7607: the Durban Challenge (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Jedidiah <his_voidness@yahoo.com>

>  WHAT DO YOU AS PRESIDENT OF HAITI DO IN THE NEXT
> 100 DAYS?

The question as posed assumes that the President of
the
Republic actually has executive power. Now, pres
Aristide
did refer to himself as 'the executive power' in his
interview by Montas, but I am not sure that the
Constitution
actually provides for that. Preval always insisted
that
the Prime Minister ran the government, as the
Constitution
indeed stipulates.

So, with the assumption that the President is Chief of
State on the French/Russian model I will suggest that
the first
thing he should do is appear on television to address
the nation. Like, every month. About anything.
One actual spontaneous demand that the manifestators
were making ( on a banner )was for the president to
talk to the people. 

Next, open the Presidential mansion to public tours,
starting
with school field trips.

That is probably the extent of what the President can
legally DO.

What the Lavalas government can do is something else.

I'd suggest an emergency declaration that all
government
leased land cease becoming a forest crematory.
Ban all deliberately set fires, tell the police to go
out and stop the fire setters, order the gardeners to
do
something else besides burning off the fields.
If Papa Doc had wanted to he could have stopped it in
a week. Surely the peoples movement can convice the
people to stop burning their own house down around
themselves.

Next, ban the export of Chabon. Many ships leave Okap
loaded with the remaining forests of Haiti, converted
to chabon, for the Bahamas.

A week after the banning start intercepting chabon
ships
at sea and burn them to the waterline. The police use
whips on vagabonds in the street at kanaval, be firm
about exporting the national treasure.
*****
Those are my suggestions for attainable emergency
measures.

Maybe take all the children of the Convergence leaders
as hostages, following the lead of Guillaume Sam.
That would concentrate some minds.



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