldwide. He stepped in when Turkish diplomat Hedi Annabi was killed in the earthquake.

2010-02-11T11:48:00.000-08:00

Pétition pour demander la démission du président Préval et de son gouvernement et la formation d'un gouvernement de salut Public et de reconstruction

Depuis le 12 Janvier 2010 le peuple haïtien vit dans une situation exécrable où le mensonge d'un Etat haïtien s'est éclaté au grand jour. Le gouvernement de Préval-Bellerive est incapable de gérer l'état de crise post sismique et devient aux yeux de tous une honte nationale.

Les pays soi-disant amis d'Haïti en voulant se servir avec ceux par qui le scandale arrive prouvent une nouvelle fois à tous ceux qui veulent le comprendre qu'ils entendent garder le même statu quo discriminatoire et mener la même éternelle politique d'interference, d’ingerence, de diktat dans les affaires haïtiennes à leur profit et non au profit du peuple haïtien.

Il est temps que les haïtiens se réveillent et prennent leur destinée en main et négocient avec tout pays qui entend respecter la souveraineté d'Haïti et veut nous aider dans un esprit de partenariat et de coopération à rebâtir le pays où tous les haïtiens ont droit de vivre.

En consequence, nous appelons solennellement à la démission du président Préval et de son gouvernement et son remplacement par un gouvernement de salut public et de reconstruction pour jeter les bases d'une nouvelle Haïti souveraine, moderne et visionnaire.

La tache de ce gouvernement de salut public et de reconstruction composé de 5 membres c'est de:

- coordonner une meilleure distribution de l'aide internationale destinée aux victimes et aux sinistrés.

-prendre le contrôle de la gestion de la crise post sismique et de la reconstruction de concert avec la communaute internationale et tous les secteurs de la Societe civile.

-inventorier la géographie physique du pays et revaloriser la contribution de la diaspora dans le but de trouver des atouts majeurs pouvant aider à la reconstruction du pays.

-tracer une ligne de démarcation profonde entre les intérêts de la communauté internationale et ceux du peuple haïtien.
-Relancer et recréer les institutions haitiennes, le pouvoir executif, l’appareil juduciaire, la sécurité publique, la police, les forces armées Haitiennes, l’administration publique, la décentralisation du commerce et des activités économiques...
-promouvoir la régionalisation économique en valorisant les neufs départements géographiques du pays.

-Combattre l'inégalité économique et la monopolisation de la richesse nationale.

-lancer un plan stratégique national de développement basé sur le long terme.
-préparer les élections générales dans tout le pays.

Cette pétition est un rejet historique du statut quo politique haitien, du gouvernement incompétent de Preval-Bellerive, de la mainmise hypocrite sur Haïti des pays dit amis d'Haïti et de la centralisation de la sphère politique et économique par une petite élite seculaire motivée seulement par l’appât du gain personnel et mesquin au détriment du peuple haïtien.

Aujourd’hui est l’heure du changement, le pays ne peut plus attendre.

Suivent les signataires:

Moss M. Jack

President fondateur

Institut National Haitien de Leadership

Institut de La Diaspora Haitienne Pour Le Progres

Priere de faire circuler la petition

Sur le site twitter,signer la petition a: Haitiforum
Sur le site facebook,signer la petition a:Haitiforum
Et aussi dans les blogues et forums haitiens

Ajouter votre nom :

2010-02-01T07:29:00.000-08:00

UNCTAD: Aid to Haiti Starts with Debt Cancellation

Geneva, Jan 30, (PL).- The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) called Haiti creditors to start aiding the earthquake-stricken nation by cancelling its debt, according to a policy brief released here.

The massive response of the international community to the earthquake that hit Haiti on 12 January, has understandably been directed towards saving lives and providing immediate relief to the victims.

The way to proceed, says UNCTAD, is to declare an immediate moratorium on debt servicing, followed by its cancellation as quickly as possible.

Even at this stage, says UNCTAD, it is necessary to think about the finances and the reconstruction work required to rebuild the Haitian economy, put its people back to work and provide a more hopeful future.

Shocks on such a scale can lead to a vicious cycle of economic distress, more external borrowing, burdensome debt servicing, and insufficient investment to mitigate future shocks.

Despite having recently benefited from debt relief under the Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) and Multilateral Debt Relief (MDRI) Initiatives, Haiti was already classified as being at high risk of debt distress prior to the earthquake, in large part because of the numerous and successive external shocks that have recently hit the country.

Considering the large direct cost of the earthquake (conservative estimates put this at 15% of GDP), in the absence of further international action a new debt crisis is all but assured.

A sustainable recovery will also depend on the revival and creation of state capacities to handle public finance, implement an emergency housing programme, create jobs and strengthen public security.

The way to proceed, says UNCTAD, is to declare an immediate moratorium on debt servicing, followed by its cancellation as quickly as possible..

2010-01-23T08:54:00.000-08:00

Our Pressure About Haiti's Total Debt Cancellation is Working

Dear Moss M.,

Thank you for all you have done for the people of Haiti in the last week. While our hearts continue to hang heavy for all those who have suffered due to the earthquake, we are happy to report that the media and policy makers are responding to our calls.

As we mentioned earlier, last Friday, the Obama administration granted Temporary Protective Status to Haitian immigrants living in the United States.

And, on Wednesday, the IMF Managing Director stated that the IMF intends to work to cancel all of Haiti's debts to the institution, including the $100 million loan proposed last week. See our press release about the pledge here.

Yesterday, the World Bank announced yesterday that it will work toward cancellation of $39 million of Haiti's remaining debt. Officials from the Inter American Development Bank, which holds the largest amount of Haiti's debt, have said they will consider cancelling Haiti's debt.

These are all amazing results, in the matter of just a few days! An article by the Nation Magazine published yesterday praised Jubilee USA and our partners for our mobilization, stating. "The lesson: global activism can work, especially in a moment of such actively visible human need."

This is tremendous progress, but we must keep up the pressure to ensure that these promises for debt cancellation and grants - not loans - for Haiti become reality in the coming days. Already, a spokesperson from the IMF has backtracked from the Managing Director's promise, saying that cancelling Haiti's debt - including the new $100 million loan - is a "medium range" goal.

We must continue to keep the spotlight on this issue.

Please take action now!

If you haven't already done so, please take a few minutes and write a letter to the editor to your local newspaper calling for definitive cancellation of all of Haiti's debts. We've made it easy for you with a sample letter through our on-line tool.

Our collective power has already made an incredible difference. Let's keep up the pressure.

Thanks for all you do,

Melinda St. Louis
Deputy Director, Jubilee USA

PS. Make sure you check out Executive Director Neil Watkins' appearance on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show.

2010-01-23T08:09:00.000-08:00

"Haiti-Reconstruction:Faut-il Remettre en Question La Légitimité politique de Preval?

"La légitimité politique ne vaut rien si elle ne peut pas servir la cause de ceux qui l' ont donnée." Moss M.Jack.

Dans un article paru dans le journal français Le monde,édition du 23 janvier 2010, Sophie Jouineau, politologue et spécialiste de la caraibe, pense qu’ 'après le tremblement de terre qui a créé en Haïti une crise générale sans précédent,’ il est tout à fait normal de respecter la légitimité du gouvernement de Préval et transformer ce gouvernement en un "gouvernement de reconstruction. Ma question à Sophie Jouineau est celle-ci: Que vaut la légitimité politique si elle ne peut pas servir la cause de ceux qui l'ont donnée?

Depuis le 7 février 1986, sous le couvert de la democratie,nous assistons à la destabilisation d'Haiti.Lorsque la légitimité politique a été confiée à des hommes politiqes,ils ont enfoncé davantage le pays dans le chaos et mener la même politique discriminatoire de plus de deux siecles.Que ce soit en dictature ou en democratie, rien n'a changé en Haïti.
Que faut -il faire:Continuer à donner la légitimité politique à des leaders peu soucieux de l'intérêt général ou remettre en question le groupe de leaders à qui est confiée cette légitimité?

Il y a des leçons fortes à tirer dans la gestion de la catastrophe du tremblement de terre,lesEtats-unis envoient des soldats en Haïti pour aider à rétablir l'autorité de l'Etat alors qu’ils sont farouchement opposés à la formation d'une armée haïtienne moderne et démocratique qui est d'ailleurs dans la constitution haitienne.Commnet se fait-il qu'un pays étranger peut envoyer des troupes de son armée en Haïti pour aider à rétablir l'autorité de l'Etat alors que cet Etat se voit opposé d'avoir sa propre armée? Voila à quel genre de contradiction est confrontée la démocratie haïtienne.

Les haïtiens doivent se réveiller et dessiner une ligne de démarcation profonde entre les intérêts de la nation haïtienne et les intérêts de la communauté internationale dans le pays.

D'après la politologue, les haïtiens ont peu à dire sur la reconstruction de leur pays, il revient tout bonnement à la communauté internationale de décider et d'accompagner qui elle veut et ce qui est possible pour "le bien-être de la nation haïtienne".

Apparemment Sophie Jouineau ne comprend rien de ce qu'elle écrit à propos d'Haiti, elle est plutôt invitée à questionner le rôle de ''international qui s'acharne à financer des élections soi-disant démocratiques qui n'apportent aucun changement réel pour le bien-être de la majorité.

Moss M.Jack

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Notes:Voir l'article de Sophie Jouineau

Article paru dans l'édition du 23.01.10 du Journal Le Monde:
Source:http://www.lemonde.fr/opinions/article/2010/01/22/respecter-la-legitimite-des-autorites-par-sophie-jouineau_1295314_3232.html

2010-01-20T17:04:00.001-08:00

L'ex Première Ministre Madame Michelle Pierre-Louis ferait mieux de se taire.

Donnant une interview à une équipe de journalistes internationaux, l’ex première Ministre Madame Michelle Pierre Louis veut se refaire un nouveau visage. Mais, il est déjà trop tard. Les leaders politiques haïtiens ont quelque chose de commun : Ils acquièrent la perspicacité politique lorsqu’il est déjà trop tard.

Par Moss M. Jack

Le peuple haïtien au cœur de la situation de chaos qu'il se trouve maintenant n'a pas de leçon a prendre de l 'ex-Première Ministre Madame Michelle Pierre-Louis.Elle est coupable comme tant d'autres de la mauvaise gestion du pays, de perpétuer un statu quo de la honte, de déstabiliser le pays de concert avec les autres membres de la petite élite politique et économique qui contrôle a plus de 80% la richesse nationale

Deux explications justifient notre propos:

1-Les multiples déclarations maladroites de Madame Pierre-Louis,lorsqu'elle était Première Ministre comme par exemple:"mwen pa konnen sa mwen te vin chèché la-a" prouvent ses lacunes politiques et son manque de vision pour le pays. Elle n'avait pas su faire preuve de leadership politique qu'elle reproche aujourd’hui. Ce n'était pas sans raison que Préval l'avait choisie.

Elle n'avait apporté aucun changement réel dans la structure gouvernementale. Comme tous les autres, elle n'avait fait que liquider les affaires courantes du statu quo,mener la même politique discriminatoire, la même politique d'exclusion qui bénéficie le même petit group de privilégies dont elle fait partie au détriment de la majorité.

2-Madame Pierre-Louis a participé a la gabegie administrative de Préval et cautionné le pillage de la caisse publique .Les 197 millions de dollars de Petro-caribe qu'elle avait demandé a Préval de budgétiser devait être comme disent les américains son: ‘’make or break moment ‘’. Au nom du peuple Haitien, elle devait s'opposer farouchement à la volonté de Préval de détourner les 197 millions ou démissionner sur le champs si Préval a refusé d'écouter la voie de la raison.

Nous connaissons la suite...Maintenant vu ses relations avec les Clintons et avec quelques grands amis americains, elle veut opportunément se positionner comme quelqu'un qui peut gouverner sciemment le pays ou tout au moins, quelqu’un qui peut conseiller et offrir une lecture critique de la culture politique haïtienne.

En toute fairnesse, on peut se demander peut-on lui accorder une deuxième chance? Avant de répondre à cette question, on doit d'abord et avant tout se demander: qu’a-t-elle appris de ses erreurs?

Elle n'avait rien fait pour réconcilier la nation avec elle-meme. Compte tenu du fait qu'un home ou femme d'état est l'éducateur de son peuple, elle ne s'était même pas prononcée sur les faits qu'elle dénonce aujourd’hui: Si l’on ne prend pas conscience,dit-elle qu'il est urgent de dépasser les mesquineries politiciennes, les ridicules histoires et les querelles intestines stériles, c’est désespérant."

La situation était déjà désespérante avant son accession au pouvoir, avait-elle assez de perspicacité politique pour le voir et agir conséquemment? Qu’est-ce qu’elle nous raconte maintenant.

Si Madame Pierre-Louis veut qu’on la prenne au serieux,qu'elle vienne faire son mea culpa et demander pardon au peuple haïtien qu'elle a laissé tomber et négliger au moment qu'elle avait un mandat pour le defendre.C'est son nouveau défi a elle. C’est ce défi qu'elle doit affronter avant tout.Est-elle assez humble et patriotique pour le faire?

Humilité et patriotisme n'ont jamais figuré sur aucun agenda d'aucun leader politique haitien.Donc, elle ferait mieux de se taire.

Notes:Voir l'interview de Madame Pierre-Louis:

http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/monde/haiti-souffre-d-une-tres-grave-absence-de-leadership_842926.html

Moss M. Jack

www.haitianpoliticsforum.blogspot.com

2010-01-20T04:17:00.000-08:00

Haiti: Eurodad and Jubilee Debt Campaign call for large assistance grants and full debt cancellation

18 January 2010

After the devastating earthquake last week, global civil society has stepped up calls on governments and International Financial Institutions to unconditionally cancel Haiti’s remaining debt. Haiti is in dire need of large-scale grant funding to help it recover from the earthquake, and debt relief is one of the most effective ways to create immediate fiscal space for the country. Most importantly, disaster relief should under no condition be provided as new loans. Contrary to this, the IMF’s proposal to augment existing loan agreements with Haiti will amass new debts, increasing their already high debt distress levels.

Take Action Now!

Send a letter to your Finance Minister opposing the IMF’s increase in current lending for emergency assistance in Haiti (download the advocacy letter below).

Send the Eurodad and Jubilee Debt Campaign Press Release to your media contacts.

Cancellation of Haiti’s debt

When Haiti reached HIPC completion point in June last year, only US$ 1.2 billion of the country’s external debt was written off. This is because debt relief agreements from the IMF and other creditors only covered debts acquired up until 2004. New loans Haiti has received since then have added to its debt. Today, Haiti still owes $890 million to international creditors, and is expected to pay the IMF US$ 50 million over the next five years.

“It is the responsibility of the international community to provide immediate relief to the victims as well as the resources and policies which will be needed, over the near and medium term, in order to support the Haitian people’s own efforts to reconstruct their country and future,” says Jubilee South in the statement “Solidarity and respect for Popular Sovereignty: Haiti is Calling” now open for signatories.

In addition to the urgent need for new money, civil society highlights the need for reparations and restitution for Haiti’s illegitimate debt burdens. “Haiti’s dire poverty has been built on centuries of injustice perpetrated against the country by the rich world. It is time for our part of the world to pay its debt to Haiti,” says Jubilee Debt Campaign in a press release.

IMF extends its loans to Haiti: new lending on old conditions

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced that it is mobilising US$ 100 million for Haiti. IMF assistance is an augmentation of Haiti’s existing $178 million programme under the Extended Credit Facility. This means that it will be in the form of a loan, albeit at concessional rates, as indeed all IMF assistance is. Making Haiti pay back its emergency assistance is an alarming precedent for the international community and grossly inappropriate.

In a July 2009 press release after a review of Haiti’s IMF programme, the IMF said, “Haiti’s risk of debt distress will remain high, even after debt relief. Therefore, new borrowing policies must remain cautious.” By extending Haiti’s loan programme, the IMF is contradicting its own advice. With this catastrophe, there can be little question that Haiti will have much higher priorities than repaying old debts for the next several years.

The IMF assistance comes with strict conditions attached. As part of the IMF programme, Haiti is obliged to raise prices for electricity, refuse pay rises for public sector employees, except those making the minimum wage, and keep inflation as low as possible.

Haiti requires large-scale, condition-free grant-aid as a matter of urgency.

Read the Eurodad and Jubilee Debt Campaign statement.

Support the calls for full cancellation of Haiti’s debt:

Sign on to the Jubilee South statement: “Solidarity and respect for Popular Sovereignty: Haiti is Calling” available at http://www.movimientos.org/show_text.php3?key=16582

The global online campaign Avaaz has launched a petition for immediate debt cancellation for Haiti. Sign on here!

The ONE campaign has also launched an online petition, available at: http://www.one.org/international/actnow/haiti/

In the press:

The Washington Post editorial Board in support of cancelling the rest of Haiti’s debt: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/14/AR2010011403974.html

France calls on the Paris Club to cancel Haiti’s debt: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE60E0SO.htm

Reuters on IMF loan: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1420120920100114

Letter on Haiti debt and IMF loan to European Finance Ministers : Kb

2010-01-19T07:33:00.000-08:00

Haïti à l'épreuve du choc

Par Jean-Louis Bianco et Nicolas Cadène

Mediapart.com

Le tremblement de terre que vient de subir Haïti est abominable et l'aide internationale indispensable. Mais à la faveur de cette crise, les pays donateurs pourraient appliquer à l'île une «thérapie de choc» revenant à la mettre sous tutelle et à y instaurer un nouveau colonialisme. «Il faut confier aux Haïtiens eux-mêmes la reconstruction de leur pays»,Jean-Louis Bianco, ancien ministre, député et président du conseil général des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, et Nicolas Cadène, membre du conseil national du Parti socialiste.

Ce que vient de subir Haïti, un des pays les plus pauvres de la planète, est un désastre considérable qui constitue également un choc psychologique d'une extrême violence pour les Haïtiens.

Au-delà d'une gourmandise malsaine de nos médias et d'un concours des images les plus pénibles, il est essentiel d'aller plus en avant sur la situation concrète que vit et va désormais vivre ce peuple antillais, le premier à s'être émancipé des colons blancs le 1er janvier 1804.

La destruction tant matérielle qu'organisationnelle et structurelle de cet État de 10 millions d'habitants amène à cette réflexion sur l'avenir alors que les puissances occidentales organisent l'aide internationale d'une manière qui n'est pas toujours idéalement transparente.
La mise à profit par certains gouvernements et groupes privés occidentaux d'une catastrophe naturelle n'est pas nouvelle. Certains économistes l'ont relevé à plusieurs reprises, la journaliste Naomi Klein l'a théorisé avec son ouvrage La Stratégie du choc.

Après tout choc national, les citoyens deviennent plus enclin à suivre n'importe quel leader qui prétend les protéger. Ces désastres placent les populations dans un tel état d'hébétude qu'ils deviennent des «opportunités» pour quiconque souhaite favoriser des réformes économiques extrêmement rigoureuses qui n'auraient pas été admises en temps normal. Elles sont généralement imposées très rapidement avant que les citoyens ne puissent se ressaisir.

Milton Friedman, souvent considéré comme un partisan de ces «traitements de choc», déclarait lui-même : «Seule une crise réelle ou imaginaire peut engendrer un changement profond» (Capitalisme et liberté, 1971).

Nous savons par exemple que le tsunami de 2004 a permis des expropriations massives de populations vivant sur les côtes d'Asie du Sud-est, des libéralisations et dérégulations commerciales (en échanges d'aides occidentales), des constructions de complexes hôteliers occidentaux, etc. À l'époque nous nous étions émus de la destruction par la nature de leurs villages de pêcheurs, mais nous avons détournés les yeux quand à la place furent construits des hôtels après que les populations aient été déplacées.

Nous savons que l'ouragan Katrina qui frappa la Nouvelle Orléans en 2005 a permis là encore des expropriations massives, des privatisations de services publics et de l'éducation et des reconstructions privées orientées, etc.

Quelques heures après le séisme à Haïti, The Heritage Foundation (un des principaux think-tanks américains, néo-conservateur et influent sur le Congrès actuel) écrivait sur son site Internet :

«Au-delà de l'assistance humanitaire immédiate à apporter, les réponses américaines au terrible séisme de Haïti offrent d'importantes opportunités de reprise en main du long dysfonctionnement gouvernemental et économique haïtien, tout en améliorant l'image américaine dans la région».

De son côté, Nicolas Sarkozy proposait une conférence à Bruxelles sur la reconstruction du pays, sans même en parler en amont avec les responsables politiques haïtiens qui ont survécu au séisme.Rappelons que si les causes de la pauvreté haïtienne sont multiples, les responsabilités occidentales sont loin d'être nulles, notamment sur le surpeuplement de Port-au-Prince, et que la corruption généralisée et les «aides financières» du Nord (sous conditions drastiques) ont réduit à néant toute agriculture vivrière sur l'île.

En octobre dernier, Camille Chalmers, directeur exécutif de la PAPDA (Plateforme haïtienne de plaidoyer pour un développement alternatif), dénonçait (comme d'autres associations haïtiennes) la politique du gouvernement haïtien consistant à se plier aux injonctions des organisations internationales et à favoriser les entrepreneurs étrangers et les importateurs de produits alimentaires :
«Depuis les années 80 les stratégies néolibérales adoptées par les gouvernements ont détruit l'agriculture du pays. On est aujourd'hui le troisième importateur du riz américain avec plus de 400.000 tonnes métriques par an. Pourtant, chaque année 75.000 personnes laissent les zones rurales — absentes des débats de la classe politique — pour rejoindre la capitale. De la sorte, la dépendance alimentaire du pays ne fait que s'agrandir. Les politiques macro-économiques soutenues par Washington, l'ONU, le FMI et la Banque Mondiale ne se soucient nullement de la nécessité du développement et de la protection du marché national. Les seules préoccupations de ces politiques est de produire pour l'exportation vers le marché mondial».

Aujourd'hui, les paysans manquent de terres cultivables, d'outils, d'encadrement dans la commercialisation des produits. Comme le rappelle le CADTM (Comité pour l'annulation de la dette du tiers-monde), dans la fertile région du Nord-Est, le béton a remplacé les cultures, notamment avec la construction d'une zone franche pour la fabrication de produits textiles destinés au marché des États-Unis. Le paradoxe est que, non loin, existe des terres moins fertiles où ces industries auraient pu s'installer sans porter préjudice aux plaines agricoles fertiles.

Aujourd'hui, d'un point de vue cynique, la situation est donc particulièrement propice pour diriger politiquement et économiquement cette République dans le sens des seuls intérêts américains, français et de quelques grandes entreprises du Nord.

Il est d'ailleurs étonnant de constater, comme le fait Daniel Schneidermann sur le site Arrêt sur images, avec quelle rapidité l'image de Haïti se dégrade dans certains médias. Après la compassion avec les victimes, ce sont les «pillages» ou «vols de marchandises» qui sont souvent mis en avant dans la presse internationale. Cela pourrait être assez utile à ceux qui déclareront plus tard : "ils sont incapables et irresponsables".

Comme le rappelle le journal La Croix, plusieurs responsables associatifs ont été choqués par les déclarations de dirigeants sur la nécessité de mettre «l'île sous tutelle internationale», au nom de la «reconstruction». D'autant qu'il existe des ingénieurs, médecins et universitaires compétents à Haïti, la plupart formés à l'étranger d'ailleurs.

L'ancien président de Caritas France déclarait récemment que «le pays ne [devait] pas être placé sous protectorat».

De son côté, le directeur des opérations de Médecins sans frontières (MSF) affirmait avec raison que «les églises, les associations, les comités de quartier form[aient] le tissu social permanent d'une nation» que «dans la rue, l'efficacité des secours [était] d'abord haïtienne» et enfin que «la France et les États-Unis [devaient] remettre les institutions haïtiennes en route (...) sans parler de mise sous tutelle» ni «porter atteinte à la souveraineté de l'État» car «c'est une source de tensions entre les habitants et la communauté internationale.»

D'autres dispositions que celles actuellement en cours auraient pu être prises.

Il est d'ailleurs étonnant de constater un tel déploiement militaire (déjà dénoncé par certains organisations dominicaines et qui ne se fait pas en simple soutien humanitaire) sur l'île Il n'est pas certain que les services publics haïtiens soient re-créés ou tout simplement créés à cette occasion, au contraire, ils pourraient être tout à fait privatisés. Il faut rapidement s'assurer de la transparence totale des transferts d'argent vers Haïti et les ONG œuvrant sur place.

Surtout, il faut confier aux Haïtiens eux-mêmes la reconstruction de leur pays, en garantissant leur souveraineté, en leur donnant les moyens de créer leurs propres structures sur place et leurs propres emplois (et non en faisant venir uniquement des entreprises extérieures avec des employés étrangers).

2010-01-19T07:21:00.001-08:00

Haïti, deux cents ans de malheurs

Voici la version intégrale de l'article rédigé par le géographe et directeur de recherche au CNRS, Christian Girault, à paraître dans le Nouvel Observateur daté du jeudi 21 janvier 2010.

Le séisme destructeur de Port-au-Prince donne l’occasion d’envoyer un nouveau coup de projecteur sur ce petit pays situé au cœur des Caraïbes, dans la partie occidentale de l’île d’Ayti (pour reprendre le nom indigène qui signifie "terre de montagnes"). Un pays méconnu, malgré les liens qui le rattachent à la France et à l’espace francophone. De l’autre côté de la frontière, sur la même île, la République Dominicaine, malgré son image touristique avenante, reste bien mal connue également.

Derrière les montagnes, encore des montagnes (Proverbe haïtien)

La géographie physique d’Haïti est heurtée avec ses plaines étroites, encadrées de chaînes montagneuses abruptes. La plus haute, le massif de la Selle, domine un fossé d’effondrement (graben) occupé par la plaine du Cul-de-Sac, où s’est largement étalée l’agglomération de Port-au-Prince dans les dernières décennies. La côte, très découpée, abrite de nombreux ports naturels mais la mer est peu poissonneuse. Le pays, même s’il n’occupe qu’une superficie restreinte (28 000 km²), sur le versant occidental de l’île, est très exposé aux risques naturels de deux ordres : les séismes et les cyclones. Les tremblements de terre ont touché, avant ce terrible 12 janvier 2010, les deux principales villes : Port-au-Prince, frappée en 1751, soit deux ans seulement après sa fondation comme nouvelle capitale de la colonie et Cap-Haïtien détruit en 1842. Les cyclones (ou "ouragans" selon le nom indigène), avec une périodicité funeste, ont encore frappé durement dans les années récentes en 2004 et en 2008, avec des milliers de victimes dans la ville des Gonaïves. La République Dominicaine, qui occupe les deux tiers de l’île sur le versant oriental, est mieux dotée en plaines fertiles et sa pluviométrie, en raison des alizés, bien meilleure qu’en Haïti.

Des destructions massives

Mais l’histoire de cette île, depuis sa conquête et sa colonisation par les Européens, est encore plus brutale que sa géographie : une histoire faite de destructions, de guerres, de violences, au cours de laquelle se sont construites péniblement deux nations, l’Haïtienne et La Dominicaine. Cette île, la préférée de Colomb, qui y fonda, avec son frère, les premières cités, a été aussi le théâtre du saccage des cultures amérindiennes, et, dans une séquence implacable, le lieu d’installation des premières plantations de canne à sucre dans les Amériques, dans le cadre du système esclavagiste s’approvisonnant en main-d’œuvre par la traite des Africains.
Haïti, qui s’appelait dans cette phase coloniale Saint-Domingue, a vécu officiellement sous le régime français à partir du traité de Ryswick (1697) qui a officialisé sur le parchemin le grignotage territorial et l’ingérence des corsaires, et autres boucaniers dans la partie occidentale de la colonie espagnole. Lorsque les dernières troupes du formidable corps expéditionnaire lancé par Napoléon Bonaparte pour reprendre la colonie et y rétablir l’esclavage sont défaits aux abords du Cap-Haïtien (autrefois Cap-Français) le 18 novembre 1803 s’achève donc un épisode de colonisation, finalement assez bref (un peu plus de cent ans), mais qui marque durablement la formation ethnique et culturelle du pays (la langue créole est en bonne partie issue du français parlé par les maîtres).
Les révolutions et les guerres de la colonie de Saint-Domingue constituent une période complexe, à l’égal de la Révolution française. Mais nos manuels d’histoire sont particulièrement discrets sur la question. Nos jeunes n’apprennent pas grand chose de la naissance d’Haïti, qui réussit à la fois à abolir l’esclavage et à gagner son indépendance à la force des armes et de la genèse de la République Dominicaine à l’Est (qui fut aussi une colonie française pendant quelques année, entre 1795 et 1808). Or l’histoire de ces jeunes nations a été intimement liée à celle de la France révolutionnaire et impériale. On "bassine" les lycéens avec les victoires de Napoléon, alors que l’expédition de Saint-Domingue de 1802, qui aboutit à la capture du général Toussaint - Louverture et à la débâcle du Cap, un échec cinglant à l’aube de l’Empire, est à peine mentionnée. Un silence bien regrettable.
En 1804 Haïti - le pays adopte un nouveau nom pour rappeler l’héritage amérindien - naît libre mais ruiné. Les pertes humaines sont énormes (des deux côtés) ; beaucoup des agronomes, des ingénieurs, des techniciens sont morts ou ont quitté l’île. Les capitaux se sont évanouis. La tentative habile de compromis recherchée par Toussaint - Louverture est rejetée définitivement et les Blancs sont massacrés (une bonne partie avaient déjà pris le chemin de l’exil à Cuba, en Louisiane, à Philadelphie, où ils relanceront des activités qui parfois entreront en concurrence avec celles d’Haïti.)

Haïti au ban des nations

Haïti, dont le statut politique est incertain, "Empire" avec Dessalines, "Royaume" avec Christophe, "République" avec Pétion et Boyer, est une colonie rebelle et elle n’est reconnue par les puissances de l’époque que bien plus tard. Par une ordonnance le roi Charles X accorde l’autonomie à "ses sujets de Saint-Domingue", pour ne pas écrire le nom d’Haïti. Les Haïtiens doivent payer une dette énorme pour indemniser les anciens colons français. Ce n’est qu’en 1838, sous Louis-Philippe, que la France reconnaît réellement le pays et passe un traité d’amitié avec la République d’Haïti. Ce texte continue à régir les relations avec notre ancienne colonie. Le Saint-Siège suivra, puis les États-Unis, après l’abolition de l’esclavage par Lincoln. Bolívar, de son côté, de façon totalement ingrate, car les Haïtiens l’avaient sauvé à deux reprises, n’avait pas invité Haïti au Congrès de Panama en 1826.

Pendant cette première moitié du 19ème siècle les dirigeants ont une obsession, la crainte du retour des maîtres et colonisateurs. Cela les entraîne au surarmement, à des dépenses considérables pour la construction de défenses, de nombreux forts, le plus gigantesque étant la citadelle du roi Christophe, près du Cap-Haïtien. Cela les conduit aussi à occuper la partie Est de l’île, qui deviendra la République Dominicaine. Conséquence de cette stratégie d’occupation et de tentative d’assimilation des "Hispano - Dominicains" : la naissance d’une nouvelle nation, car les Dominicains se rebellent en 1844 contre la tutelle haïtienne. Par la suite, les gouvernants haïtiens mèneront trois guerres, très coûteuses, pour reprendre ce territoire dominicain, aboutissant à des défaites cuisantes et créant des blessures durables entre les deux peuples qui se partagent désormais l’île.

"L’union fait la force" [Devise d’Haïti] – La désunion fait le chaos.

La mutation se poursuit et elle est sanglante. L’alliance des noirs et des métis - que l’on appelle en Haïti "mulâtres" -, qui avait conduit à la victoire des insurgés, est mise à rude épreuve. Les anciens libres et les généraux se partagent les terres cultivables tandis que les nouveaux libres ne veulent pas entendre parler d’astreinte aux plantations et s’échappent vers les mornes pour y créer une petite paysannerie vivrière sur les terrains les plus difficiles (Paul Moral "Le paysan haïtien", Maisonneuve et Larose, 1961). Sur le plan politique c’est le règne des chefs militaires, de véritables caudillos, parfois appuyés sur des bases régionales (le Sud contre le Nord). Beaucoup de ces caudillos sont tués dans les combats, assassinés ou doivent s’exiler. La comparaison avec l’Amérique latine montre des similitudes frappantes pour cette époque (y compris la République Dominicaine bien entendu). Les forces civiles existent à peine ou sont manipulées. Les chefs lèvent dans les campagnes des armées de mécontents qui ravagent le pays ; et pour financer les dépenses les dirigeants ont recours à des emprunts concédés par des banquiers internationaux avec des conditions léonines. Le non remboursement des dettes amène des interventions de plus en plus grandes des puissances dans la politique haïtienne. L’étude de Leslie Péan, montre l’emprise de la corruption et l’autoritarisme brutal de gouvernants comme Boyer ou Geffrard, pourtant considérés parmi les plus positifs, parce que cultivés et éclairés dans l’histoire d’Haïti (Economie de la corruption, Maisonneuve et Larose, 2003) Que dire de véritables satrapes comme Soulouque qui se fait proclamer empereur en 1849 ? Vers la fin du siècle et dans les premières années du 20ème siècle, l’instabilité politique devient effrayante (Voir le livre de Pascale Berloquin-Chassany "Haïti, une démocratie compromise", L’Harmattan, 2004).

Le siècle américain

Le 20ème siècle est dominé par l’entrée en scène d’un nouvel acteur : les États-Unis qui par leur politique impérialiste dans la Région des Caraïbes, veulent assainir et policer ce qu’ils voient comme une zone de dangers (sanitaires, politiques,…). Ils commencent par prendre le contrôle des douanes pour assurer le paiement des dettes contractées et poursuivent, en profitant de l’absence des puissances européennes engagées dans la Grande Guerre, par une occupation militaire en bonne et due forme qui se prolonge 19 ans (1915-1934), avec la collaboration d’hommes de paille. Cependant l’intervention n’est pas de tout repos. Elle se heurte à une résistance populaire que les Marines ont des difficultés à mater. Par ailleurs l’échec des compagnies américaines dans leurs entreprises capitalistes fait réfléchir : le pays ne deviendra pas un pays de grandes plantations comme Cuba ou la République Dominicaine.
Une réaction nationaliste, à la mesure de l’agression américaine, se manifeste. Les Duvalier règnent de 1957 à 1986 avec une idéologie odieuse, qui a été assimilée à un "fascisme" tropical (Gérard Pierre - Charles) : c’est une conséquence ultime de l’occupation américaine. Chez François Duvalier (le père) le glissement du nationalisme vers les théories raciales du "noirisme" est une manière démagogique d’imposer la violence des masses. Le fils, Jean-Claude, qui vit à ce jour quelque part en France, est un personnage falot, manipulé d’abord par sa mère puis par sa femme. Il doit partir en février 1986 devant la colère des foules urbaines.

La recherche chaotique de la voie démocratique (1986-2010)

Les espoirs de démocratisation aboutissent cependant rapidement à une transition manquée. Les Forces Armées (FAH), avatar de la Garde Nationale, mise en place par les Américains, perpètrent plusieurs coups d’État, dont le plus dur, sous la houlette du colonel R.Cédras, entraîne une répression féroce des forces vives (syndicats, coopératives…). Avec Jean-Bertrand Aristide, premier Président élu démocratiquement dans le cadre de la nouvelle Constitution de 1987, il y a pendant quelques mois une nouvelle étincelle d’espoir, vite éteinte. A son idée de la réhabilitation des pauvres et des sans-grade "Tout’moun cé moun" ["Chacun est honorable et a droit au respect"], manquait certes un programme précis, ce qui a fait parler de populisme dans le meilleur des cas et de prestidigitation dans le pire. Mais Aristide, qui perd ses appuis populaires et recourt lui aussi à des nervis, est chassé à son tour manu militari par les Français et les Américains en 2004, l’année où devait être célébré le bicentenaire de l’indépendance. Triste anniversaire en vérité.
Au total le constat est sévère. Les auteurs de coups d’Etat n’ont jamais été jugés. L’argent mal acquis des Duvalier n’a pas été rendu. Les crimes politiques nombreux, les assassinats comme celui de Jean Dominique, directeur de Radio Haïti Inter, n’ont jamais été élucidés. Et surtout un état de droit n’a, à aucun moment de l’histoire, été mis en place, alors que l’économie est exsangue et que les Haïtiens qui souhaitent travailler n’ont souvent que le choix d’émigrer en République Dominicaine, aux États-Unis, au Canada, aux Antilles françaises…, les minima en termes d’éducation de base, de cadre sanitaire, de sécurité humaine n’étant pas garantis sur le territoire de l’île.
La Mission de Stabilisation des Nations Unies en Haïti (MINUSTAH) a donc devant elle une tâche qui paraissait surhumaine, même avant la catastrophe de janvier. Elle a péniblement réussi à restaurer l’ordre public, en s’attaquant aux bandes criminelles qui terrorisaient la population dans les années 2004-2007, elle freine le trafic de stupéfiants qui profite de l’anarchie ambiante, mais elle n’a pas encore pu renforcer la police judiciaire, assainir les prisons. Presque tout reste à faire. Il est cependant heureux que des pays d’Amérique du Sud, comme le Brésil, le Chili, l’Argentine, l’Uruguay, qu’on ne peut soupçonner de visées impérialistes, qui aient accepté de prendre le relais en envoyant des contingents importants de casques bleus. Ils voient avec des yeux neufs une réalité étonnante.

Renouer avec Haïti et la République Dominicaine

Les Haïtiens ont parfois la tentation d’accuser les étrangers (les "Blancs") des malheurs de leur pays. Il est vrai, comme il a été rappelé, que les responsabilités historiques sont lourdes, mais les Haïtiens, par une dialectique terrible, ont aussi réagi aux événements dramatiques par la violence destructrice, presque suicidaire - c’est le fameux cri des insurgés "Coupez têtes - brûlez cailles [les maisons]" - ou encore par une fuite dans l’ordre supranaturel, où les religions foisonnantes (catholicisme, vaudou, sectes protestantes) se font d’ailleurs une concurrence acharnée.
Il convient de renouer avec Haïti, et avec sa voisine la République Dominicaine, qui a connu une trajectoire historique différente, mais qui reste un pays pauvre, certes à un niveau de développement bien différent de celui d’Haïti. Il est étonnant qu’aucun chef d’Etat français n’ait jamais mis le pied sur le sol de l’île et n’ait jamais salué le drapeau bleu et rouge, issu de la Révolution française. De même que nous assurons un devoir de solidarité aujourd’hui dans l’action humanitaire sur le terrain, nous ne pouvons plus échapper à plus longue échéance au devoir de mémoire et nous devrons participer, avec d’autres partenaires d’Europe, des Amériques et des Caraïbes à la reconstruction institutionnelle, éducative et morale de ce petit pays créole.

Christian Girault

2010-01-15T10:25:00.001-08:00

Help Plan International in Haiti's Relief Efforts

In Haiti's remote, mountainous region of Jacmel, Plan is currently the only major relief organization working to save children and families devasted by the effects of this week's earthquake. They've got more than 140 staff on the ground in Haiti, but they'd like to do more. Can you help them?

Help us speed emergency relief to the children of Haiti.

Plan's 143 staff in Haiti are working around the clock to help children survive this catastrophic earthquake.

Click here to make an emergency donation to expand relief efforts NOW.

Dear Reader,

Since the moment the devastating earthquake hit, Plan's 143 staff in Haiti have been providing emergency assistance to children. More specialist staff are currently rushing to Haiti to assist them.

Our teams are on the ground in the devastated capital city of Port-au-Prince, but also even closer to the epicenter of the quake in the village of Jacmel.

Right now, Plan is the only major relief organization in the remote, mountainous region of Jacmel. We MUST make sure our teams there have resources to sustain relief efforts for children and families in this isolated area.

Will you make an emergency donation right now to help? Your gift will make a critical difference for the children of Haiti.

Plan is a child-centered organization working at the grassroots level to ensure the health, education, and well-being of girls and boys in need throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. We have been working with girls, boys, families, and communities in Haiti since 1973.

Our work with over 42,000 children in Haiti makes us uniquely equipped to help children survive this crisis and our long-standing community presence means Plan's relief efforts can be even more effective in these chaotic first days after the disaster.

But to provide emergency relief to girls and boys who have survived this devastating earthquake and continue the child-centered community development programs we have established in Haiti, we urgently need your support.

Click here to make your emergency donation today.

I can't thank you enough for standing with the children of Haiti in this difficult time.

Lisa Ledoux
Internet Marketing Manager
Plan USA

2010-01-15T06:29:00.001-08:00

http://twitter.com/Haitiforum

Haitiforum

Mobilizing the world to help Haiti and the Haitian people after the earthquake.Help anyway you can.contact us or your local organizations.

Name: Haitian
Location: New York
Web http://Haitianpoliticsforum.blogspot.com

Relief Effort:How to help Haiti:

Please help credible and reliable organizations seemingly best able to provide immediate assistance on the ground providing food and water and delivering shelter for impacted survivors.

Types of donations:cash,clothes,dry food.

1) The international rescue committee:www.theirc.org

2) American Red Cross: www.redcross.org

3) Food for the Poor: http://www.foodforthepoor.org/

4) World Vision: http://www.worldvis ion.org/

5)Doctors without Borders:www.doctorswithoutborders.org

(This list is not exhaustive)

2010-01-13T14:40:00.001-08:00

http://twitter.com/Haitiforum

Haitiforum

Mobilizing the world to help Haiti and the Haitian people after the earthquake.Help anyway you can.contact us or your local organizations.

Name: Haitian
Location: New York
Web http://Haitianpoliticsforum.blogspot.com

2010-01-13T14:35:00.000-08:00

Fast facts – Haiti Earthquake

• USGS: USGS called it the strongest earthquake since 1770 in what is now Haiti

• The quake struck on January 12, 2010 at 4:53 p.m.

• The 7.0 magnitude quake's epicenter hit just 10 miles west of Porte-au-Prince and its 2 million inhabitants

• 3 million people in need of emergency aid after major earthquake

• The major quake sent 33 aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 4.2 to 5.9

• The Red Cross dispatched a relief team from Geneva and the UN's World Food Program is flying in two planes with emergency food aid.

• The Inter-American Development Bank said it was immediately approving a $200,000 grant for emergency aid.

• Some 9,000 peacekeepers have been in Haiti since 2004, including 1,266 Brazilians.

• Haiti has no real construction standards.

• November 2008: Following the collapse of a school in Petionville, the mayor of Port-au-Prince estimated about 60% of buildings were shoddily built and unsafe in normal circumstances.

Fast facts - Haiti

• Discovered by Columbus in 1492.

• Haiti won its independence from France on January 1, 1804.

• Population of nearly 10 million people.

• Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

• Most Haitians live on less than $2 a day.

• More than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs.

• Haiti is slightly smaller than Maryland.

• The Haiti telecommunications infrastructure is among the least developed in Latin America and the Caribbean.

• Haiti has 14 airports; 4 have paved runways.

• Haiti’s capital is Porte-au-Prince, a coastal city with about 2 million inhabitants.

• After decades of dictatorship, former Roman Catholic priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide became Haiti's first freely elected leader in 1990.

• Aristide was ousted by a military coup in 1991 but reinstated with U.S. backing.

• Aristide was forced out of the country and into exile in 2004 by a rebellion of gangs and former soldiers.

• Democratic rule was restored in 2006.

• Haiti has been led by President Rene Preval since May 2006 when the country returned to constitutional rule.

• Haiti is one of the original members of the United Nations and several of its specialized and related agencies, as well as a member of the Organization of American States (OAS).

• In July 2004, $1.085 billion was pledged through 2006 at the World Bank Donors' Conference. Donors included the U.S., Canada, the EU, France, Sweden, Spain, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Greece, Norway, Mexico, and Ireland

Fast facts – Earthquakes 2008-09

• 2009: 17 earthquakes 7.0 magnitude or greater worldwide, 1 of which broke 8.0

• 2008: 12 earthquakes above magnitude 7.0; none over 8.0

• 2009: Deadliest earthquake takes the lives of 1,117 people in Indonesia

• 2009: At least 1,783 deaths worldwide from earthquake activity

• 2008: 88,000+ die worldwide in earthquakes

• 2009: 15 countries on 4 continents continents report deaths due to earthquakes

• 2009: Alaska's Fox Islands measure biggest earthquake in the U.S. at 6.5 magnitude

Other Haitian Natural Disasters

• August and September 2008: Four separate hurricanes or tropical storms - Tropical Storm Fay and hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike - in the space of 30 days killing a total of 793 people and leaving more than 300 others missing, according to government figures. About 60 per cent of the country's harvest was destroyed and entire cities were rendered desolate and uninhabitable.

• September 2004: Hurricane Jeanne deluged the tiny Caribbean country. Resulting flooding and landslides killed up to 2,500 people and displacing thousands more.

• 1994: Hurricane Gordon killed over 1000 Haitians.

• 1963: Hurricane Flora killed over 8000 people, making it the 6th most deadly hurricane ever.

• 1954: Hurricane Hazel killed more than 100 people and destroyed several towns. The storm also wiped out 40 per cent of the coffee trees and 50 per cent of the cacao crop.

• November 1946: The largest recorded earthquake in modern times on the island of Hispaniola was an 8.1-magnitude temblor that produced a tsunami and killed 1,790 people. Centered in the Dominican Republic, it extended into Haiti.

• 1935: An unnamed storm killed more than 2000 people.

Haiti Overview

Capital: Port-au-Prince

Time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Land: 27,560 sq km (slightly smaller than Maryland)

Population: 9,035,536 (U.S. 307,212,123)

Population Growth rate: 1.84% (U.S. 0.98%)

Urban population: 47% of total population (U.S. 82% of population)

Ethnic groups: black 95%, mulatto and white 5%

Life expectancy at birth: 60.78 years (U.S. 78.11)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 7,200 (2007 est.)

Religions: Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% - note: roughly half of the population practices voodoo

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 52.9%

Independence: January 1, 1804 (from France)

Chief of state: President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006)

Head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Max BELLERIVE (since 7 November 2009)

U.S. Ambassador to Haiti: Ambassador Kenneth H. MERTEN

Haitian Ambassador to U.S.: Ambassador Raymond Joseph

GDP: $11.53 billion – 154th in the World (2008 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,300 – 203rd in the world (2008 est.)

Labor force: 3.643 million (2008 est)

Population below poverty line: 80%

Economy

• GDP (purchasing power parity): $11.53 billion (2008 est.)

• GDP (official exchange rate): $6.943 billion (2008 est.)

• GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,300 (2008 est.)

• GDP - composition by sector: Agriculture: 28%, Industry: 20%, Services: 52% (2004 est.)

• Labor force: 3.643 million

• Labor force - by occupation: Agriculture: 66%

• Population below poverty line: 80% and 54% in abject poverty.

• Haiti now ranks 146th of 177 countries in the UN's Human Development Index.

Resources – Emergency Services

• Haiti has no regular military forces. The Army, Navy, and Air Force have been demobilized.

• Haiti has a small Coast Guard.

• The Haitian National Police has nearly 10,000 officers.

• The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti consists of a military component of up to 6,940 troops and a police component of up to 2,211 police.

As of November 30, 2009 (latest data), the UN peacekeeping staff in Haiti consisted of:

- 9,065 total uniformed personnel (7,031 troops and 2,034 police)

- 488 international civilian personnel

- 1,212 local civilian staff

- 214 United Nations Volunteers

• Countries that contributed military personnel include: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Jordan, Nepal, Paraguay, Peru, Phillipines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, United States and Uruguay.

• Countries that contributed police personnel include: Argentina, Bangladesh, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Columbia, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Guinea, India, Jamaica, Jordan, Madagascar, Mali, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Togo, Turkey, United States, Uruguay and Yemen.

2010-01-13T08:24:00.000-08:00

http://twitter.com/Haitiforum

Haitiforum

Mobilizing the world to help Haiti and the Haitian people after the earthquake.Help anyway you can.contact us or your local organizations.

Name: Haitian
Location: New York
Web http://Haitianpoliticsforum.blogspot.com

Aid is available for deportee to Suport their social Reintegration

2010-01-11T14:04:00.000-08:00

The US$3m ($615m) United States project, which aims to provide tailored assistance to deportees returning to Guyana as part of a pilot project to support their reintegration into the society, has begun operations and is inviting remigrants experiencing difficulties to contact it.

According to an advertisement in the newspapers yesterday the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which signed an agreement with the government in June of last year, is asking persons who know someone who has been deported to Guyana or those who would have found it difficult to resettle in Guyana to dial telephone number 226-4732. Those who find it difficult to secure a job or are considering opening their own businesses can also dial the number.

It was revealed last year at the signing that the project has budgeted for some 250 returnees here. Funds were also earmarked for a similar regional programme in The Bahamas. The US had previously implemented the project in Haiti.

Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee at the signing had said that deportees can expect tangible support from government in light of the agreement being inked with the United States to contribute to the long-term reintegration of returnees into the society.

The cooperation paved the way for the US to implement programmes here in various areas including capacity building, advisory services and technical cooperation on migration issues beginning sometime in July or early August.

In yesterday’s advertisement it was stated that the IOM is an intergovernmental organisation (established in 1951) that is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. It said its presence in Guyana is to support the resettlement of deportees from the US to this country.

At the signing Minister Rohee had revealed that some 2939 Guyanese nationals convicted for criminal offenses were deported during the period 1996-2007 at an average of 245 criminal deportees a year. He had added that the figure excluded persons deported for immigration offenses. During that same period 1528 criminal deportees were returned from the US, at an average of 127 persons per year.

Further, he had said that the deviant behaviour of most deportees is a product of the environment in which they have resided and that those countries therefore have the moral responsibility for their rehabilitation.

He said too that many deportees are without relatives here, and that they face severe difficulties reintegrating into the society.

Rohee continued that they become a social burden on the state as well as prime targets for recruitment by organized criminal gangs. He added that many deportees here have no roots in the country or have been ostracized by relatives. “It is therefore incumbent on the government to find appropriate living facilities for deportees and provide them with basic needs while working to reintegrate them into the society”, he had stressed.

Source:starbroeknews.com Posted By Stabroek staff On January 11, 2010 @ 5:27 am

Haiti receives $39 million from Spain and IDB to improve water and sanitation services

2010-01-07T23:01:00.000-08:00

News Releases*

Haiti receives $39 million from Spain and IDB to improve water and sanitation services
One of the first programs approved by partnership that will channel $620 million in grants and loans to benefit 4 million low-income people in 12 countries

The Inter-American Development Bank and the Government of Spain will provide a total of $39 million in grants and loans to Haiti in the first stage of an unprecedented partnership to tackle water and sanitation problems afflicting Latin America’s poorest communities.

This is the first project jointly funded by the IDB and Spanish Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation in Latin America and the Caribbean (the Spanish Fund), which was created last year at the initiative of Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

The IDB and the Government of Spain signed an agreement in July 2009 to jointly finance and execute projects with a portion of the Spanish Fund’s grants. The partnership will take advantage of the IDB’s extensive portfolio of water and sanitation projects, as well as its network of sector specialists in country offices throughout the region, to rapidly and efficiently execute projects identified as priorities by Latin American and Caribbean governments.

In Haiti, the Spanish Fund will contribute $20 million and the IDB another $19 million, both in grants, to help expand and improve water and sanitation services for around 150,000 people Saint-Marc, Port-De Paix, Les Cayes, Jacmel, Ouanaminthe and Cap-Haitien.

The IDB and Spain have also agreed to provide $100 in grants and loans to Bolivia (see link at right), are expected to jointly finance projects in Brasil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay between now and mid-2010. In all, Spain will contribute $407 million in grants to these projects, while the IDB will contribute $213 million in grants and loans, while also assuming the bulk of the project preparation and execution costs. Governments in the region will contribute an additional $77 million in counterpart funds. Around 4 million people in low-income urban and rural communities are expected to benefit directly from these projects.

“This partnership is a historic gesture of solidarity by the people of Spain toward our region,” said IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno. “These generous grants will enable us to leverage IDB funds and finance much more ambitious projects that will improve the health and quality of life of millions of people in some of the Hemisphere’s poorest communities.”

Haiti's water and sanitation services are among the most deficient in the Hemisphere. The country has no sewer networks and, according to the 2003 census, only 8.5 percent of its households are connected to a drinking water distribution system.

To tackle this situation, $14.2 million will help expand the drinking water coverage. This component will increase access to potable water for a population of about 150,000 and will finance the expansion and rehabilitation of Jacmel's distribution system; the construction of water networks in peri-urban areas in Port de Paix and St Marc; rehabilitation and extension of the network in Cap-Haitien; and the installation of additional public stand pipes.

Another $17 million of the total $39 million in grants will be used to help finance individual and collective sanitary systems installation, develop waste collection, transportation and disposal systems, facilitate maintenance of storm drainage systems, and support public hygiene programs. A key goal of these efforts will be to reduce the incidence of waterborne tropical diseases.

The funds will also finance the institutional and technical strengthening of the National Directorate of Potable Water and Sanitation (DINEPA), as well as a campaign to eradicate parasitic worms associated with poor water and sanitation services, with particular emphasis on treatment of children between the ages of 1 and 12 years.

*News release from 0ctober 16, 2009

2009-12-20T10:43:00.000-08:00

20 décembre 2009

Editorial : Mise au point sur la déclaration équivoque du Premier Ministre Bellerive

Par Moss M. Jack

Le nouveau premier ministre haïtien Mr. Jean-Max Bellerive, l’homme de toutes les coulisses, celui qui, en un temps record d’au moins de 15 jours a remplacé Mme Pierre-Louis, au terme d’un séjour au Canada transitant à New York avant de retourner en Haïti, nous a livré péremptoirement une déclaration équivoque dont personne ne peut ni applaudir ni critiquer.

Selon Mr.Bellerive : « Haïti n’a pas de problèmes fondamentaux autres que les haïtiens eux-mêmes ». La question qui mérite d’être posée au premier ministre est celle-ci : En tant que chef du gouvernement, va-t-il sérieusement s’attaquer aux problèmes fondamentaux d’Haïti ou va-t-il fixer les haïtiens ? Quel est son rôle ou quelles seront ses priorités ?

Le public, le peuple haitien, les observateurs internationaux sont habitués à ces genres de déclarations équivoques des hommes et femmes d’Etat haïtiens : René Préval, actuel président du pays, Jacques Edouard Alexis, Michèle Pierre-Louis…Maintenant c’est le tour de Jean-Max Bellerive de rejoindre la galerie. Le peuple haïtien, en particulier, en a marre de ces discours démagogiques et maladroits.

Il n’est un secret pour personne qu’Haïti au cours de ces trente dernières années s’est transformée en un catalogue de problèmes fondamentaux ; à bien y réfléchir, on ne peut s’empêcher de se demander : par ou commencer ? y-a-t-il de l’espoir pour ce pays ?

La situation actuelle d’Haiti, implosive, criante, infernale, frise la déraison, la sottise, la bêtise humaine au point que nombre d’observateurs internationaux se demandent perplexes : est-il possible d’avoir un pays aussi pauvre sur le continent américain ? La misère en Haïti, n’attire plus la pitié, elle fait tout bonnement honte. Le pays a accusé trop de retards en matière de developpement.La fragile stabilité politique de l’heure n’est due qu’à la présence de la MINUSTHA et non pas à une gestion intelligente de la RES republica.On peut ‘’s’amuser ‘’ à longueur de journée à répéter les statistiques les plus récentes des problèmes fondamentaux du pays : analphabétisme, chômage, disette, manque d’infrastructure, explosion démographique, flux migratoire, centralisation du commerce, corruption, sécurité publique, contrôle systématique de l’économie par une petite élite politique et économique…

Voila que tout s’éclaire : en pointant du doigt les haïtiens au lieu de déclarer ce qu’il va faire pour résoudre les problèmes fondamentaux du pays, Mr Bellerive ne se démarque pas de son étiquette de l’enfant docile de Preval, son patron. Cet homme du sérail, ce technocrate qui sait comment maintenir le statu quo, en voulant masquer la réalité et détourner l’attention de plus d’uns par sa déclaration équivoque semble afficher le même comportement démissionnaire de ses illustres prédécesseurs et de son patron. ‘’Manfoubin »est Le mot créole haïtien qui qualifie bien ce type de comportement.

Mr Bellerive, en tant que Ministre de la Planification et de la coopération externe du gouvernement Préval-Pierre Louis peut nous dire pourquoi les 197 millions de Petro-caribe n’ont pas été budgétisés et quel est son rôle dans cette affaire de corruption et de détournement de fond public. Il peut en dire long sur la vente en cachette des ressources naturelles du pays, la rumeur du don d’asphalte du Venezuela qui a été vendu à Saint-Domingue…Mr Bellerive est-il assez homme pour se distinguer de ses prédécesseurs ? Que va-t-il mettre à son actif ?

Haïti n’a pas jusqu'à présent répondu favorablement aux exigences et standards de la communauté internationale : réduction de la pauvreté, modernisation de l’administration publique, responsabilité fiscale, droits humains, lutte contre la corruption…Ce n’est pas sans raison que les ambassadeurs, américains et canadiens surtout, et les représentants des Nations-Unies, à la fin de leur mandat tiennent toujours un discours acerbe sur la gestion et la culture politique du pays. Ils sont témoins de la pauvreté d’esprit des hommes d’Etat Haïtiens, de leur manque de grandeur et de vision patriotique. C’est exactement à ce carrefour-là que le peuple haïtien attend le nouveau premier Ministre. Saura-t-il utiliser son expérience, son savoir-faire pour relever le défi et faire preuve de grandeur d’esprit, de vision et dextérité politique ? Saura-t-il comment résoudre les contradictions et les problèmes complexes de la politique actuelle du pays ?

Le peuple haïtien attend urgemment celui qui peut tout à la fois, venir avec un discours critique sur l’état actuel du pays, un plan de redressement et de reconstruction basé sur le long terme et une gestion efficiente des ressources actuelles du pays. Le peule haïtien attend toujours celui qui peut essayer de remettre la pendule à l’heure.

Notes.

1.’’ Haïti : Bellerive revient satisfait.’’ Le Nouvelliste, 18 décembre 2009

Moss M. Jack

Bloggeur,

Analyste politique

Editeur at large

Blog : www.haitianpoliticsforum.blogspot.com

2009-10-28T04:12:00.000-07:00

Editorial
Mardi 27 octobre 2009

Haiti: La Stabilité Politique est liée à Un Nouveau Contrat Social

Par Moss M. Jack

Il est évident qu’à tous ceux qui s'intéressent de près ou de loin à la Politique Haïtienne à mesure que le temps passe, à mesure que rien ne change en Haïti.
Plus de 200 ans d'Histoire ponctuée de changements de gouvernements ne portent toujours pas de réels changements pouvant améliorer le sort du peuple haitien, l’heure est de reconnaitre que la stabilité politique en Haïti est liée à un nouveau contrat social. Le problème de la stabilite politique en Haïti est intimement lié à une redéfinition de l'échiquier politique. Ce n'est plus qui controle, finance et exerce le pouvoir politique, mais ce que peut ce pouvoir pour une population fière d'elle-même qui s'appauvrit de jour en jour et qui refuse de se laisser zombifier.

Au moment où le sénat haïtien se prépare à interpeller La Première Ministre Madame Pierre-Louis jeudi prochain, les éternels courtiers du pouvoir politique en Haïti--les ambassades-, les amis dits d'Haïti (Etats-Unis, France, Canada....) aidés de la petite élite politico-économique locale s'engagent dans les coulisses à des tractations pour garder en place le gouvernement Préval-Pierre-Louis.

Apres le départ de Jean-Claude Duvalier le 7 février 1986, le plus grand tort fait à ce pays est le démantèlement de sa classe moyenne, obligée de s'immigrer dans des pays proches de la region, en Amérique du Nord et en Europe. Cette classe est nécessaire à la création d'emploi et à l'implémentation d'un monde des affaires où chacun peut vivre suivant sa capacité en développant une activité économique de son choix.

L'immigration, qui a été une escapade pour se dé-pays-er,-laisser et délaisser son pays- au cours des trente dernières années, où des étudiants, des techniciens, des intellectuels, des hommes d'affaires et une partie de la population pauvre et paysanne s’empressaient de laisser le pays à tout prix, n’est plus une solution à envisager.

Non seulement, la diaspora haïtienne est de plus en plus intéressée à ce qui se passe en Haïti actuellement -l'effet du retour au pays natal. Les Haïtiens-la grande majorité pauvre de l'intérieur n'ont plus où aller. Saint-Domingue, la République voisine où des haïtiens sont morts dans des violences humiliantes et aberrantes vient d'ordonner un controle strict de sa frontière en plaçant des militaires sur la ligne frontalière jour et nuit. Les pays de L'Europe et ceux de l'Amérique du Nord faisant face à la crise économique mondiale ne souhaitent recevoir à l'heure actuelle aucun contingent d'immigrants chez eux. Le gouvernement d'Obama refuse jusqu'a présent d'octroyer un droit de séjour temporaire à plus de 30000 haïtiens qui sont sur une liste de déportation.

Pendant que la Première Ministre, lors du sommet des Affaires organisé sous le Patronage de Bill Clinton a declaré:Haiti est ouverte aux affaires, une radiographie de la situation politique et économique du pays prouve qu'elle était en train de mentir. Cette réunion au sommet qui a réuni les membres de la même petite élite qui viennent échanger des contacts d'information avec les hommes d'affaires emmenés par Bill Clinton, n’a pensé à inviter aucune organisation ouvriere, aucun syndicat de travailleurs à prendre la parole.

En misant sur l’idée d’insuffler plus de factories de sous traitance et de zones franches à une économie haïtienne déjà moribonde, il peut en résulter une amélioration socio-économique de la population; cette idée se contredit elle-même quand le gouvernement Préval-Pierre- Louis a refusé catégoriquement de relever le salaire minimum journalier à 200 gourdes. Les observateurs avisés se demandent perplexes comment une pitance de salaire peut avoir un impact favorable sur le cout déjà exorbitant de la vie qui s’articule dans une contradiction flagrante entre la gourde haitienne, le dollar américain et, le dollar haïtien qui, certes n’existe pas, mais numériquement est utilise pour faciliter les transactions commerciales sur le marché local.

Ce qu'on peut constater à l'heure actuelle, les quelques entrepreneurs et hommes d'affaires sur place ont du mal à gérer leurs affaires, sans cesse aux prises avec l'insécurité et un contrôle systématique du commerce-la libre circulation des biens et services-par une petite élite qui s'octroie tous les privilèges: monopolies,droits exclusifs, privatisation à outrance, appels d'offres, judicieux contrats avec les organisations internationales, HOPE I et HOPE II, ventes en cachette des ressources naturelles du pays, droit de vie et de mort etc....

Du nord au sud, de l'est à l'ouest, la grande majorité de paysans pauvres, de démunis, de prolétaires, de chômeurs se fait entendre, commence à se faire entendre lourdement pour demander des comptes à un gouvernement- rien-a-faire, tot ou tard qu'aucune MINUSTAH ne peut arrêter voire empecher.Un gouvernement qui a du mal à donner à l'opinion publique un rapport détaillé sur sa gestion d'environ 200 millions de dollars du fonds Petro-caraibe reçus lors des dernières catastrophes naturelles.

Rien de nouveau, c’est un cercle infernal qui mérite d'être brisé une fois pour toutes. Il faut le crier haut et fort à tous ceux qui veulent le comprendre qu’en Haïti la marche funèbre et pernicieuse de crise en crise, de gouvernement en gouvernement, de transition démocratique en transition démocratique masque une réalité qui semble échapper à plus d'un: La traditionnelle politique de garder le status quo tel quel ne marche plus aujourd’hui. La vieille structure du pouvoir politique en Haïti s'éclate. L’heure est au changement. A l'agenda: Un nouveau contrat social qui prend en compte de relever les conditions de vie de la grande majorité des démunis à un niveau minimum et acceptable.

Moss M.Jack
www.Haitianpolitics forum.blogspot. com

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Public Statement:I'm an independent and a progressive voice.By my commitment to honesty and integrity and my search of the truth,I'm free to ask the real questions and to say things the way there are.I take full responsibility for my opinions without fear,condescendance and the need for approval of others.I'm aware that I can offend and make uncomfortable those who want to be politically correct.But, I don't pay much of attention to those who disagree with me unless they can come up with a better argument based on good judgment,critical thinking and rational logic.All in all,don't expect any apology.When it comes to Haiti,I'm not running for nothing,I'm not campaigning for nobody.I place the interests of Haiti and the Haitian people above all.At the end of the day,I choose to join my voice to those who are fighting for a better living conditions for the Haitian people. Moss M.Jack

2009-10-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

Editorial
Mardi 27 octobre 2009

Haiti: La Stabilité Politique est liée à Un Nouveau Contrat Social

Par Moss M. Jack

Il est évident qu’à tous ceux qui s'intéressent de près où de loin à la Politique Haïtienne à mesure que le temps passe, à mesure que rien ne change en Haïti.
Plus de 200 ans d'Histoire ponctuée de changements de gouvernements ne portent toujours pas de réels changements pouvant améliorer le sort du peuple haitien, l’heure est de reconnaitre que la stabilité politique en Haïti est liée à un nouveau contrat social. Le problème de la stabilite politique en Haïti est intimement lié à une redéfinition de l'échiquier politique. Ce n'est plus qui controle, finance et exerce le pouvoir politique, mais ce que peut ce pouvoir pour une population fière d'elle-même qui s'appauvrit de jour en jour et qui refuse de se laisser zombifier.

Au moment où le sénat haïtien se prépare à interpeller La Première Ministre Madame Pierre-Louis jeudi prochain, les éternels courtiers du pouvoir politique en Haïti--les ambassades-, les amis dits d'Haïti (Etats-Unis, France, Canada....) aidés de la petite élite politico-économique locale s'engagent dans les coulisses à des tractations pour garder en place le gouvernement Préval-Pierre-Louis.

Apres le départ de Jean-Claude Duvalier le 7 février 1986, le plus grand tort fait à ce pays est le démantèlement de sa classe moyenne, obligée de s'immigrer dans des pays proches de la region, en Amérique du Nord et en Europe. Cette classe est nécessaire à la création d'emploi et à l'implémentation d'un monde des affaires où chacun peut vivre suivant sa capacité en développant une activité économique de son choix.

L'immigration, qui a été une escapade pour se dépayser-laisser et délaisser son pays- au cours des trente dernières années, où des étudiants, des techniciens, des intellectuels, des hommes d'affaires et une partie de la population pauvre et paysanne s’empressaient de laisser le pays à tout prix, n’est plus une solution à envisager.

Non seulement, la diaspora haïtienne est de plus en plus intéressée à ce qui se passe en Haïti actuellement -l'effet du retour au pays natal. Les Haïtiens-la grande majorité pauvre de l'intérieur n'ont plus où aller. Saint-Domingue, la République voisine où des haïtiens sont morts dans des violences humiliantes et aberrantes vient d'ordonner un control strict de sa frontière en plaçant des militaires sur la ligne frontalière jour et nuit. Les pays de L'Europe et les pays de L'Amérique du Nord faisant face à la crise économique mondiale ne souhaitent recevoir à l'heure actuelle aucun contingent d'immigrants chez eux. Le gouvernement d'Obama refuse jusqu'a présent d'octroyer un droit de séjour temporaire à plus de 30000 haïtiens qui sont sur une liste de déportation.

Pendant que la Première Ministre, lors du sommet des Affaires organisé sous le Patronage de Bill Clinton a declaré:Haiti est ouverte aux affaires, une radiographie de la situation politique et économique du pays prouve qu'elle était en train de mentir. Cette réunion au sommet qui a réuni les membres de la même petite élite qui viennent échanger des contacts d'information avec les hommes d'affaires emmenés par Bill Clinton, n’a pensé à invite aucune organisation ouvriere, aucun syndicat de travailleurs à prendre la parole.

En misant sur l’idée d’insuffler plus de factories de sous traitance et de zones franches à une économie haïtienne déjà moribonde, il peut en résulter une amélioration socio-économique de la population; cette idée se contredit elle-même quand le gouvernement Préval-Pierre-Louis a refusé catégoriquement de relever le salaire minimum journalier à 200 gourdes. Les observateurs avisés se demandent perplexes comment une pitance de salaire peut avoir un impact favorable sur le cout déjà exorbitant de la vie qui s’articule dans une contradiction flagrante entre la gourde haitienne, le dollar américain et, le dollar haïtien qui, certes n’existe pas, mais numériquement est utilise pour faciliter les transactions commerciales sur le marche local.

Ce qu'on peut constater à l'heure actuelle, les quelques entrepreneurs et hommes d'affaires sur place ont du mal à gérer leurs affaires, sans cesse aux prises avec l'insécurité et un contrôle systématique du commerce-la libre circulation des biens et services-par une petite élite qui s'octroie tous les privilèges: monopolies,droits exclusifs, privatisation à outrance, appels d'offres, judicieux contrats avec les organisations internationales, HOPE I et HOPE II, ventes en cachette des ressources naturelles du pays, droit de vie et de mort etc....

Du nord au sud, de l'est à l'ouest, la grande majorité de paysans pauvres, de démunis, de prolétaires, de chômeurs se fait entendre, commence à se faire entendre lourdement pour demander des comptes à un gouvernement-rien-a-faire,tot ou tard qu'aucune MINUSTAH ne peut arrêter voire empecher.Un gouvernement qui a du mal à donner à l'opinion publique un rapport détaillé sur sa gestion d'environ 200 millions de dollars d'aides reçues lors des dernières catastrophes naturelles.

Rien de nouveau, c’est un cercle infernal qui mérite d'être brisé une fois pour toutes. Il faut le crier haut et fort à tous ceux qui veulent le comprendre qu’en Haïti la marche funèbre et pernicieuse de crise en crise, de gouvernement en gouvernement, de transition démocratique en transition démocratique masque une réalité qui semble échapper à plus d'un: La traditionnelle politique de garder le status quo tel quel ne marche plus aujourd’hui. La vieille structure du pouvoir politique en Haïti s'éclate. L’heure est au changement. A l'agenda: Un nouveau contrat social qui prend en compte de relever les conditions de vie de la grande majorité des démunis à un niveau minimum et acceptable.

Moss M.Jack
www.Haitianpoliticsforum.blogspot.com

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Public Statement:I'm an independent and a progressive voice.By my commitment to honesty and integrity and my search of the truth,I'm free to ask the real questions and to say things the way there are.I take full responsibility for my opinions without fear,condescendance and the need for approval of others.I'm aware that I can offend and make uncomfortable those who want to be politically correct.But,I don't pay much of attention to those who disagree with me unless they can come up with a better argument based on good judgment,critical thinking and rational logic.All in all,don't expect any apology.When it comes to Haiti,I'm not running for nothing,I'm not campaigning for nobody.I place the interests of Haiti and the Haitian people above all.At the end of the day,I choose to join my voice to those who are fighting for a better living conditions for the Haitian people.Moss M.Jack

Haitian Lawmakers seek ouster of Prime Minister

2009-10-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Posted on Tue, Oct. 27, 2009

Haitian lawmakers seek ouster of prime minister

Jacqueline Charles The Miami Herald

last updated: October 27, 2009 08:00:03 AM

With Haiti poised to enjoy the economic benefits of long-elusive stability, foreign diplomats are scrambling behind the scenes to keep it all from unraveling as several lawmakers demand the ouster of the country's prime minister.

A small but powerful group of senators is seeking the removal of Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis -- and possibly several of her ministers -- on charges that she has moved too slowly to solve Haiti's problems.

``The situation is critical,'' said Sen. Jean Hector Anacasis, who is among the six senators behind a recent summons for Pierre-Louis to appear before Haiti's Senate on Thursday. Under Haiti's constitution, the Senate can fire a sitting government.

``We are the ones on the ground who hear the people's cry, who hear them criticizing us, the government, saying nothing has been done. We have to replace the woman,'' Anacasis said. ``If they are accusing us of inviting a crisis, then we are inviting a crisis to avert another crisis.''
The internal political maneuvering comes just three weeks after former U.S. President and U.N. Special Envoy to Haiti Bill Clinton led a historic trade mission here, triggering optimism that this land of seemingly missed opportunities may finally be turning around

2009-10-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

G20 progress on financial reform expected

2009-09-24T04:59:00.000-07:00

G20 progress on financial reform expected

By Madeline Chambers and Emily Kaiser
2 hrs 14 mins ago

Thursday,Sep 24,2009

BERLIN/PITTSBURGH (Reuters) – The Group of 20 summit this week will be key for financial reforms, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday, warning that efforts to make the world less prone to financial disasters may lose momentum.

Merkel, speaking before departing for the summit, said however that G20 countries looked to be on the right track for now and Axel Weber, the head of the German central bank, voiced optimism that G20 leaders would agree to changes in the global financial system.

Leaders of the world's biggest economies meet in Pittsburgh later in the day to discuss ways of nurturing the fragile recovery from the worst global recession since 1930s and how to help cushion the global economy from future crises.

The sheer volume of problems the two-day summit is set to address -- from the lopsided global growth model to climate change, tougher financial regulation and caps on bankers' pay -- means expectations for any near-term action are low.

But Weber told a German radio he was optimistic the summit would prove more productive than previous meetings.

"I am happy that G20 leaders and regulators have a broad consensus on the issues and on the agenda," Weber, who is European Central Bank Governing Council member, said.

European leaders are pressing for a deal on financial regulation reforms, while President Barack Obama's agenda will be topped by a plea for coordinated policies that will even out massive imbalances between export powerhouses such as China and the deeply indebted United States.

Policymakers are seeking to curb excessive risk taking that roiled financial markets and shoved the world economy into recession and several European leaders are pushing for crackdowns on bankers' lavish pay packages.

The meeting in Pittsburgh, which has seen its own economic hardship as its once mighty steel industry lost out to global competitors, is the third G20 gathering since the collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers a year ago.

G20 leaders first met when the world economy was in throes of its worst financial crisis in generations, and even countries that had escaped the banking crisis were battered by a slump in global trade.

Now that the recession in many countries appears to be ending, the challenge is to sustain the sense of urgency seen in April when the G20 agreed to work together to rescue the world economy and pledged hundreds of billions of dollars to finance the IMF's crisis-fighting efforts.

In the latest sign that the world economy was on the mend, the U.S. Federal Reserve said on Wednesday growth has returned to the world's biggest economy.

However, the meeting's final statement will say that short-term and long-term risks persist and will emphasize that more action is still needed to stabilize the economy, Japan's Kyodo News reported on Thursday, citing officials preparing for the summit.

International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn struck a similar note, saying G20 leaders should keep massive economic stimulus plans in place as long as millions of people who lost their jobs during the crisis remain out of work.

"Once the fire is out, there's water everywhere, it has to be mopped up," he told Europe 1 radio.

"In Pittsburgh, we have to say, there are still fires to be put out, we'll see later how to do the mopping up."

But even as top officials repeat their assurances that they will not wind down their aid prematurely, Obama will seek support for his call for a concerted effort to put the global economy on a sounder footing over the long run.

Washington wants G20 nations to commit to a joint effort to reduce the world's reliance on U.S. shoppers by boosting consumption in exporting countries, such as China, while encouraging debt-laden nations such as the United States to save more. But there is no roadmap on how that would be achieved.

DON'T COUNT ON U.S. CONSUMER

Such rebalancing will take a monumental effort, given that China's private consumption accounts for little more than a third of its economy, while it exceeds 70 percent in the United States or Britain.

By contrast, China's households saved about 40 percent of their disposable incomes last year, while the U.S. savings rate was just over 3 percent.

Signs of support for the principles of a more balanced world economy and curbs on excessive risk-taking by banks have yet to translate into a concrete agreement on how to achieve those goals.

Several nations including China, and Germany, the world's top exporter last year, have distanced themselves from the U.S. suggestion to make the IMF responsible for regular monitoring and policy recommendations to G20 members.

The summit starts with various bilateral talks on Thursday. Obama hosts a reception and working dinner in the evening.

There are also plenty of distractions this time.

Obama has his hands full with domestic policy headaches such as his drive to reform the U.S. healthcare system and international pressure for tangible proposals to tackle climate change, while Germany's Merkel is facing an election on Sunday.

(Reporting by Reuters G20 team; Writing by Tomasz Janowski; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Salaire minimun de 200 gourdes: y-a-t-il encore des hommes dans ce pays???

2009-08-05T05:51:00.000-07:00

L'aurore d'une Haiti nouvelle se dessine a l'horison.Jamais de memoire d'homme,aucune force de tenebres aussi puissante soit elle, a arrete, empeche ou cache l'apparition de la lumiere.

Les profiteurs d'aujourd'hui et leurs laquais y inclus leur gouvernements et leur parlements sousous peuvent celebrer pendant qu'il est encore temps,mais tot ou tard,ils demanderont incessament a s'asseoir autour de la table pour negocier tout ce qui doit etre negocie.

Il est plus humain de relever le defi de voter le salaire minimun de 200 gourdes qu'au lieu d'accepter la peur vehiculee par les tenants du status quo.Y-a-t-il encore des hommes dans ce pays?

Il est temps que l'equilibre de la raison,la balance de la justice s'etablissent dans cette societe inhumaine ou un petit groupe de profiteurs,de brasseurs d'affaires imposent leur volonte a tout un peuple qu'ils maintiennent dans la boue,dans la crasse,dans la puanteur des fatras de nos rues abandonnees a elles-memes.

Le jour viendra...

Moss M.Jack
___________________________________________________________________________
Public Statement:

I'm an independent and a progressive voice.By my commitment to honesty and integrity and my search of the truth,I'm free to ask the real questions and to say things the way there are.

I take full responsibility for my opinions without fear,condescendance and the need for approval of others.I'm aware that I can offend and make uncomfortable those who want to be politically correct.But,I don't pay much of attention to those who disagree with me unless they can come up with a better argument based on good judgment,critical thinking and rational logic.All in all,don't expect any apology.

When it comes to Haiti,I'm not running for nothing,I'm not campaigning for nobody.I place the interests of Haiti and the Haitian people above all.At the end of the day,I choose to join my voice to those who are fighting for a better living conditions for the Haitian people. Moss M.Jack

World Bank: Haiti Given $1.2 Billion Debt Relief

2009-07-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

World Bank: Haiti Given $1.2 Billion Debt Relief

WASHINGTON (AFP)--Haiti has been granted a $1.2 billion debt relief following reforms undertaken by the country, the World Bank said Tuesday.

The reforms were under the so-called enhanced heavily indebted poor countries initiative of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund .

"We are very pleased that the boards of the Bank and the Fund have granted Haiti debt relief," said Yvonne Tsikata, the World Bank's director for the Caribbean.

"This will significantly reduce Haiti's debt burden and effectively free resources for growth and poverty reduction," Tsikata said.

The World Bank said the reforms were aimed at establishing "a more stable macroeconomic environment and at implementing its national poverty reduction strategy," according to a statement.

Haiti strengthened public expenditure management by better focusing poverty reduction spending, producing audited government accounts, ensuring commitment to an asset declaration law, and adopting a law on public procurement, it said.

Haiti's public debt as of end-September 2008 amounted to 36% of its gross domestic product, most of which is owed to external creditors, the statement said. Haiti's GDP in 2008 was about $7 billion.

The largest share of Haitis external debt is owed to the Inter-American Development Bank (41%) followed by the World Bank (27%) and bilateral creditors (24%).

Source:www.nasdaq.com

$1.2 billion in debts canceled to help Haiti

2009-07-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

$1.2 billion in debts canceled to help Haiti

By Jonathan M. Katz, Associated Press Writer | June 30, 2009

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti --Three international organizations canceled $1.2 billion of Haiti's debt Tuesday, freeing up millions of dollars each year for the deeply impoverished Caribbean nation that is beset by humanitarian crises.

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund said their boards decided this week to forgive Haiti's obligations to the two organizations, a move that triggered previously announced debt relief from the Inter-American Development Bank.

The actions erased nearly two-thirds of Haiti's outstanding debt. As of April, Haiti owned more than $1.9 billion, according to the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research.

"This is a pretty big victory, definitely. This is what we've been wanting," said Dan Beeton, an analyst with the center, said by phone from Washington. "It's a shame it had to take so long."

Until now, the desperately poor country, where more than 80 percent of its approximately 9 million people live on less than $2 a day, has been paying about $1.6 million each month to the World Bank, according to debt relief advocates at the Jubilee USA Network.

A significant portion of the debt forgiven Tuesday dates back to loans that lined the pockets of Haiti's dictators, especially Francois "Papa Doc" and Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, whose father-son dynasty ended in a 1986 popular rebellion.

Haiti was added to the World Bank and IMF's debt cancellation program for heavily indebted poor countries in 2006. The Inter-American Development Bank previously approved debt relief for Haiti, pending its completion of that program.

But it took several years for Haiti to implement reforms that included auditing government accounts, adopting a law on public procurement and strengthening tax and customs administration, as well as debt reporting. Other steps included approving an AIDS prevention and treatment plan, financing school tuition for children and improving immunization rates.

That was accomplished in spite of years of turmoil, including last year's food riots that toppled the prime minister and four tropical storms that killed some 800 people and caused more than $1 billion in damage.

Finance Minister Daniel Dorsainvil praised the announcement in a statement issued through the World Bank, saying the millions freed up from debt payments "will help us invest in growth and poverty reduction programs."

Others were skeptical about the benefits of the move. Haitian economist Kesner Pharel said debt forgiveness will make it far more difficult for Haiti to get new loans, impeding the government's ability to finance much-needed improvements in infrastructure and other areas.

"I don't see the government for the next five to 10 years having a lot of money. It's a bad idea. It's a cost, not a benefit," Pharel said.

Haiti is the 26th country to have its debt forgiven under the initiative, a list that includes Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Honduras and Bolivia.

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Find people to add to your list:

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Find people to add to your list:

Haitiforum

Aid is available for deportee to Suport their social Reintegration

Haiti receives $39 million from Spain and IDB to improve water and sanitation services

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Salaire minimun de 200 gourdes: y-a-t-il encore des hommes dans ce pays???

World Bank: Haiti Given $1.2 Billion Debt Relief

World Bank: Haiti Given $1.2 Billion Debt Relief

$1.2 billion in debts canceled to help Haiti

$1.2 billion in debts canceled to help Haiti

Haitian Politics Forum

Haitian Politics Forum: Miss Haiti Sarodj Bertin: A Breath Of Fresh Air Fo...

Apres Duvalier Marc Bazin a St Marc

Marc Bazin-corruption et le regime de Duvalier

Haiti: Eurodad and Jubilee Debt Campaign call for large assistance grants and full debt cancellation

18 January 2010

Haïti à l'épreuve du choc

Haïti, deux cents ans de malheurs

Derrière les montagnes, encore des montagnes (Proverbe haïtien)

Des destructions massives

Haïti au ban des nations

"L’union fait la force" [Devise d’Haïti] – La désunion fait le chaos.

Le siècle américain

La recherche chaotique de la voie démocratique (1986-2010)

Renouer avec Haïti et la République Dominicaine

Create a new list Update this list ×

Find people to add to your list:

Haitiforum

Create a new list Update this list ×

Find people to add to your list:

Haitiforum

Create a new list Update this list ×

Find people to add to your list:

Haitiforum

Aid is available for deportee to Suport their social Reintegration

Haiti receives $39 million from Spain and IDB to improve water and sanitation services

Haitian Lawmakers seek ouster of Prime Minister

G20 progress on financial reform expected

Salaire minimun de 200 gourdes: y-a-t-il encore des hommes dans ce pays???

World Bank: Haiti Given $1.2 Billion Debt Relief

World Bank: Haiti Given $1.2 Billion Debt Relief

$1.2 billion in debts canceled to help Haiti

$1.2 billion in debts canceled to help Haiti