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<font size=3><br>
</font><font size=4>Haiti needs the world's support: Noam Chomsky, Tariq
Ali, Slavoj Žižek and others call on the US, France and Canadda to keep
out of Haiti's democratic process in an open letter to the
Guardian<br><br>
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<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/02/haiti-election-open-letter-noam-chomsky">
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 2 March 2011 15.46 GMT </a><br><br>
Over the next few years, much of Haiti will be rebuilt and much of its
economy restructured. In response to last year's earthquake an
unprecedented amount of money has been promised for reconstruction. It's
more important than ever before that Haiti be governed by an
administration that reflects the true will and interests of its people,
rather than the concerns of foreign governments and
corporations.<br><br>
In 2004, the US, France and Canada, in alliance with members of Haiti's
business community and demobilised soldiers of the Haitian army,
overthrew the last Haitian government to enjoy genuine popular support:
the party that led this government, Fanmi Lavalas, was elected with
around 75% of the vote. This past November, these same powers imposed and
funded an illegitimate electoral process in Haiti, one that blocked the
participation of Fanmi Lavalas. Only 23% of Haitian voters participated,
scarcely a third of the proportion who voted in the last presidential
election.<br><br>
In recent weeks, the US and its proxies have brazenly interfered in the
interpretation of this election's first round of results. The flawed
November vote was not only inconclusive and unrepresentative, its outcome
was also unlawful. If the second round of these elections goes ahead as
planned on 20 March, it is now sure to result in the unconstitutional
selection of a president with closer ties to the powers that sponsored
and manipulated them than to the people meant to participate in
them.<br><br>
At the same time, the powers that dominate Haiti have facilitated the
return of the former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier while discouraging the
return of the twice-elected president (and Fanmi Lavalas leader)
Jean-Bertrand Aristide. These powers, with their allies in the Haitian
business community, have made it clear that they seek to delay Aristide's
return until after 20 March. They will only allow Aristide to return
after a suitably pliant new government has been installed, to preside
over the imminent reconstruction process.<br><br>
We the undersigned call on the Haitian government to make the security
arrangements that will enable Aristide's immediate return, and we call on
the international community to support rather than undermine these
efforts. We call on the Haitian government to cancel the second-round
vote scheduled for 20 March and to organise a new round of elections,
without exclusions or interference, to take place as soon as
possible.<br><br>
Signed:<br><br>
Marie-Célie Agnant, writer<br>
Tariq Ali, writer<br>
Andaiye, Red Thread, Guyana<br>
Roger Annis, Canada Haiti Action Network<br>
Reginald Antoine, PEVEP<br>
Alain Badiou, Ecole Normale Supérieure (Paris)<br>
Brian Becker, National Co-ordination, Answer Coalition<br>
Emile Wilnes Brumer, Mas Popilè Site Solèy<br>
Jean-Claude Cajou, community activist<br>
Sara Callaway, Women of Colour/Global Women's Strike, UK<br>
Yves Camille, Haiti Liberté<br>
Noam Chomsky, MIT<br>
Ramsey Clark, former US attorney general<br>
Brian Concannon, Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti<br>
Dan Coughlin, executive director, Manhattan Neighborhood Network<br>
Ezili Dantò, Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network<br>
Mike Davis, UC Riverside<br>
Castro Desroches, SUNY<br>
Rea Dol, SODUPEP<br>
Berthony Dupont, Haiti Liberté<br>
Ben Dupuy, Haiti Progrès & Parti Populaire National<br>
Darren Ell, Montreal-Haiti Solidarity Committee<br>
Joe Emersberger, writer<br>
Yves Engler, writer<br>
Anthony Fenton, journalist<br>
Weiner Kerns Fleurimond, Haiti Liberté<br>
Pierre L Florestal, Fanmi Lavalas - NY<br>
Daniel Florival, Tèt Kole Oganizasyon Popilè yo<br>
Sara Flounders, International Action Center<br>
Laura Flynn, Aristide Foundation for Democracy board<br>
Danny Glover, actor & activist, board chair, TransAfrica Forum<br>
Leah Gordon, photographer and curator<br>
Manu Goswami, NYU<br>
Greg Grandin, NYU<br>
Thomas Griffin, lawyer<br>
Bishop Thomas Gumbleton<br>
Peter Hallward, Kingston University London<br>
Georges Honorat, Haiti Progrès<br>
Kim Ives, Haiti Liberté<br>
Selma James, Global Women's Strike, UK<br>
Dr G Carlo Jean, retired public school teacher<br>
Marlène Jean-Noel, Fanmi Lavalas Baz NY<br>
Tony Jean-Thénor, Veye Yo<br>
Frantz Jerome, Coalition Against Occupation and Sham Elections<br>
Evelt Jeudi, Fanmi Lavalas Miami<br>
Mario Joseph, Office of International Lawyers (BAI)<br>
Farah Juste, representative of Fanmi Lavalas for Florida & the
Bahamas<br>
Michelle Karshan, Aristide Foundation for Democracy<br>
Katharine Kean, film-maker<br>
Ira Kurzban, Counsel for the Republic of Haiti from 1991-2004<br>
Pierre Labossière, Haiti Action Committee<br>
Ray Laforest, International Support Haiti Network<br>
Frantz Latour, Haiti Liberté<br>
Andrew Leak, University College London<br>
Didier Leblanc, Haiti Liberté<br>
Jacques Elie Leblanc, Haiti Liberté<br>
Maude Leblanc, Haiti Progrès<br>
Richard Ledes, film director<br>
Nicole Lee, President, TransAfrica Forum<br>
Nina López, Legal Action for Women, UK<br>
Gardy Lumas, PEVEP<br>
Isabel Macdonald, journalist<br>
Albert Maysles, film-maker<br>
Yves Mésidor, Mas Popilè Site Solèy<br>
Johnny Michel, Mas Popilè Site Solèy<br>
Melinda Miles, Let Haiti Live<br>
Georges Mompremier, Fanmi Lavalas Baz NY<br>
Fednel Monchery, Jeunesse pour la République (JPR)<br>
Joia S. Mukherjee, Chief Medical Officer, Partners In Health<br>
Nick Nesbitt, Princeton University<br>
Harry Numa, community activist<br>
Vanel Louis Paul, Mas Popilè Site Solèy<br>
Gladys Timmer Phillpotts, Fanmi Lavalas Baz St Francis<br>
Fritzner Pierre, radio host of Dyalog Popilè<br>
Wadner Pierre, Haitianalysis.com<br>
Yves Pierre-Louis, Tèt Kole Oganizasyon Popilè yo<br>
Kevin Pina, Haiti Information Project<br>
Margaret Prescod, Women of Colour/Global Women's Strike, US<br>
Jackson Rateau, Haiti Liberté<br>
Roosevelt René, engineer<br>
Claude Ribbe, author and filmmaker<br>
Corey Robin, Brooklyn College & CUNY<br>
William Robinson, UCSB<br>
Nicolas Rossier, film-maker<br>
Robert Roth, Haiti Action Committee<br>
Jean Saint-Vil, writer<br>
Alina Sixto, Radio Fanmi Lavalas New York<br>
Mark Snyder, International Action Ties<br>
Jeb Sprague, UCSB<br>
Irwin Stotzky, University of Miami Law School<br>
Lucie Tondreau, community activist<br>
Eddy Toussaint "Tontongi", Revi Tanbou<br>
Harold Valentin, Oganizasyon Jen Salomon (OJESA)<br>
Burt Wides, former counsel to Haiti's constitutional government; Special
Counsel to President Carter for oversight of all US Intelligence
agencies<br>
Cécile Winter, Collectif politique sida en Afrique<br>
Slavoj i ek, University of Ljubljana<br>
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