HAITIAN POLITICIANS CRACK JOKES, AS HAITI SUFFERS

The race to succeed René Préval officially began on August 7th when a host of contenders which includes two entertainers, Wyclef Jean and Michel Martelly, and two former prime ministers, Jacques Edouard Alexis and Yvon Neptune, formally deposed their candidacy papers before the Provisional Electoral Council. The class of 2004 that facilitated the United Nations occupation of Haiti was noticeably absent, with the exception of Charles Henry Baker, an indication that its contribution to the perfidious endeavor was either unappreciated by the international community or nullified by the Haitian elite which turned out to be the real beneficiary.
Touted as an essential component to the phantom project of stabilization of Haiti (2004-?) conceived and promoted by the international community, the fall vote is likely to bring ridicule to the country and solidify the iron grip of the occupiers. No less than the party of the incumbent president, (INITE) Creole for Unity, started the drama. Days after nominating former Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis, who lost his job as a result of the April 2008 food riots, the party reversed itself on the day of the filing deadline by choosing Jude Célestin, the General Director of the National Center for Equipment (CNE), the state agency responsible for construction. Conveniently enough, another party came to the rejected former prime minister’s rescue by nominating him as its standard bearer. This is presidential politics in Haiti, where core principles and patriotism take a back seat to a perverted sense of entitlement and political parties with ready-to-fill-slots are available to the highest bidder.
How the CEP deals with Jude Célestin whose current job of General Director of the state agency CNE puts him squarely in contravention with Article 135 (f) of the 1987 Constitution is crucial to the integrity of the elections. Article 135 (f) requires of anyone wanting to become president of the Republic to “have been relieved of these responsibilities, if he had been handling public funds.” As far as we know, Mr. Célestin was still in charge of the state agency (CNE) on the day he officially became a candidate and hadn’t been cleared by the Superior Court of auditors and Administrative Disputes. A factual interpretation of the 1987 Constitution disqualifies Mr. Célestin as a presidential candidate, since he lacked the clearance of the Superior Court of auditors and Administrative Disputes prior to filing his candidacy, even if a post-filing clearance were to be issued. Acceptance of Mr. Célestin’s candidacy by the CEP will constitute a flagrant violation of the Constitution and highlight the misplaced arrogance of René G. Préval who seems to think that he is answerable to no one, let alone a moribund Constitution.
When Rome was burning (64 A.D) and Nero was playing his lyre, many Romans did enjoy his ballads, I suppose. On the other hand, Haiti is suffering while its politicians are cracking jokes that are not funny at all, as no less than the continued existence of the country as a sovereign entity is at stake during this difficult period. Incredibly Haitian politicians remain oblivious to the reality that Haiti, a country founded under the noble purpose of resistance against injustice and foreign domination, may never recover its right to be sovereign earned at a cost of more than 100.000 lives (1791-1803).
The expropriation of the government’s constitutional powers by the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission and a statement by James Dobbins, a former U.S. special envoy to Haiti and director of the RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center are the clearest indication to date. Referring to the Préval’s government’s pathetic response to the January 12 disaster; Haiti’s history of bad governance and the international community’s self-promoting effort to stabilize the country, Dobbins said “Just to further underline what a low base we're starting at, the current government we have is one of the best we've had in 200-plus years.” Apparently, the land of Dessalines belongs to the international community, otherwise Mr. Dobbins would have taken care of omitting the word “we” when speaking about Haiti, a supposedly sovereign entity and member of the U.N.
As Frederick Douglas said in his autobiography “ To enslave men successfully and safely, it is necessary to keep their minds occupied with thoughts and aspirations short of the liberty of which they are deprived.” Well, Haiti’s future is no longer about correcting social and economic injustice, which became the credo of the social movement that spanned the mid-1980’s through 2004, but combating insecurity and lawlessness as decreed by the occupiers. Not surprisingly, the idea is wholeheartedly embraced by many educated Haitians who willfully become zealous gatekeepers of the devious designs of the occupiers. Consequently, any Haitian who dares speak against economic and social injustice is automatically branded a Lavalas or Aristide supporter, a terrorist, a loser or simply disappears from the face of the earth.
Haiti is at a crossroads and many of its best and brightest are behaving like house slaves that refuse to see the larger picture in which their fate is woven with those of the so-called uncivilized and barbaric masses. The upcoming elections should be the catalyst for a renewal of our sense of nationhood and duty but, unfortunately, the multitude of candidates (34) indicates that this dream will have to wait. As inheritors of the mantle of liberty proudly wore by the likes of Toussaint, Dessalines and Christophe, our struggle to overcome social and economic oppression will see the light in the near future.