18026: Senou: Another Twist in the Haitian Saga (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Senou <senou@yahoo.com>

Another Twist in the Haitian Saga
By: Joseph Alfred
Monday, January 19, 2004
The Haitian crisis has taken another twist since
November and it won’t take long to see a confrontation
among the protagonists. This eternal crisis has
entered into a Decisive Period; if mishandle, the
Inevitable will take place in the land of Toussaint
Louverture and it is expected to be very, very, very
and very ugly. Today the Haitian people are looking
for a leader, and according to Arnold H. Glasow: “One
of the test of leadership is the ability to recognize
a problem before it becomes an emergency”, and that
leader that Haitians are looking for is nowhere to be
found.

We can spend our time arguing and engaging into some
fictive philosophical discussions and blame someone
for the problem of the country. If we do not get our
act together, we won’t ever be able to resolve this
eternal dilemma. One thing remains certain; the
Haitian crisis is not going to go away and it is time
for us to put aside our personal interest and see the
country first, and we all know that the Haitian people
are tired of this Bachelor in Sciences saga.  Some of
you make conflict a full time job when there is none,
you manage to create or invent one.
Each sector shall be willing to do some sacrifices;
otherwise, Haiti will become the next Lebanon in the
region. In 1986, Mr. Jean-Claude Duvalier did the
right thing in stepping down, he understood that the
Tonton Makoutes were a problem for the country; he
turned over power to the Military. Why? It was the
only organized institution in the country despite of
all these Bachelor in Sciences these folks were doing.
 At the departure of Mr. Aristide whether he finishes
his term or not (this is irrelevant in this line of
discussion), there must be a force that can assume the
security of the population. We expect a repetition of
the same scenario that took place in 1986 and it might
be worst. In 1986, les frotteurs de trouble
(troublemakers) used to listen to the hierarchy of the
Catholic Church, the Pastors and the Religious leader.
When this expected carnage begins which Haitian leader
can intervene and ask these folks to stop?
At this present moment, the Haitian leaders (Lavalas,
Convergence and the Opposition) have two options:
Resolve this eternal conflict peacefully or by force.
If you choose a peaceful mean, you know there must be
some compromise; and if you choose force, you must
prepare your people for that ultimate fight and there
will be consequences for both sides.
At this particular moment, I urge each sector to move
away from that confrontational mode and return to the
negotiation table. I urge the civic leaders, the
religious leaders, and the moderate of the political
parties in Haiti to take a stand while it is early.
The current Haitian situation is not acceptable and
something must be done to bring normalcy to the
country.
Haiti has a national problem and therefore we need to
find a national solution. The Convergence, the Lavalas
and the Opposition are not going to run the show and
they should not be allowed to do so. This crisis has
reached that threshold due to the inconsistencies
among the current Haitian leaders. In July 2001, the
Convergence and the Lavalas were close to reach a
political compromise and the Lavalas leader has chosen
to visit Cuba while an important decision was in the
air. At various moments, the Convergence and the
Lavalas were not serious in reaching a political
compromise since both asked for things they could not
really get. After December 5, 2003 the Haitian crisis
has indeed taken another twist and the violation of
the university headquarter is not acceptable.
Again a National problem needs a National solution. It
takes 200 years and score of mistakes to make Haiti
what it is today; therefore, do not expect a quick fix
or a miracle. But we must approach this dilemma
without passion. Forcing this current president out of
power and asking him to resign are two different
things. Some of you watched the California saga where
the former Governor did not do his job and the
citizens got together and removed him from office
legally. And today, the State of California has a new
Governor. Forcing this current Haitian president to
leave office if he were elected democratically may
have serious consequences in implementing democracy in
Haiti. Assume that he is forced to leave, what can
prevent any other Haitian from challenging the
authority of this upcoming president whether he/she is
elected or not. We are about to start a precedence
that can compromise the 5 years term of any future
Haitian president. However, if he is forced to resign,
it could be great to follow Article 149.
But Article 149 cannot really be implemented without a
credible security force and Haiti has a few folks who
can handle the security.  Remember on May 18, 1803,
our ancestors chose Dessalines as their leader to lead
them to freedom and he did it with skill and
admiration. But, he did not know how to write and how
to read. Most of you have something that you can do
better than anyone else. When you are sick you go see
a doctor not a mechanic and when your car breakdown
you go see a mechanic not a lawyer. If you case is
above the head of a general doctor, he/she refers you
to a specialist.
The Haitian crisis has two components: Politic and
military and if you are serious about bringing order
to the country, you know whom to address. This dude
can bring order in Haiti in less than three months;
his name only will keep all troublemakers at bay. A
police force must be and remain Neutral; therefore,
this force needs a general tune-up.
Now we are waiting for an important meeting on the
Haitian crisis since various leaders from the
Caribbean will meet with the Haitian opposition to
facilitate a peaceful resolution of this out of
control crisis. Please, use that golden opportunity
wisely.

Today, I take this unique opportunity to ask each of
you to Remember MLK, to remember the Union of
Arcahais, and to follow the path of Nelson Mandela.
!!!!! Flash !!!!
!!!!! The Atlanta Convention: June 25-26, 2004!!!!!
for more info: hcrinfor@hcronline.org

Joseph Alfred, Educator
P.O. BOX 334
Smyrna, GA 3008


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