Will We Be Awarded As The Most Innovative Coup Style Creators?

After the “Kidnapping Coup” would we invent the brand new breakthrough “Quake Coup”?

That is what seems as Haiti & “Friends” begin to talk and think in elections and maybe a new constitution and moreover… why not a new Prime Minister and, to have it all done, a whole new entire Government?

All that just after losing some 2% of its brave people, having more some 5% unabridged and in eminent peril, just after losing far more than 50% of its yet scarce wealth and resources and patrimony, and just before the pouring rains season, followed by the floods season, and finally by the hurricanes season.

It is really a great idea!!! It would be ridiculous if it was not deeply and criminally serious.

It remembers me the joke in which the husband, as coming home earlier and finding his wife in some “not-so-catholic-positions” with his best friend on the sofa, promptly takes a tough decision: he sells the sofa!

It is not time to think in legislative elections, constitutional changes and so on.

H. E. Mr. Préval and (possibly) H. E. Mr. Bellerive mandates go until Feb 2011.

By other hand, the planned legislative elections should wait as the Country now is in full State of Emergency, War and worst.

There is only one focus to pursue: REBIRTH.

And rethink, together, to rebuild better as both leaders have been stressing.

Any other issue now is waste of time, effort or – the worst – underground hidden agendas.

And maybe we got to the point.

Much of the people talking about elections now are well intentioned.

But those that pushed the issues were triggered by the ‘inconvenient’ behaviors of His Excellences the Democratic Leaders of Haiti.

‘Inconvenient’ behaviors as expressed in the ambitious Haiti Government Reconstruction Plan or in H. E. Mr. Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive words:

“The key question for us is to know what is happening on our territory… What matters to government is that we know who is in the country, what you are bringing, and that you coordinate with the Haitian state… Coordination means better information”

On the opposite hand of what the Big Media is saying, I think they are counter proofing one of the most established laws of science: energy propagates in vacuum!

That is because, in my humble opinion, they are shining.

And they are pulling their light from absolute nothing.

Or better, they are pulling their light from the Ayisians’ unbeatable Resilience.

The Ayisians’ Pride that always triggered the outsiders’ love or prejudice.

Pride & Prejudice. If Jane Austen did not come first this would be the title of a book subtitled Haiti.

It would be reasonable to say that both authorities could be more present walking around the country.

But it is also reasonable to say that there is an unmanageable helpers crowd of outsiders inside the Country and, as paradigmatically that it seems, the only way to manage them is from outside.

Otherwise, is from outside that the solutions and – as important as – the avoidance of possible emergent no-return problems can be achieved.

And, finally, not even the missing third statesman, the former priest one, got the gift of the omnipresence.

By other hand, with no Palace, with no home, with almost no staff, I could hear Mr. Préval radio message to the population (even probably "with no radio to be listened") less than 15 hours after the quake, after what with his shy and smooth manner he begun to, yes, take action from meetings under the trees by the streets yet before the "New Palace" was set at the small remaining Police Station.

Instead of what have been said about the Excellences, it is - for me - really impressive how they are behaving - and playing the hurting but necessary games - with the highest stature statesmen style, having to carry a hat on one hand but managing to keep on the other the torch of Liberty and Dignity.

How they are intelligently striving to trail the tortuous roads of multilateralism that leads to Independence.

And how they are envisioning the need for the foundation of a whole renewed Nation, with the cleansing of the most obscure, ‘untouchable’ and hidden historical problems as the internal elites segregationists, the peasants exclusionism and the external dominance and ruling, amongst others.

But with no bloody revolutions: just the ones that Earth herself sadly arranged.

I can see it in their eyes, in what they say, and mainly in what they do not say.

Both in the ‘supershy’ Statesman and in the ‘smileless’ Statesman silences.

And if I can see it, the vultures also do as so.

And both me and the vultures understand that the third, the ‘holly’ statesman is missing, banned, in Pretoria, South Africa, and will be claimed to come in by the advent of elections.

And there will be the chaos.

And there will be more reasons to show how Haiti is ‘acephalous’, and violent, and how “they need our generous leadership”.

But for those that say that Haiti needs some external governance I will repeat one thousand times if needed: it is what have been done since 1915 and before, and this – not the earthquake – is what lead Haiti to the situation she is living right now.

And for those that say that Haiti’s Government is corrupt I will repeat one thousand times if needed: the external ruled past marionettes dictators have a long corruption roll.

But about the last democratic elected Governments of Haiti, do me a favor, give them a chance of showing some corruption, let them manage some money!

Because they cannot be corrupt without money.

And almost all the money that comes in Haiti comes from outside to outsiders private or philanthropic institutions.

Or from the Haitian Diaspora to their own families.

For those that think that Haiti is a failed state and has no chance I will just ask to believe.

Haiti changed the world once.

She will be capable of changing herself now.

Haiti is a really magic, paradigmatic and surprisingly Country.

She will surprise us.

And I hope that we, the World, will also surprise Haiti for good as so.

I envision the day when that small Police Station close to the Toussaint Louverture Airport will become one of the smallest greatest monuments of the World.

By its meaning as a symbol that the Human Kind can resurrect through the beliefs of Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, and that L’Union Fait La Force as The Ebony Phoenix showed us once and will show twice.

Donors plan to put up $3.8 bln for Haiti rebuilding (our comments)

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OtherStreams' Comments:

1. Full support to H. E. Mr. President René Préval and H. E. Mr. Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive. They are the democratic elected Government of Haiti, they should have the first and last words on everything.

2. It is getting really irritating and offensive the insistence in labeling the Government of Haiti as corrupt and/or weak.

1. They can not be labeled as corrupts - neither this Government nor their predecessors - as they not even see the color of the money that come to Haiti, nor now neither before the earthquake.
   
   Everything comes from outside to outsiders' organizations, most of them well intentioned, I hope, but with a clear sidestepping on the Government of Haiti.
   
   
2. They can not be labeled as weak.
   
   
1. First, before the earthquake, because of the progressive "underpowerment" of the State Machine by both external and internal forces.
   
   
2. Second, after the earthquake, they were also victims with all their structures destroyed and many of their collaborators lost. It takes a time to recover the Governance ability from scratch beginning from a small improvised Police Station.
   
   I could hear the record of Mr. Préval statement hours after the catastrophe and his Government, since than, is doing all of the possible given the situation.
   
   
3. I understand that Haiti Government host George Bush for a while since this is not the time for hostilities of all kinds. But I take it, personally, as a lack of respectfulness demonstration and, thus, a huge offense.
   
   I put in the account of the earthquake itself less then 25% of the destruction toll.
   
   The rest 75% we owe to the policies imposed to Haiti, most of them by this man's Government.
   
   
1. We would be glad, instead, if Haiti would be receiving H. E. The Former (even without finishing his mandate) President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in a mission aimed at comfort-giving, consultancy-help, and "politicless" (for a while) peacekeeping, since it gets the negotiated approval of the Haitian (and solely Haitian) authorities.
   
   It may come through his former strong relations with Mr. Préval and the desire of both in putting Haiti's recovery above any other collective or individual interests.  
   
   These issues is being kept hidden but will emerge.
   
   And it is impossible to rebuild a nation without full transparency.
   
   The hidden agendas may mislead and undermine the whole process.
   
   
4. Somebody is missing since ever: The Sovereign People of Haiti. We need to listen and absorb whatever they have to say.
   
   
5. The external US pressure for legislative elections is unacceptable.
   
   Haiti's people and authorities have the unique right and the duty of taking this decision alone without anybody's' help, opinion, suggestion or moreover this unthinkable kind of pressure.

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Donors plan to put up $3.8 bln for Haiti rebuilding

Go to Original (Reuters AlertNet) >

18 Mar 2010 21:21:33 GMT

Source: Reuters

 

* Target commitment discussed before March 31 conference 

 

* Calls for good governance, transparency, elections 

 

* Wide donor support for debt relief, IADB head says (Adds comments from IADB chief, paragraphs 13-14) By Manuel Jimenez 

 

SANTO DOMINGO, March 18 (Reuters) - International donors are aiming to provide $3.8 billion over 18 months to help Haiti rebuild after its Jan. 12 earthquake, according to officials and experts preparing a high-level donors conference. 

 

The initial short-term target figure came in a statement released late on Wednesday after a two-day meeting in the Dominican Republic of representatives of Haiti's government, donor nations, multilateral lenders, U.N. agencies and aid groups. 

 

The preparatory meeting, ahead of a scheduled March 31 donors conference in New York, set out the broad outlines of a reconstruction strategy for the Caribbean nation whose economy and infrastructure were decimated by the quake. 

 

The government of Haiti, the poorest state in the Western Hemisphere, says at least 222,570 people and possibly more than 300,000 were killed in what some experts are calling the deadliest natural disaster of modern times. "Donors are committing to provide $3.8 billion to finance the reconstruction and recovery of Haiti's priority needs, over a period of 18 months, as indicated in the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA)," said the statement from the joint chairmen of the Santo Domingo experts' meeting. 

 

Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez and Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive chaired the two days of discussions that brought together 40 nations and institutions. 

 

The World Bank's director for the Caribbean, Yvonne Tsikata, described $3.8 billion as an "initial figure" contained in the PDNA document draft. "It's a short-term target. It's work in progress," she said in a conference call with reporters. 

 

She said concrete commitments by donors would be made at the one-day "pledging conference" in New York on March 31. 

 

The Santo Domingo meeting also announced a planned commitment to give Haiti's government an additional $350 million in direct budgetary support for 2010. 

 

The World Bank's board on Thursday approved a $65 million grant to Haiti for restoring key central bank and finance ministry functions, and essential infrastructure. 

 

To manage the long-term reconstruction, the experts in Santo Domingo proposed the creation of a Multi-Donors Trust Fund (MDTF) to be administered by a steering committee jointly formed by the Haitian government and donors. 

 

The World Bank would supervise operation of the fund. In the report that it presented to the Santo Domingo meeting, Haiti's government assessed the damage caused by the quake at more than $7.7 billion dollars. 

 

It estimated a total of $11.5 billion would be needed for reconstruction. 

 

SUPPORT FOR DEBT FORGIVENESS 

 

Speaking in an interview with Reuters, Inter-American Development Bank head Luis Moreno said on Thursday there was also wide support among donor countries to cancel about $1.2 billion in debts on Haiti's books. "Most of our shareholders have expressed a desire to do a debt relief of the outstanding amount owed by Haiti, of which the IADB has $441 million," Moreno said. He spoke ahead of the annual meetings of the IADB in Cancun, Mexico, this weekend. 

 

Despite concerns about levels of government corruption in Haiti, which have stymied past aid efforts, the administration of Haitian President Rene Preval has insisted it should have the ultimate say in the reconstruction of the country. 

 

Preval said on Tuesday that the Haitian presidency should have veto power over any reconstruction projects. 

 

He has angrily described as "arrogant" U.S. State Department allegations of widespread corruption in his government. 

 

His irritation has threatened to sour ties with Haiti's main quake relief partner, the United States, which has sent thousands of soldiers, doctors and aid workers to help. 

 

Two former U.S. presidents, Bill Clinton, named by the United Nations as coordinator of the international relief effort, and George W. Bush, will visit Haiti on Monday. 

 

The experts' statement said the donors fund would seek to ease pressure on the overcrowded and wrecked capital Port-au-Prince by supporting development outside of it. It would also seek to strengthen the private sector. 

 

The document added that a commitment to good governance and transparency by the Haitian government was essential. 

 

Occupying the western half of the island of Hispaniola, the former French colony of Haiti won independence in 1804 through a slave revolt and has had a history of uprisings, coups, dictatorships, poverty and social upheaval. 

 

The statement stipulated "a commitment to hold elections in Haiti as soon as possible to avoid a political vacuum." 

 

Preval has said he would not seek to extend his term beyond its scheduled conclusion on Feb. 11, 2011, and says he is confident that legislative elections -- originally scheduled for Feb. 28 -- can be reorganized in good time. 

 

(Additional reporting by Lesley Wroughton, Writing by Pascal Fletcher; Editing by Eric Beech)