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<h1><font size=4 color="#FF0000"><b>2 articles follow<br><br>
</i></font>Congresswoman Waters opposes plot to control
Haiti</b></h1><font size=3>
<a href="http://www.haitiaction.net/News/MW/1_18_11/1_18_11.html" eudora="autourl">
http://www.haitiaction.net/News/MW/1_18_11/1_18_11.html<br><br>
</a>Urges prosecution of Duvalier for human rights violations <br>
and new elections that respect the will of the Haitian People<br>
<br>
<b>Washington D.C.</b> <i>Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) issued the
following statement today, upon learning that Haiti's former dictator,
Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, returned to Haiti after 25
years of exile in France:<br>
</i> <br>
The plot to control Haiti has gone from the absurd to the
ridiculous. The return of Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier
to Haiti in the midst of a flawed election is truly shocking. The
Duvalier dictatorship was absolutely brutal, and there is extensive
documentation of the human rights violations suffered by the Haitian
people during his reign. I was pleased to hear that the authorities
had taken him into custody, and I urge that he be tried for his
crimes. Nevertheless, Duvalier's return raises serious questions
about who in Haiti facilitated his return and what his supporters expect
to gain by bringing him back.<br>
<br>
Duvalier's return comes in the midst of a desperate attempt by President
Rene Préval to maintain control of Haiti by ensuring the election of Jude
Celestin, his chosen successor. President Préval did this by
appointing a Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) that was biased in his
favor, which refused to allow candidates from over a dozen political
parties to participate in the elections. Among those excluded was
Lavalas, Haiti's largest political party and the party most popular among
Haiti's poor. The result was a deeply flawed election that
generated widespread and sometimes violent protests among the Haitian
people.<br>
<br>
Had the elections truly been inclusive, the most likely result would have
been the election of a President who represented the impoverished
majority of the Haitian people. This would have been contrary to
the interests of the rich and powerful business elites of Haiti, whose
main goal has always been the exploitation of the Haitian people as cheap
labor. It is these wealthy Haitian elites who benefited under the
reign of the Duvalier regime and who would no doubt benefit if he were to
return to power. <br>
Additional confusion was created by the Organization of American States
(OAS), which attempted to salvage these flawed elections by issuing a
report based on flawed methodology. The OAS did not conduct a full
recount, but instead examined a sample of only 919 of the 11,181 tally
sheets from voting booths across Haiti, threw out 234 of these tally
sheets, and then concluded that Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly
should advance to a runoff, along with Mirlande Manigat, in place of Jude
Celestin. The OAS report concluded that Martelly defeated Celestin
by a margin of only 0.3 percent of the votes reported on those tally
sheets that the OAS chose to count. This would mean Préval's
candidate, the candidate who is most likely to be trusted by the elites,
would be eliminated.<br>
<br>
However, according to an analysis by the Center for Economic and Policy
Research (CEPR), tally sheets were either missing or were discounted for
irregularities at 1,326 voting booths or 11.9 percent of the total.
The proportion of discounted votes and other irregularities is more than
sufficient to cast doubt upon the entire process, especially when the
difference between the number of votes counted for Celestin and Martelly
is so small. The recommendation of the OAS to change the names of
the candidates included in the runoff election is an ill-advised and
sloppy attempt to fix an election that should be scrapped entirely.<br>
<br>
In any case, it is now clear that no runoff can be held this month as
previously planned, and no successor will be elected prior to February
7th, the last day of President Préval's term in office under the
constitution. Consequently, there is the possibility that Haiti
could find itself with no President, thus creating a void and the
opportunity for a dictator.<br>
<br>
I was shocked to learn that OAS officials discussed forcing President
Préval to leave the country on board a plane – much the way that former
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was forced to leave the country in a
coup d'état in 2004. Ricardo Seitanfus, the former OAS Special
Representative to Haiti, recently revealed that at a meeting of United
Nations, OAS and donor country officials, some representatives suggested
that President Préval should leave the country and an airplane should be
provided for that purpose.<br>
<br>
The OAS and other international agencies have no right to dictate the
outcome of the election and no right to plot the exile of the current
President of Haiti. Despite President Préval's role in these failed
and fraudulent elections, the OAS cannot be a part of a plan to try to
determine the outcome of the elections.<br>
<br>
It is absurd and outrageous that anyone would even think to take
advantage of this situation to facilitate Baby Doc Duvalier's return to
Haiti. Unfortunately, he has returned, and it is important to ask
why. Who assisted Duvalier in his return? Where did he get
the money to pay for his return? Were any officials of the U.S.
Government aware of his plans to return? Was the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) aware? If so, was any action taken to
stop him from returning or to ensure that he would be arrested and
prosecuted for his crimes and not allowed to usurp power if he did
return?<br>
<br>
I am deeply concerned that the wealthy elites of Haiti who supported the
Duvalier regime in the past, along with the assistance of international
agencies, may have encouraged Duvalier to return in the hope that the
flawed elections will create a power vacuum that could allow him to take
power once again. I am even more concerned that OAS officials may
be wittingly or unwittingly helping to create precisely the type of power
vacuum that would enable him to do so.<br>
<br>
It is important that we determine what role U.S. officials played, if
any, in facilitating Duvalier's return. It is even more important
that we determine what role the U.S. Government will play moving
forward.<br>
<br>
The U.S. Government promised to help Haiti recover from last year's
earthquake and develop its economy. I introduced legislation to
forgive Haiti its foreign debt, and allow the country to secure
additional aid in the form of grants so that it wouldn't incur further
debt. I was very pleased that Congress passed the legislation in a
bipartisan manner, and that President Obama signed it into law just three
months after the earthquake. President Obama also requested and
Congress appropriated almost $3 billion in funds for humanitarian
assistance and long-term reconstruction and development for Haiti.
Meanwhile, donor countries committed more than $9 billion in aid for
Haiti's reconstruction at an international donors' conference last
March.<br>
<br>
Haiti's next government will be called upon to make difficult decisions
regarding the allocation of these resources. If these decisions are
not made by a credible and legitimately-elected government, billions in
U.S. taxpayer funds could be wasted and many donors may refuse to
distribute the funds that were promised. Meanwhile, Haiti's
recovery could be delayed for decades and the Haitian people will
continue to suffer.<br>
<br>
I believe the only recourse is for Haiti to organize new elections that
will be free and fair, inclusive of all eligible political parties and
candidates, and open to participation by all Haitian voters. The
U.S. Government should demand a clear statement to that effect by both
the OAS and President Préval, and the U.S. should stand ready to assist
Haiti in organizing new elections. <br>
Only through free, fair and inclusive elections will the people of Haiti
be empowered to create a better future for themselves and their
children.<br>
<br>
###<br>
<br>
To view more of the Congresswoman's work on Haiti,
<a href="http://waters.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=5163">click
here</a>.<br>
<br>
<b>Sean Bartlett<br>
</b>Press Secretary<br>
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-35)<br>
2344 Rayburn HOB / Washington, DC 20515<br>
(o) 202.225.2201<br>
(f) 202.225.7854<br>
<a href="http://www.waters.house.gov/" eudora="autourl">
www.waters.house.gov</a><br>
</font><h1><b>***************************************<br>
Haiti's democracy in the balance</b></h1><hr>
<font size=3>By
<a href="http://www.zcommunications.org/zspace/markweisbrot">Mark
Weisbrot</a><br><br>
Source:
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jan/18/haiti-usa">
The Guardian Unlimited (UK)</a><br>
Wednesday, January 19, 2011<br><br>
As the infamous dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier returns to Haiti
after 25 years in exile in the south of France, the U.S. State Department
and the French Foreign Ministry have been
<a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=UkntpDWtGVV1fDBUbXpu9QdN6VBjKQ%2F7">
ratcheting up the pressure</a> on the impoverished, earthquake-destroyed,
and cholera stricken country of Haiti.<br><br>
The pressure is not to prosecute the dictator for his atrocities, as
human rights groups such as
<a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=GpqKARQgOKAzSV3ZFxsMKAdN6VBjKQ%2F7">
Amnesty International </a>and
<a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=h8SRci0NbBHVd8TtWirvlAdN6VBjKQ%2F7">
Human Rights Watch</a> have recommended. The pressure is to force the
government of Haiti to accept the decision of the United States and
France as to who should be allowed to compete in the second round of
Haiti’s presidential election.<br><br>
It is worth looking at the details of this international subversion of
the democratic process in Haiti just to see just how outrageous it
is.<br><br>
The first thing to notice is how unusual it is for any electoral
authority to change the results of an election without a full recount of
the vote. Imagine that happening in Florida in 2000, or Mexico in 2006,
or in any close, disputed election with irregularities. It just wouldn’t
happen. There could be a recount and a new result; the original result
can stand; or the election can be redone. But the electoral authorities
don’t just change the result without a recount.<br><br>
Now add into the mix that the electoral body seeking to change the result
of the election is the Organization of American States (OAS). More
accurately, it is Washington, which controls the bureaucracy of the OAS
in these situations (unless there is a lot of pushback from South
America, as happened after the Honduran coup in 2009).<br><br>
In fact,
<a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=MV30r3Px%2B729xHZPYP7ZyQdN6VBjKQ%2F7">
six of the seven members </a>of the OAS “Expert Verification Mission” are
from the United States, Canada, and France. France! Not a member of the
OAS but the former slave-holding colonial power that was still forcing
Haiti to pay for its loss of property (i.e. the slaves who liberated
themselves) until the 1940s. Apparently the OAS couldn’t find any experts
in all of Latin America (they got one from Jamaica) to review Haiti’s
election.<br><br>
This is not a matter of political correctness; rather it indicates how
much Washington wanted to control the result of this OAS Mission. These
are the three governments that
<a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=MgsYSXkZZ62TaSe7PHtP4wdN6VBjKQ%2F7">
led the effort </a> to topple Haiti’s democratically elected President,
Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004.
<a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=j75mpcpMy2dWSZjeMPWqxgdN6VBjKQ%2F7">
Wikileaks cables released </a>this week show that the United States also
pressured Brazil to help keep Aristide out of Haiti after the coup. Since
Aristide was, and remains to this day, the most popular politician in the
country, the Wikileaks cables show that Washington and its allies also
worked to keep him from having any influence on the country from his
forced exile in South Africa.<br><br>
As it turns out, the OAS “experts” did a
<a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=SYKDXAPEBh4XGQejhVz91AdN6VBjKQ%2F7">
very poor job</a> on their election analysis. They threw out 234 tally
sheets, thus changing the election result. According to the OAS, the
government candidate, Jude Celestin, was pushed into third place and
therefore out of the run-off election. This leaves two right-wing
candidates – former first lady Mirlande Manigat, and popular musician
Michel Martelly – to compete in the runoff. The OAS has Martelly taking
second place by just 3,200 votes, or 0.3 percent of the vote.<br><br>
The first problem with the OAS Mission’s report is that there were more
than 1,300 tally sheets representing about 156,000 votes that went
missing or were quarantined. This is about six times as many ballot
sheets as the ones that the Mission eliminated. Since these areas were
more pro-Celestin than the rest of the country, he would very likely have
come in
second<a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=il05kEBTNjQmT4jQHtY0JAdN6VBjKQ%2F7">
if the missing tally sheets had been included</a>. The Mission did not
address this problem in its report.<br><br>
The second problem is that the Mission examined only 919 of the 11,181
tally sheets to find the 234 that they threw out. This would not be so
strange if they had used statistical inference, as is commonly done in
polling, to say something about the other 92 percent of ballot sheets
that they did not examine. However this is not included in the leaked
report.<br><br>
Lacking the force of logic, the U.S. and French governments are turning
to the logic of force to get the result that they want. Journalism
professor and author
<a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=WNuO8dkuGYlputOGgByBBgdN6VBjKQ%2F7">
Amy Wilentz wrote this weekend </a>in the <i>L.A. Times:<br><br>
According to many sources, including the president himself, the
international community has threatened Preval with immediate exile if he
does not bow to their interpretation of election results.<br><br>
<br>
</i>These are not empty threats. Preval’s predecessor, Aristide, was
whisked out of the country on a U.S. plane in 2004. And now the U.S.
Ambassador to Haiti is making it clear, in Godfather-mafia-style, that
this is offer he can’t refuse:<br><br>
<i>U.S. ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten said in an interview that the
U.S. government supports the OAS report and its conclusions. ‘The
international community is entirely unified on this point. There is
nothing to negotiate in the report,’
<a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=MrhuDYSkZ0TWjQVDThUljAdN6VBjKQ%2F7">
Merten said</a>.<br><br>
<br>
</i>The French weighed in on Friday;
<a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Fq52qz8mtKUAyxRxHcwv8wdN6VBjKQ%2F7">
AFP reports</a>:<br><br>
<i>France warned Haiti's government on Friday to respect a report by OAS
poll monitors that is thought to call for President Rene Preval's
preferred successor to drop out of the election race . . . .<br><br>
<br>
</i>So far, Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) hasn’t caved. But
the pressure and threats are very intense. Some of it appears to come
from hard-right Republicans, whose influence on foreign policy in the
Western Hemisphere has remained strong under the Obama administration and
has increased with their takeover of the House of Representatives.
Right-wing activists such as Roger Noriega, who was involved in the 2004
Haitian coup as President Bush’s Assistant Secretary of State for the
Western Hemisphere, are among those fighting to control the runoff
election in Haiti. It is quite possible that the hard right was
responsible for the leaking of the draft OAS Mission Report.<br><br>
On Monday OAS Secretary of State Jose Miguel Insulza – embarrassed and
angered by the leak and probably also by Washington and France’s gross
disregard for Haiti’s sovereignty and democratic rights–
<a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=15lg3XiV1bRIF%2BTVPu%2FHIS9TSysWvOKn">
sought to downplay the Mission’s Report</a>:<br><br>
<i>The report, Insulza said, is based on "calculations" and not
results. "It's not in our power to give results," he told The
Miami Herald. "We are not publishing any kind of
results."<br><br>
<br>
</i>Of course the obvious solution would be to re-run the election,
<a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=cGjp%2FWWkDa590NZf3AyZeAdN6VBjKQ%2F7">
since nearly three-quarters of registered voters didn’t vote</a> in the
first round, reflecting the fact that the country’s largest political
party – not coincidentally, the party of Aristide -- was arbitrarily
excluded. But Washington and its allies don’t want to take any chances
that they could end up with a free and fair election in Haiti, which
hasn’t led to their preferred outcome in the very few times that it has
been allowed.<br><br>
<br><br>
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