Alternative to the Haitian electoral crisis

Author: Moise Garcon

Once the best contenders from the opposition in the race Mrs Mirlande Manigat (RDNP) and Michel Martelly (Repons Peyizan) respectively 1st and 3rd according to the latest CEP results that created all the recent riots, act of vandalism and even serious violences leading to the death of more than 4 Haitians citizens and apparent supporters of Michel Martelly, we are certain that we are heading straight towards a crisis or even chaos for the most pessimistic.

Unfortunately, some of our candidates, instead of working harder to bring calm and serenity to the process to avoid further violences, choose to use the voice of the people on the streets as an important leverage.

Realistically, we may find that this is really not appropriate for a 2010 year that has bring only sorrows and trauma to all Haitians, like a cursed year, but we must admit that both government and the International Community only pay serious attention to some leaders on the ground, only according to the masses and the storms they can show on the streets: Common demonstration of power and popularity... It has been a very bad tradition in Haiti for decades... in a Country of NON DROIT the take over of the streets always sound like the best way to show anger and frustrations or even bitterness of the people...

For those of us who really know Haiti, we have to admit that thousand of people on the streets does not always translate to the exact will of all Haitians, knowing that millions of Haitians choose silence and indifference simply because they have lost all hope. As a matter of fact, they tend to be right because it's never appropriate to bury our Countrymen and women or families for false reasons. It's more like a Country sending it's army into war for the wrong reasons. it's a crime against humanity. We should be able to say goodbye to our brothers and sisters dying on the streets for better reasons. How can we forget that the same people protesting today against President Rene Garcia Preval, were the same who elected him for a second term in 2006.

He did not even had to do lots of convincing. No apology for past mistakes. On the contrary, he kept about the same attitude, rhetoric and the same controversial speech full of hard sarcasm, such as: NAJE POU N SOTI. OU POV MWEN PI POV PASE W. SE EKSPLWATASYON ETRANJE KI METE NOU KOTE NOU YE A, etc

Same story for President Jn bertrand Aristide who came into power in 1991 after winning a landslide election in 1990.

The operation GNB did contribute to his forced exile to Africa in 2004.

And now, most of the same people are willing to see president Aristide back in power. There is nothing wrong with their change of heart as long as they can truly explain what has really changed: Is it time that is playing with their memories or nostalgia or simply Alzheimer?

Same questions for the people who forced the Duvalierist and tonton Macoutes out of the Country...

Now, since, as president Aristide recently said things are going from worst to worse, we feel like some of the supporters of this regime are singing a melody like the Duvalierism has the solution to all our problems!!!

We certainly have short memories and may be willing to forgive faster than we think. Nevertheless, we also really enjoy turning in circles and definitely settling for less while whining...

Since, fortunately, a small group of us are still not willing to forget nor continuing the bad cycle by keeping the old and the new statu quo rolling for the sake of evolution and progress, we do believe it is time to start doing things very differently and most importantly call for a sense of accountability, justice and equity!

 

We know for sure a small group of Haitian are enjoying the chaos because they do belong to a minority that is always making good money when things are bad. Those Haitians are chameleon who speak the same language of fatigue as all of us. They belong or infiltrated all type of groups and they often laugh at us during their regular club activities...

There is also another group, lot bigger, and very contradictory that is dying and protesting every day because they do need just one thing and one thing only: Replacing the statu quo because they do believe after 29 years for the Duvalier, 20 years with Lavalas, it's rightly their turn to enjoy what the previous folks have been enjoying. So they do not care about the misery in Haiti. They do not really care about Cité soleil, Cité katon, Cité de l' eternel, haut Carrefour Feuilles, Rte des dalles prolongée, Raboto, etc They only care about "ote toi que je m' y mette"...

The same exact philosophy that failed the Revolution spirit that led to 1804. No wonder why Dessalines had to die such coward death, simply because division was the common denominator.

So they replaced Mr "Le blanc" (the oppressors) just to act even worse than he did. Extremely disappointing and sad reality...

Now, we are full of Jean Conzé (He betrayed Neg Mawon and gave him to the Americans during the Occupation of 1915) same way other cowards did help the French captured the high Diplomat and Strategist named Toussaint Louverture...

We do know most Haitians have different views on Dessalines and Toussaint, but that is not the point here.

The point is simply that all these scenarios are repeating themselves even over 206 years later.

Now, we have very different groups creating confusion in Haiti and abroad.

 

The first group:

They are the one in Power with Inite and dissidents Lavalas and some hypocrites from the traditional Haitian opposition.

They want to stay in Power and it's too late to say NO to the loyalists or their coalition, so they want to proceed with the Election-selection, so their best possible scenario is to see Jude Celestin becoming President, which option sounds extremely unpopular and arrogant. However, they can settle for another President as long as their conditions of continuity can be achieved.

 

The second group:

It's one individual on his own: Mr Michel Martelly. He may find ally along the way, but he dreamed of becoming President for years. He believed it was possible while all others were laughing.

Suddenly, they have realized, after a clean campaign, bold investment, a nice team, and lots of back up typical chimeres and streets gang, Michel becomes a strong possibility...However, after few strategical mistakes, and too many Press conferences, lack of coherence, all the hope of the leader faded when the CEP announced in their temporary results on December 7 that Mr Michel Martelly was only at the third (3rd) position just behind Jude Celestin the candidate "fantoche" of the government and the party INITE. Since all the rumors predicted and was preparing most people for a Mirlande vs Martelly run off, the deception was inevitable and the emotions of the people could not be sustained!

Which explains all the riots and vandalism of the past days that scared the population, especially in Cayes, Cap Haitien, St Marc, and Port-au-Prince...

Under serious pressures and confusion, the CEP quickly admitted to proceed to a RECOUNT for only the 3 first candidates...

Mr Martelly and Mrs Mirlande Manigat facing this time the real anger of the people that none of them could really control, even if they wanted to, see this new development as a great opportunity to break even - knowing that their involvement in the group 12 on Karibe the day of the Election on 11/28 was considered as a big mistake by almost all political junkies and simple citizens. Most people disapprove their strategy especially because less than 24 hrs later tour a tour the candidates changed their mind, which was not enough for most people, because the smart question was:

What could have really changed in 24 hrs for the two front contenders to retract themselves from a group that called for the annulment of the election just hours ago with strong and convincing arguments of fraud?

Of course, rumors are circulating and both candidates, especially Mr Martelly, try their best to clean their face and move on regardless with the electoral process because of their confidence or "promise" to win anyways.

So, both candidates are against RECOUNT as the CEP propose it even though they don't clearly say what exactly they want now... Is it annulment of the election as they have requested before? so, that would be another flip flop in just couple of days. Or, do they simply want to buy some time, until they come to an agreement?

What exactly does Mrs Mirlande Manigat ,who does not doubt a second she will win the race, can win from  aligning herself again with Mr Martelly?

Is it because she does not care who's going to be against her in the run off because she will win anyways?

Or she is trying to show a sense of principle?

Or she is also playing with words again?

After all she has nothing to lose so far, and a complete annulment of the process would not be on her favor, knowing that might means an interim government, like it was the case from 2004 to 2006, a new CEP, and new candidates...And, even if the process was to be extended without an interim government...She might lost her momentum!

So she might not win the Presidency as she as so much chance right now!

The NO to recount from those candidates found some good support among the independent observers from the CNO. About 5 of these organizations, financed by the European Union, are opposed to the RECOUNT proposed by the CEP.

Those groups played a big role in all this confusion because they did publish their reports one day prior to the CEP official results and they clearly announced, according to their Proces verbaux, the run off could be between Mrs Manigat and Martelly. So their opposition to the CEP recount does make sense.

 

The third group:

This is definitely the Group 12 and the traditional opposition. The group 12 simply gave reason to the Center of the Official Lavalas, President Aristide and the leaders of the Opposition who said from the very beginning they don't believe this CEP and this government can organize serious, fair and transparent elections... So they called the process Selection. Mrs Mirlande Manigat did support this group for a while, then she switched and decided to participate with her own party RDNP (Rassemblement des Democrates Nationaux progressistes).

This opposition is firm and they are requesting the annulment of the election and want to start over from scratch.

This position sounds kind of extremist for the international Community who does not want to accept total failure, especially after all the contradictory comments from Diplomat Edmond Mulet and the Secreatary of the UN Ban Ki-Moon.

This obvious deception is almost too much to bare. So, the IC is trying to encourage all the actors to a dialogue that can resolve the current issues...Each new day any sort of compromise seems inappropriate and precarious.

The opposition would like to see chaos because they can have the chance to get back on the scene and probably be part of the new interim government while getting ready for future elections. This scenario would give them a real chance to be active and back to business, etc.

 

As True Haitian Patriots, we believe that none of the expected scenarios can fully produce the type of solutions needed to bring Justice and trust of the people (in Haiti and abroad) into the political system in Haiti, so we are proposing the following very simple and realistic OPTION:

ANNULMENT OF THE ELECTIONS OF NOVEMBER 28.

Starting a serious and independent investigation to detect fraud and all the irregularities with a clear report and proposals to avoid such issues in the future while enforcing ACCOUNTABILITY.

ORGANIZE NEW "SPECIAL ELECTIONS" ON FEBRUARY 2011- with the same CEP and replacing the missing advisor (since before November 28 election) by an elected member of the Opposition OR any other appropriated group of the Haitian society.

ALL THE 18-19 CANDIDATES WOULD TAKE PART TO THIS ELECTION.

Whoever win the most votes OR the higher percentage win the election, even if the percentage is below 50%.

The mandate of President Preval can be extended until the end of the Electoral process through investiture.

Mr Rene Preval and all the officials of his government would not be allowed  to leave the Country until the end of the investigations and the report submitted to the new government and the Judiciary system for follow up.

 

*** The investigators or actors together may decide prior to the SPECIAL ELECTIONS if they want to also annul the elections for senators and deputies also held on November 28.

We strongly believe that they should be voided as well. So all results would not be valid.

Before the "SPECIAL ELECTIONS" all the candidates could be given an extra week for campaigning and closing arguments...

 

Apparently, no sectors or groups have a control over the current situations.

And it's also clear that no candidate has a total majority supporting him or her.

No one can guarantee the riots won't resume next week. As we consider the apparent calm a simple break.

We encourage all the actors to show love for their Countries and we keep on hoping that our Countrymen and women will try to show the same determination, but pacifically, to protest against millions of Haitians still living on the streets under tents months after the earthquake and so much money collected, for our innocent brothers and sisters dying from a mysterious cholera disease, and most importantly we hope the will fight more for A CAUSE, A VISION, A NEW SYSTEM, instead of fighting and dying to replace leaders, one more deceiving than others every now and then...

 

Absence of system allows the CEP to be so closed and dependent from the current government.

Absence of system also allows the people to use current electoral issues as an excuse to steal, burn tires on the streets and make matters worst for our few road with total impunity...and the list goes on.

New leaders are really important to jumpstart the process, but how can they get that done by simply becoming President when the parliament may not cooperate with them or without a coalition inside the parliament?

When the international community also has an agenda and few requests for this new government as well?

 

We must not give up. We must hope. But, we need to stop hurting ourselves!

 

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/alternative-to-the-haitian-electoral-crisis-3830493.html

About the Author

Moise Garcon

Freelancer Journalist

Founder and President of True Haitian-American Patriots

Vice-President of JADEN (Jeunes en Actions pour le Developpement Ecologique National)