"INVESTING IN THE HUMAN " versus " INVESTING IN THE ARMY"
Par Me. Bainet Vital  9 Avril 2003

 

 


 
 

 

 

The last decade of the past century will remain in our history as a terrible mess. A country marked by counterfeiting, drug trafficking and espionage, plots and successive coup d’état. Haiti has survived the bloodthirsty army that terrorized the people for a long time. The moment has come for the Haitian political leaders to seek common ground to their differences for the best interest of the country. Haiti cannot and will not stand the third millennium in the same conditions. Haitians must above all break with the bitter practices of the past, open themselves to new horizons.


By choosing their president on November 26, 2001, Haitians have put down the first stone in the rebuilding of a country completely devastated by political catastrophes.
From now on, it is up to Jean-Bertrand Aristide to bring to this country the framework of peace and stability that it is missing.


Aristide has set himself a priority by exhorting every Haitian to invest in human beings: " Investing in the human". In the message that he addressed to the nation, he highly expressed his objectives as well as the means he intends to use to reach them.
The President chose a political plan, which aims directly at the human Being as a productive asset. He believes that the Haitian man and the Haitian woman have a formidable potential of reason, greatness, courage, kindness, genius and intelligence.

According to President Aristide, " Investing in the human" opens the way to an economic growth that implies:
the reduction of poverty, creation of jobs, social integration, social peace and elimination of the inequalities or discrimination.
In addition, the President mentioned that in order for the flowers of the democracy to grow they require the contributions of all the Haitian citizens, members of the “Lavalas” party and members of the Opposition.
The Opposition Party has only, so far, been pushing back this call to dialogue, which is so deeply necessary for the political and economic freedom of the country while treating the elected President of demagogue.
The parties that joined themselves together to form the Democratic Convergence chose to divide the country by installing their own President, in this case Gerard Gourgue, a well-known lawyer.

Gourgue who self-declared himself to be the president of all the Haitians has delivered a message addressed to the nation in the presence of the leaders of the Convergence and some supporters in the local of the “Organization of People in Fight” (Organisation du peuple en lutte) where he proposed a political program and a government centered on the reinstitution of the Haitian Army as an alternative against the legitimate President’s political plan.


At this very moment where it becomes more than a necessity to raise the national economy, to create a climate of peace and security in which all the different sectors of the society can take part, the idea of reinstituting the army just simply betrays the despair of a group of opponents in lack of useful means to make a fair stand against its rival.
Haiti is one of the poorest countries of the hemisphere to have roughly allocated 40% of its national budget to its soldiers, around 45 million dollars yearly.
All this money was used only for the formation of a group of cowards and gangsters.
When national safety is threatened by a foreign intervention they are always the first to run away, but when it is question of terrorizing the people they are sole champions. 45 million dollars currently can be used by the government to create new infrastructures or to invest in education and why not for the training of police officers with the aim to better guarantee the safety of the productive citizens and their goods.

Let’s think about this for a while, do we really need to invest in a new army?

For those of you who have not read the whole story, let me quote a few lines that came out of the speech of then American President Bill Clinton when he addressed openly and solemnly to the Haitian soldiers, a few moments before sending his troops in Haiti on September 15, 1994:


”Haiti’s dictators, led by General Cedras, control the most violent regime of our hemisphere. During 3 years, they rejected any peaceful solution that the international community had proposed (…). Cedras and its army of hooligans have installed a regime of terror, which carries out children, raping women, and killing priests (…). Terror, instability and despair will end only with their departure (…). The message of the United States is clear: your time is over. Leave now or we will have to force you to do so ".


According to some international analysts, Haiti was " the heart of the obscurantism under the military regime. A country directed by violent soldiers and police officers with black skin”.
Here is the kind of institution that Leslie Manigat, Evans Paul (k-plim), Hubert de Ronceray and their so called President Mr. Gerard Gourgue, themselves former victims of the army, intend to bring back to the Haitian people under the argument of helping it coming out of a dead end.
Democratic Convergence, or better said, " Demagogic Convergence " is nothing but one harmful microbe to the political and socio-economical health of Haiti. Setting up as a " Space of Conspiracy ". This Convergence is condemned to follow a more negative kind of plan:
ask for sanctions against the country, destabilization, and plot against the safety of the State.

The American Secretary of State Collin Powell who had, in 1994, contributed to bring back Aristide to the power made a positive evaluation of the agreement in 8 points advanced by the elected President. He sees in this agreement " a good starting point " towards better relations between the United States and Haiti.
Thereafter, he said that he does not recognize any other government, whether it is described as parallel or alternative.


" Lapè nan tèt, lapè nan vant " or the return to the former regime " krazé zo "!
It’s up to you.


Bainet Vital 
Lawyer, Journalist.



 

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