Tag Archives: democracy

Nov 27 2014

These Lavalas Anarchists Must Be Out Of Their Minds

Haiti-lavalas-300x210

These Lavalas leftists, anarchists, communists, extremists with anti-American sentiment in Haiti –like Turneb Delpe, Moise Jean-Charles, Edmonde Beauzile, Mirlande Manigat & Co –must be out of their minds if they think the international community would let them sabotage the progressive agenda of the Martelly administration so they could get to power in Haiti.

In a population of 10 million people, they can only manipulate a few thousands in Port-au-Prince –with money they had obtained through kidnapping and drug trafficking –and they wanna make believe that a majority is against the president. Don’t they know that majority had already expressed itself 3 years ago by electing Martelly president?

These folks had spent 20 years in power in Haiti and left behind for Martelly a devastated place you would not dare calling a country. For doing so would have been an insult to the person who had introduced the word [country] in the English lexicon. Today they are acting as though they had never been in power, and that they do not have a track record to judge them on. Their record is sitting right there in our recent memory, so there is no way we could be so amnesiac.

We will not let them take the country back to the dark era of kidnapping, gang-related crimes, dechoukaj, Pèlebren, kraze brize, etc… we must and will continue to move forward by quarantining and keeping them away from the National Palace by any means necessary.

Martelly will complete his term and will pass the gavel to his successor, who will come out of the presidential election he [Martelly] will have to organize. Democracy is all about continuity of the democratic process, and that is what we Haitian democrats believe in.

In a democracy, there is only one prescribed way to get to power, and that is through a democratic electoral process. These Lavalas anarchists refuse to play the democratic game by its rules because they know they cannot get to power in Haiti in a fair, honest, inclusive and transparent election –the majority of the people do not want anything to do with them, and they know it.

George W. Bush, for instance, was elected president twice in the United States. By the end of his second term, he had become very unpopular. In spite of his unpopularity, which had rendered him very vulnerable, the American people did not take the streets in protest every week to ask him to resign. They know better than that; they are a busy people who do not have time to waste. They had expressed their anger in the polls twice by electing and reelecting President Obama -in 2008 and 2012. That’s how things are supposed to be done in a democracy.

In this political conjuncture the country has found itself today, we have a choice to make: either we opt for a democratic Haiti, where the rule of law is highly valued, or we want to plunge the country in a state of anarchy and lawlessness with these Lavalas anarchists.

Nov 2 2010

CONDITIONS FOR A NEW AND BETTER HAITI

Being a nation with no previous democratic experience in our two centuries of existence, in terms of technicality, we Haitians are not doing too bad in our handling of our democracy. We have a lot of work to do, but we are on the right path.

Democracy is an ongoing process. Therefore, we must never stop growing, and we certainly must never stop strengthening our institutions if we want to enjoy the beauty of a strong democracy in Haiti.

The institution of democracy is not really a component of Haiti’s problems, since most Haitians favor a democratic Haiti embedded in these two basic principles: freedom of expression and freedom of choice. What we really need to do going forward is to civically educate the people on how to play the game of democracy with a winning state of mind. And the way you achieve that is by teaching them the rules of the game and how to apply them in their daily lives.

I am convinced that our problems are both political and economical. So fixing them requires of us all to be bold in our approaches.

By now, regardless our ideological differences, we all can agree on the fact that we have a vacuum of leadership in our country. In fact, you do not need to take my word for it. Just take a look at the way the aftermath of the earthquake has been managed. The so-called recovery plan they crafted along with the international community is an embarrassment.

Leadership and mediocrity/incompetence are mutually exclusive. It is impossible to get commonsense and proactive leadership out of dumbfoundedness, a trait which only incompetence and mediocrity nurture.

The solution to that aspect of the country’s problems is in the hands of the Haitian people, not those of the international community. We, the people of Haiti, need to break ties with mediocrity; it has proven time and time again to be the opposite force preventing us from progressing forward.

Solving the leadership problem will not happen overnight; it will take time. But we must keep in mind that we cannot be having the same failed politicians on the wheel leading the nation and expecting different results. Their failure has contributed to what Haiti has become today. So we need a new generation of leaders to emerge from the rubble of the disaster to send these “rat do kale” politicians occupying the country’s political landscape for over a quarter of a century to retirement. We need to retire their old, archaic and obsolete ways and replace them with the freshness of ideas emanating from a new class of leaders. We have no control over time, but we do have control over who we are going to choose to represent us and speak on our behalf.

On the economic front, in terms of economic wellbeing, Haiti was, prior to January the 12th, already a “failed” state. The earthquake did nothing but worsening the situation.

The country was the way it was mainly because of the financial or monetary conditions imposed upon it by the major international financial institutions -World Bank, IMF, etc. -dominated for the most part by the United States. If the US really cares and wants to help us to rebuild our nation, they need to start with addressing the evil manners the country has been dealt with by these international financial organizations. Otherwise, any effort to rebuild the country will be vainly undertaken.

In conclusion, we must not believe in the fallacy that the international community has our best interests. It would be foolish to have that in mind. They have their own agenda, which always conflicts with ours. The destiny of our nation lies in our hands. If the international community is really serious about building a strong partnership to help us rebuild our country, they need to be honest about it and stop playing games. In whatever capacity they want to help us, the approach must be systematic and comprehensive, meaning it must not be limited to the infrastructural aspect of the problem. It needs to go beyond that -it needs to touch on the way the country has been treated by the international financial organizations. Until they do that, any reconstruction effort will be a waste of time, money and resources.

Oct 11 2010

KONPA ARTISTS ON THE POLITICAL BANDWAGON

Choubou: Tabou Combo's lead vocalist, a Michel Martelly endorser

Political endorsement is something very serious; it ought not to be taken lightly. So far, we have witnessed quite an array of Konpa artists coming out at an unprecedented rate to publicly endorse candidates in this presidential election cycle; in my humble opinion, I think that is encouraging. I am not trying to scare anybody, but I am just hoping that you guys know that political endorsements, at times, come with backlashes and consequences -whether directly or indirectly.    

To the rest of you Konpa personalities, those of you who are still standing on the sidelines and have yet to jump on the bandwagon of presidential endorsement, I have four simple words for you: DO NOT DO IT.

Haitian politics is a very tricky and complicated field. You are dealing with an electorate not democratically cultured enough to accept the fact that you can have a say in the political process and have your political position respected. They all aspire to democracy, but refuse to understand that it cannot be possible without the creed of tolerance.  

Yes, indeed, you have your rights as citizens of Haiti to publicly endorse anybody you want in this race just like your fans have their rights to not support you anymore because your political endorsements do/did not reflect theirs.

Some people take politics very personal. Remember, you need the support of your fans to stay in business. Your fans are all you have. Once they turn their backs on you, you are game; your career is over. So be very careful with that political endorsement thing. If you cannot sustain the heat, keep yourself away from the furnace. Otherwise, you might get burnt.

Of course, Fanfan Ti Bot, Choubou, Cubano, Douby, etc… they all can come out publicly and endorse candidates; they do not have anything to lose. With all due respect to them and what they represent in the world of Konpa music, as far as this new generation of fan base is concerned, these guys don’t really matter in this business anymore. If Konpa was a structured and lucrative business, they should have not been in circulation anymore; they should have gone into retirement long ago. But you, young artists coming up, have a lot to lose. I am going to repeat the same thing I said to you earlier, and that is you need the support of your fans to stay alive in this entertainment business.

My golden advice to you all is this: DO NOT MINGLE; LET THE PROCESS RUN ITS COURSE. You are not ordinary citizens; you are people with a platform. Therefore, do not put yourselves out there for political expediency.

That’s all I wanted to communicate to you all. Hopefully, you will find my advice sound and relevant. Well, I am a nobody, why should you listen to me?