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The Haiti Report is a compilation and summary of events as described in Haiti and international media prepared by Konbit Pou Ayiti/KONPAY. It does not reflect the opinions of any individual or organization. This service is intended to create a better understanding of the situation in Haiti by presenting the reader with reports that provide a variety of perspectives on the situation.
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IN THIS REPORT:
- Prime Minister’s Office Rejects Allegations About Theft at Ile-A-Vache Underwater Research Site
- Violations of Media Freedom Denounced on International Media Day
- USAID Announces Scholarship for Haitians to Study in Florida
- Haitian Students Studying Abroad is Hurting the State University
- Hope for Economic Progress Accompanies President Preval
- Back Road Through Carrefour Unfinished; Ministry of Public Works Denies Responsibility
- New Cell Phone Provider Digicel Stirs Up the Competition
- Four Contracts for Potable Water Signed with the Inter-American Development Bank
- Reactions to Elections Results
- Canada Contributing Additional $48 million to Haiti
- Former Haitian Officials Barred from Entering Canada Due to “Blacklist”
Prime Minister’s Office Rejects Allegations About Theft at Ile-A-Vache Underwater Research Site:
The Prime Minister’s Office of the Press and Communications refuted allegations that the interim Prime Minister, Gérard Latortue, signed a contract for underwater operations in the Ile-à-Vâche region in the south of the country. The Office stated that the head of the interim government has no contract with Mr. Brooks or with Sub Sea Research LLC, or any other company. In an interview with radio Solidarité and others, Mr. Brooks, co-manager of Sub Sea Research LLC, confirmed that a contract was signed with the interim Haitian Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance. Brooks, who states that has been pressured to flee the country, also confirmed that 5 bronze cannons, and gold and emerald pieces were stolen from the underwater sites at Ile-à-Vâche in November 2005 at which time he was with his boat offering emergency assistance to victims of hurricane Katrina.
In a letter made public on Tuesday, AHP management announced the efforts of the Office of the Press and Communications to create a diversion by criticizing AHP’s report. ”The Office of the Press is seemingly ignoring that it is Sub sea research co-manager Greg Brooks who is responsible for the accusations, not AHP”, says the letter, underlining that the interview exists and that even members of the interim government have procured copies. In their letter of “rectification”, the Office wanted only to clear the interim Prime Minister, but did not mention by whom in Government the contract with Greg Brooks was signed. Nothing more was said regarding the 5 cannons and other missing pieces. (AHP, 5/2)
Violations of Media Freedom Denounced on International Media Day:
On the occasion of international media day on Wednesday, several journalists’ and human rights organisations denounced violations of media freedom in the country. Thierry Fagart, head of the MINUSTAH human rights section, criticised the attitude of the Haitian judicial authorites who, he said, had shown no willingness to shine any light on the different cases of violations of media freedom in Haiti. According to Mr. Fagart, it is unacceptable that six years since the assassination of Jean Léopold Dominique, the director of Radio Haiti Inter, those guilty of the crime had not yet been arrested and judged. Thierry Fagart, who cited several other crimes against other Haitian journalists, estimated that much needs to be done to achieve the free functioning of the media on Haiti. He expressed his hope that a genuine movement be set in motion to gain respect for journalists’ rights in Haiti.
The secretary-general of SOS Journalistes, Guyler C. Delva, also criticised the behaviour of the Boniface/Latortue government which, he said, had done nothing to advance the dossier of the Jean Dominique assassination. Other journalists, notably Abdias Jean and Jacques Roche, had been assassinated over the course of the last two years without any light having been shed on the cases. Guy Delva stated his determination to defend the rights of journalists in spite of what he said was a confusing situation in the country. He expressed his hope that the next government will do everything that it can to favour media freedom in Haiti. (AHP, 5/3)
USAID Announces Scholarship for Haitians to Study in Florida:
In an effort to strengthen educational programs in Haiti, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the addition of a Florida-Haiti Scholarship Program under the Cooperative Association of States for Scholarships (CASS) of Georgetown University. Through this program, students from Haiti will have the opportunity to study and attend college in Florida. Through the CASS program, scholars foster long-lasting personal and professional links of friendship with those from among the countries of the Americas and the Caribbean. Scholars learn about life in the United States through their experiences with U.S. culture and in turn, share their culture with their new host community. They also observe governmental decision-making processes and become actively involved with community projects and volunteer organizations. Upon completion of the program, the scholars will return to Haiti to apply their newly learned skills and knowledge in their workplace and in their communities. This year, ten scholars were selected in a highly competitive process that considers financial need, leadership potential, community involvement, and academic achievement. The first three Haitian Scholars are from Port-au-Prince and have commenced their studies in Small and Medium Enterprise Management and Marketing at Florida Community College in Jacksonville, Florida. The additional seven scholars will study Industrial Management/Electronics Technology at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida. Candidates for these scholarships come from rural areas such as Jean Rabel, Jeremie, Ounaminthe, and Jacmel. Each scholarship includes tuition costs, room & board, travel expenses, and English-language training.
To implement this Florida-Haiti Scholarship Program, USAID worked closely with the Governor’s Office in the State of Florida, which has recently been coordinating a comprehensive Florida-Haiti Initiative to render assistance for development efforts within the Caribbean country. Florida is a mere 650 miles from Haiti, and according to the 2000 U.S. Census, the state has the largest Haitian population of any U.S. state. Funded by USAID, the CASS Program offers technical education, job training, and leadership skills development to young adults and leaders from throughout Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico. Since 1989, the CASS program has provided over 500 scholarships to a new generation of young Haitians making important contributions as a result of newly acquired technical, democratic leadership and community development skills. (USAID, 5/2)
Haitian Students Studying Abroad is Hurting the State University:
The Vice-Rector of Academic Affairs for the State University of Haiti, Wilson Laleau, announced on Wednesday that Haitian students in the Dominican Republic spend around 60-million US dollars to finance their studies. Qualifying the situation as scandalous, Mr. Laleau pointed out that the State University of Haiti’s budget is around 277-million gourds or slightly less than 8-million US dollars. He also noted that there are currently 12,000 young Haitians studying in Dominican universities, representing half the enrolment at the State University of Haiti. Mr. Laleau was speaking along with three other seasoned educators MM Jean Elie Larrieux, Antoine Augustin and Vernet Larose during a show on the role of the university in the socio-economic development of the country.
According to testimonies gathered by the AHP, Haitian students have rushed to the Dominican Republic these last years for a variety of reasons, including the worsening security situation in the country and the low-quality of instruction at Haitian universities. Wilson Laleau stated that the Haitian University has had serious problems since its founding and that the law dealing with higher-education hasn’t been revised since 1960. ”There are no instructors. In the realm of the production of knowledge, of the transmission of knowledge and in following trends in society, the University hasn’t the means to play its proper role,” he announced, adding: “I can tell you all the difficulties facing me in order to mobilize the right professors.” There is, said Wilson Laleau, a fundamental question, almost a question of the survival, for those professors who develop in such miserable conditions. ”Today the following question must be posed: what kind of university does the country need in order for it to effectively play its role in the socio-economic development of this country,” stated Professor Laleau.
The flight of more than 60-million US dollars towards the Dominican Republic represents an enormous loss of earnings for the university and the Haitian economy. Traditionally, Haitians have left to study in the United States, Canada, France and Mexico. But for a decade now, and more specifically in the last two years, the universities of Santo-Domingo and of Santiago have been overflowing with Haitian students. (AHP, 5/3)
Hope for Economic Progress Accompanies President Preval:
Hope for economic progress in Haiti is building as Haitian president-elect Rene Preval prepares to be sworn in on May 14. Mr. Preval, who has vowed to restore security and create jobs to help pull Haiti’s poor out of their state of despair, won the election earlier this year. Haiti’s Ambassador to the Bahamas Louis Harold Joseph believes that with economic improvement, fewer Haitians would be inclined to make the desperate voyage to the Bahamas and other countries in search of
better opportunities. ”Certainly, a stabilized country will have an impact on the economy,” Mr. Joseph said in an interview with the Bahama Journal on Thursday. ”First of all, that will allow the government of Haiti to concentrate on more important matters in the country, particularly alleviating the situation of the poor people in the country and put everything in place for the economy to work properly.”
He noted though that many Haitians living in the Bahamas have been contributing to the economic development of the country for decades and believes that there is a way this can continue to happen legally. It’s why Mr. Joseph supports the establishment of a labour accord between the Bahamas and Haiti whereby the Bahamas would get labourers from Haiti when needed. ”Since we’re going to have a new government, I cannot get into details because I don’t yet know what will be the position of the new government, but I think this is one possibility,” the ambassador said. The labour according is also something that government officials like former Labour Minister Vincent Peet and Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell both believe can work.
Minister Mitchell also said recently that CARICOM expects that Haiti will take its seat again around the table after Mr. Preval is inaugurated. Mr. Joseph said he thinks the promises between the Bahamas and Haiti are great. He also noted that over the last 15 years or so there was no economic growth in Haiti, but the population has been increasing. Mr. Joseph said that the Bahamas has traditionally supported Haiti and Haiti expects that that support will continue. ”We need that support at this particular phase because the political situation in Haiti is always fragile, particularly at this time, and we continue to need the support of [the Bahamas],” the ambassador said. (Bahama Journal, 5/5)
Back Road Through Carrefour Unfinished; Ministry of Public Works Denies Responsibility:
The Minister of Public Works, Transportation and Communications, the engineer Fritz Adrien, denied on Thursday any responsibility on the part of the interim regime for the failure to complete the construction of the ‘Carrefour par les Rails’ [the back route along the water] route. The construction of this route began under the Aristide presidency with the eventual aim of decongesting traffic along the main Carrefour route in this southern suburb of the capital. Numerous residents and particularly motorists have accused the interim regime of not having kept its promises over the course of its 24 months in power. According to Mr. Adrien, his government had difficulty finding funds for the construction of this route. He consoled himself, however, by the fact that construction on the second portion of the route, financed by the Canadian government, was recently re-started after seven months – because, as he explained, of the pettiness of Haitian firms that had responded to the call. Another section of the route had already been completed, he confirmed, with the assistance of the Taiwanese government. The Minister of Public Works has stated that there are still two sections remaining that will cost 8-million US dollars to complete and for which there is still no financing. Fritz Adrien believes that the next government will seek financing to complete the two remaining sections of the route. (AHP, 5/3)
New Cell Phone Provider Digicel Stirs Up the Competition:
Mobile telephone provider Digicel began offering service Wednesday in Haiti, providing a rare infusion of foreign investment to the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country. Haitians eager to try the service started lining up at dawn outside the company’s stores, some pushing to get inside. The launch followed a splashy marketing campaign in which Digicel promised cheaper calling rates, a reliable network and free phones to anyone who canceled service with Haiti’s top mobile provider, Comcel. ”For too long the people of Haiti have had to put up with a terrible service, bad networks, high prices and total unreliability if you pick up the phone to make a call,” said billionaire Irish entrepreneur Denis O’Brien, Digicel’s chairman and founder. “From today, we see a new beginning in Haiti.” Digicel, which has its headquarters in Jamaica, planned to spend US$130 million (euro103 million) in Haiti in the first phase of its rollout. The company said it was the single largest private investment ever in the Caribbean nation.
Launched in 2001, Digicel has quickly amassed a telecommunications empire spanning 20 Caribbean countries and territories. But success will be tougher in Haiti, where most people survive on less than US$2 per day and two-thirds of the population has no formal job. Less than 5 percent of Haiti’s 8 million people own cell phones and only 6 percent have fixed-line phones _ the lowest rate in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to Ottawa-based Institute of the Connectivity in the Americas. Many Haitians welcomed the emergence of a competitor for Comcel, which is owned by U.S.-based Western Wireless International. ”It’s good because right now phone service is too expensive and sometimes it takes hours to make a call,” said Jean-Marie Germain, 24, one of hundreds waiting for a new phone. Digicel’s entry into Haiti hasn’t been smooth. Comcel has said it would block calls from its users to Digicel customers. O’Brien said the move violated Haitian law but doubted the dispute would hurt Digicel’s business in the long-term. A call placed to a Comcel spokeswoman and to Haiti’s telecommunications regulation agency seeking comment were not immediately returned. (AP, 5/3)
On Thursday, the Minister of Public Works, Transportation and Communications, the engineer Fritz Adrien, called upon Haitian mobile phone operators to show good faith in networking with Digicel. Fritz Adrien underlined the obligation for all mobile phone operators to network with each other. ”The Law includes sanctions against any operator that refuses to bend to the established principles and who rebels against the National Communications Council (CONATEL),” he threatened. According to him, the Haitian state doesn’t have an interest in creating annoyances for investors who are creating jobs in the country. At the same time he rejected information claiming that CONATEL showed favoritism towards Digicel at the expense of other companies. A representative of Comcel accused representatives of the Ministry of Public Works on Thursday of siding with Digicel. Mr. Adrien confirmed that a meeting is scheduled for May 9 between all mobile phone operators. He expressed the hope that an understanding will be reached at that meeting between the different parties. (AHP, 5/4)
Four Contracts for Potable Water Signed with the Inter-American Development Bank:
The Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and Communications signed on Thursday four contracts with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) totaling some 54-million US dollars. These contracts deal with the construction of potable water systems and sanitation for several regions of the country, including Saint-Marc, les Cayes, Jacmel, Port-de-Paix and Ouanaminte. During the signing ceremony, the Minister of Public Works, engineer Fritz Adrien, praised the securing of these important contracts for the residents of these zones. An 11-million dollar tranche was allocated to the construction and rehabilitation of many water collecting projects in the region of Saint-Marc, which stand to benefit 10,000 residents in the region. Fritz Adrien indicated that the contract relating to the city of Saint-Marc, which needs to be executed within a period of 12 months, was negotiated in 1990 between the Haitian state and the IDB and renegotiated in 2003, but was never concluded due to several problems. He called on the population of the area to consider themselves owners of this system in the hopes of guaranteeing its protection. For her part, the resident representative of the IDB in Haiti, Anna Cecilia McInnis, specified that these projects would cost a total of some 60-million US dollars. She highlighted the fact that the IDB would be contributing up to 54-million for the project and that the Haitian state would be contributing the remaining 6-million. Ms. McInnis expressed her happiness at the pending initiation of the projects in Saint-Marc, where the population stands to benefit from basic services like potable water and sanitation. (AHP, 5/4)
Reactions to Elections Results:
The Fanmi Lavalas senatorial candidate for the Western department, Dr. Rudy Herivaux – who finished in second place during the recent April 21st elections – reassured his supporters and members of the party that in the eventuality of the cancellation of ballots and verbal processes in the voting centers of Building 2004, it would in no way affect the results of the elections that were already published by the Provisional Electoral Council. An unfortunate candidate from the Fusion of Social Democrats party, Marie-Denise Claude, had invited the electoral council to cancel the results of the balloting in Building 2004 – where the residents of Cite Soleil voted – due to serious irregularities. Mr. Herivaux, who confirmed having consulted representatives of the CEP about this case, stated that the lead of the senators that were elected in the Western department was sufficiently large that an eventual cancellation of ballots wouldn’t in any way affect the outcome of the vote.
For his part, the senatorial candidate representing the Platform of Hope (Lespwa) in the South-East department, Dr. Frantz Large, denounced once again cases of massive fraud that were registered in that ridding during the elections held on 21 April 2006. It is incomprehensible that the candidates of other political parties, that finished in fifth or sixth place during the first round of legislative elecions, ended up at the top of the list at the expense of candidates for whom voters had cast ballots for massively [in the first round]. What happened is incomprehensible and aberrant, stated Dr. Large, who asked where the votes came from that propelled to the front candidates who were trailing near the bottom. Having finished in fourth place according to the results communicated by the CEP, Fanz Large declared that he was awaiting a decision of the national continental bureau to see if his victory will be recognized. (AHP, 5/4)
Canada Contributing Additional $48 million to Haiti:
Canada is contributing an additional $48 million to help Haiti’s President-elect René Préval rebuild the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. ”It’s a critical time for Haiti,” Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay told the Star. “Obviously, having now gone through the elections that will necessitate the formation of the new government, this is the time where they need the international community most.” MacKay and Josée Verner, Minister of International Co-operation announced yesterday that Canada is funding a number of projects to help Haiti. ”Canada has an abiding interest there,” MacKay said. “We’ve been very active in the past in helping the Haitian people. We have a large diaspora here in Canada, including most notably our Governor General, so this is when the Haitian people are looking to Canada and we’re going to do our part, along with our international partners, to help stabilize and build capacity and good governance in the region.”
Governor General Michaëlle Jean will represent Canada at Préval’s inauguration May 14. Of the $48 million, $20 million is for a local development program that helps small business promotion, environmental protection and agricultural productivity; $5 million will strengthen parliament; $5 million goes to a local fund that supports good governance and human rights, and $18 million will help pay down Haiti’s debt to the Inter-American Development Bank. The announcement came after Préval met Verner and MacKay in Ottawa yesterday, as part of a three-day visit to Canada. Préval told reporters the international community has recognized it left Haiti too quickly after restoring the government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1994. Aristide was removed from office February 2004. Préval said Haitian democracy still needs support, after presidential and legislative elections.
“People voted for the improvement of their lives and this takes resources,” he said. “In the capital, we have two hours of electricity a day. Students can’t study. Businesses can’t operate and industries can’t function. We need help immediately.” Préval said children need to get back to school, public sector salaries need to be paid, and the streets need to be cleaned. From April 2004 to the end of March 2006, Canada has spent more than $190 million on reconstruction and development projects in Haiti. ”The results were tangible,” Préval said. “In the community where I live … Canadian aid enabled us to change the way (of) people’s lives. Above all, it is assistance in local governance which allowed local communities to take charge.” He said his own community was transformed as a result of aid from Canada and Taiwan.
Préval said he had the pleasure of meeting the Governor General yesterday, whom he had watched on television when she was a host on Radio-Canada. They first met in March at the installation of Chilean President Michelle Bachelet. ”Really, for Haiti it is a matter of pride that someone of Haitian origin could succeed in Canada,” he said. Préval said double nationality should be created in Haiti so expatriates can recover citizenship and participate in reconstruction of the country. ”If we have eight million Haitians in Haiti, we have four million abroad. In recognizing double nationality, we will have a population of 12 million.” Préval said money sent home by the four million abroad provide $1.3 billion, or 27 per cent of Haiti’s Gross National Product. “Treating them better could double or triple that amount.” (Toronto Star, 5/2)
CANADA PROJECT DETAILS: Project Approval Date: March 2006
Anticipated Project Duration: 1 year
Estimated Project Value: $18 million
Project Description: The purpose of this project is to contribute a portion of the Government of Haiti’s debt service to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). CIDA’s payment of $18 million will allow the Government of Haiti to free an equivalent amount for its 2005-2006 fiscal year. This amount can be used to fund activities planned by the transition government as part of the Interim Cooperation Framework (ICF).
Project Impact: The project will help to achieve Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 8 by developing a global partnership for development. In particular, the project will contribute to Target 15 (Dealing comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term).
Project Outcomes:
1. The project will allow the maintenance of a stable macro-economic environment better suited to private investment;
2. The project will help to establish favourable conditions for sustainable recovery of economic growth, and better living conditions for the people of Haiti.
Project Outputs: 1. The Government of Haiti will enjoy greater flexibility in managing financial resources and seeking to restore financial health;
2. The Government of Haiti’s deficit is now under 3percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), as forecasted in its 2005-2006 economic policy;
3. Foreign exchange earnings help to stabilize the gourde exchange rate. (Internet Publication Date: 3 May 2006)
Former Haitian Officials Barred from Entering Canada Due to “Blacklist”:
Several former Haitian officials, including President-elect Rene Preval’s right-hand man, said on Monday Canada barred them from entering its territory because of what they said were false claims that they committed crimes against humanity. Officials at the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince were not immediately available for comment. ”The Canadian government has put my name on a blacklist of perpetrators of crimes against humanity,” former Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis told Reuters. ”This is outrageous. It is an insult to all honest Haitians and we demand a public apology from the Canadian government,” said Alexis, who served during Preval’s first presidency and has been appointed to coordinate his transition team. Canada is one of Haiti’s most important aid donors and has pledged to boost its aid program to the impoverished Caribbean country. Several other former Cabinet ministers and other officials who served under deposed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide or Preval were reported to be on the list, including former Health Minister Rudolph Malebranche and Philippe Rouzier, a former adviser to Preval who is now a senior official of the United Nations Development Program in Haiti.
Preval, who was elected in February and is to be inaugurated on May 14, expressed outrage about the measure, according to his entourage. Those said to be on the blacklist have never been charged or publicly accused of such crimes in Haiti. Some of them accused political opponents of forging the list and providing it to Canadian authorities. Alexis said he learned of the blacklist as he prepared to travel with Preval and was told he could not enter Canada. He said Canadian authorities decided finally to grant him a visa for the trip but that he then refused it because he wanted the matter completely cleared before he traveled to Canada. (Reuters, 5/1) |