<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<div id="container" class="container font-size5">
<div style="display: block;" id="reader-header" class="header"> <font
size="-2"><a
href="http://sfbayview.com/2016/05/haitis-election-verification-commission-a-step-in-the-right-direction/"
id="reader-domain" class="domain"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://sfbayview.com/2016/05/haitis-election-verification-commission-a-step-in-the-right-direction/">http://sfbayview.com/2016/05/haitis-election-verification-commission-a-step-in-the-right-direction/</a></a></font>
<h1 id="reader-title">Haiti’s Election Verification Commission a
step in the right direction</h1>
</div>
<div class="content">
<div style="display: block;" id="moz-reader-content">
<div
xml:base="http://sfbayview.com/2016/05/haitis-election-verification-commission-a-step-in-the-right-direction/"
id="readability-page-1" class="page">
<div class="entry">
<p><strong><em>by Marilyn Langlois - May 17, 2016<br>
</em></strong></p>
<p>On a visit to Haiti in late April with Task Force on
the Americas, a California-based organization in
solidarity with the social justice movements of Latin
America and the Caribbean, we witnessed another example
of Haitians resisting U.S. attempts to facilitate
continued looting of the country’s resources and
sabotage its democracy.</p>
<p>Democracy has been sorely missing in the island nation
ever since the 2004 coup d’état backed by the U.S.,
France and Canada, which ushered in a two-year reign of
terror, followed by the unjust exclusion of Haiti’s
largest and most popular political party, Fanmi Lavalas,
from participating in any elections until August and
October 2015.</p>
<p>The most recent president, Michel Martelly, had been
pushed fraudulently to the forefront of sham elections
in 2011 by then-U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.
Haitians we met with did not appreciate this
interference, as he stole public funds, privatized
valuable natural resources, and instituted a
paramilitary security force reminiscent of the notorious
Duvalier era.</p>
<p>The Oct. 25, 2015, first-round presidential election
was riddled with massive irregularities, voter
intimidation, ballot-box stuffing and tampering with
tally sheets, as has been widely reported and
documented. People we met with from different sectors,
including two of the presidential candidates, affirmed
the nature and extent of the electoral fraud. Yet the
U.S. has pushed for a quick run-off between the
ostensible top two vote-getters, which Haitians have
successfully resisted with persistent, large scale
street demonstrations.</p>
<p>Physical structures can symbolize power or lack
thereof. The Haitian National Palace, seat of government
and source of national pride for 200 years, was severely
damaged in the 2010 earthquake and has since been
leveled. All we could see was a tall fence surrounding
the now-empty site. On the other hand, shortly after the
2004 coup, the U.S. Embassy was relocated from a modest
downtown Port-au-Prince building to a newly constructed
gigantic, fortress-like compound outside of town,
surrounded on all sides by United Nations “MINUSTAH”
military bases.</p>
<p>Our group, consisting of seven U.S. citizens and one
Canadian, met with Michael Gayle, deputy political
counselor in the U.S. Embassy, to discuss the electoral
crisis. As we underwent rigorous security protocols upon
entering the compound – passport check, metal detectors,
handbag search, no cameras or cell phones allowed, no
wandering around on your own, no going to the restroom
unaccompanied – I kept wondering, what is it they’re
afraid of?</p>
<p>Our conversation with Mr. Gayle, while cordial and
friendly on the surface, revealed the condescending and
colonialist nature of the U.S. government’s attitude
towards Haiti. His claim that Haitians have a poor
history of participation in elections was refuted by one
of our delegation members who had observed the 1995 and
2000 presidential elections in Haiti, both of which had
gone smoothly with strong voter turnout and no major
problems reported.</p>
<p>He further suggested that “both sides” were to blame
for cancellation of local and parliamentary elections
between 2011 and 2015 and that there was cheating on
“both sides” during the 2015 elections, when in fact
outgoing president Martelly and his party were clearly
responsible in both cases, with help from well-paid
foreign political operatives.</p>
<p>Mr. Gayle stressed the urgency of having a stable
elected government in order to reassure outside
investors – no mention of reassuring the citizens that
their votes were counted! When asked why the U.S. isn’t
more concerned with the integrity of the elections than
a delay in seating the government, he paused and then
denied electoral fraud was widespread or affected the
ultimate outcome.</p>
<p>His concluding remark, “When capabilities are so low
and challenges are so great, where do you draw the line
about how flawless the process has to be?” was
indicative of the self-serving U.S. policy of dismissing
Haitian people’s intelligence, skills and aspirations.</p>
<p>After the U.S. Embassy visit, our next appointment with
one of the 2015 presidential candidates offered a
refreshing contrast. At the office of Dr. Maryse
Narcisse of the Fanmi Lavalas party, we were warmly
welcomed in an open air and relaxed atmosphere, where
supporters from various communities were engaged in
lively discussions.</p>
<p>Dr. Narcisse told us how all of the candidates and
parties except a few associated with Martelly had come
to consensus on heeding the people’s demands and
proposing a framework for a verification commission to
do an in-depth and transparent evaluation of the 2015
elections. She said her party is not afraid of the
results because people were fed up with the 2010-11
elections and insist on free and fair elections this
time.</p>
<p>She pointed out that while the current provisional
president has little power, he can appoint the
verification commission and take steps quickly to assure
a fairly and justly elected government is in place,
which could then tackle the broader social and economic
issues the country faces.</p>
<p>As a U.S.-based delegation, our message to Mr. Gayle of
the U.S. Embassy in person and to the U.S. State
Department in a press conference we held in
Port-au-Prince was to stop pressuring Haitians to accept
a seriously flawed electoral process and respect Haiti’s
sovereignty in rectifying the situation.</p>
<p>The day after we left Haiti, on April 28, we were
pleased to learn that Provisional President Privert did
in fact convene the Election Verification Commission as
proposed by the group of parties and candidates, giving
it 30 days to complete its investigation. Haitians will
be watch-dogging the process intently.</p>
<p><em>Marilyn Langlois is a member of the Haiti Action
Committee, <a href="http://www.haitisolidarity.net/">www.haitisolidarity.net</a>,
and can be reached at <a
href="mailto:action.haiti@gmail.com"><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:action.haiti@gmail.com">action.haiti@gmail.com</a></a>.
</em>
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div> </div>
</div>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.freedomarchives.org">www.freedomarchives.org</a>
</div>
</body>
</html>