16511: Durban replies to Karshan

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Lance Durban <lpdurban@yahoo.com>
----------------------------------------

Responding to what she sees as Greg Chamberlain's baiting, Michelle
Karshan
posts:

   I'm sure you know the contact information for the actual PR folks,
Lobby
folks
   and attorneys for the government, not to mention the Prime Minister,
the
Minister
   of Foreign Affairs and all the rest who are responsible for various
tasks
and
   information.


Maybe Greg has this contact information, but I'm sure there are many in
this
group who do not.  So, in the interests of "transparency" and to enable
those
so inclined to direct their questions to the right people, could you
enlighten
us, Michelle?  Is there also a 10th Department ombudsman?

And then, inhale deeply, and lighten up.  Granted your job as FOREIGN
PRESS
LIAISON is no piece of cake, so your willingness to participate in this
Corbett  discussion is to be commended.  But, let's face it:  you are part
of
the political establishment in the National Palace--maybe a small,
non-Haitian,
female voice, but hey, it's an important voice, and one that I hope is
asking
the difficult questions offline, pushing that internal political debate
that
must consume anyone working in your office.

In a Schwarzenegger essay in this week's Time magazine, Garrison Keillor
of
Prairie Home Companion fame, notes that "Anger and loathing are losing
hands in
politics".  Bingo!  In my opinion, there you have a key element in
Lavalas'
continuing problem in governing.  The sweetness and harmony speeches
periodically directed at pep-la fail to mask a deep-seated anger and
loathing
of the Haitian elite.  Pep-la, Haiti's economic "have-nots", have only
their votes, while the people who could best help develop the country have
been
almost sub-consciously marginalized.  A persistent undercurrent of
anger, loathing, and jealousy apparently makes reaching out difficult.
Sort of
like asking Israelis and Palestinians to reach across the divide.  Of
course there are those, even on the Corbett list, who feel that the
Haitian
elite should be marginalized, but for a country to shut out its most
productive
members seems terribly short-sighted.

L Durban