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Congresswoman
Maxine Waters
Condemns
Violence in Haiti
Calls for
State Department to Support
the
Democratically-Elected Government of Haiti
& Denounce Andre Apaid February 11, 2004
Washington, D.C. -- Today, at a press
conference on Capitol Hill, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) called for
the State Department to support the democratically-elected
government of Haiti and denounce Andre Apaid. She made the
following statement:
Yesterday, I returned from a trip to Haiti,
where I observed the escalation of political violence that
occurred over the weekend. This was my second trip to Haiti so
far this year. I am deeply concerned about the growing violence
organized by the so-called opposition and what now appears to be
gangs in the northern part of the country being supported in
their violent activities by this so-called opposition.
Unfortunately, the opposition, led by Andre
Apaid, under the banner of the Group of 184, is not simply a
peaceful group trying to correct the problems of the government.
Andre Apaid is a Duvalier-supporter, who allegedly holds an
American passport and obtained permanent resident status in
Haiti through deceptive means. Andre Apaid is ferociously
adamant about forcing Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the first
democratically-elected President in the history of Haiti, out of
office.
Andre Apaid is the owner of fifteen factories
in Haiti. He has been accused of tax evasion, operating
sweatshops and being a President Aristide-hater. The so-called
peaceful protests led by Andre Apaid and his Group of 184 are
responsible for defying the rule of law as it relates to parade
routes, notification of protest actions, and other laws that are
normally respected in any democratic society. The protests he
organizes have become increasingly violent. Police officers are
confronted, property is damaged, and roads are blocked. It is my
belief that Andre Apaid is attempting to instigate a bloodbath
in Haiti and then blame the government for the resulting
disaster in the belief that the United States will aid the
so-called protestors against President Aristide and his
government.
Andre Apaid refuses to negotiate despite the
fact that the State Department, the Organization of American
States and many other organizations are now supporting a
proposal put forth by CARICOM. Andre Apaid continues to use
inflammatory language, denounce President Aristide, refuse to
negotiate and demand that President
Aristide leave his democratically-elected
presidency. His so- called opposition group has accused
President Aristide of everything from corruption and drug
trafficking to support for paramilitary activity. When asked for
documentation, they have not been able to produce anything more
than rumors, innuendos and allegations.
President Aristide disbanded the military
when he returned to office and has a police force of only 5,000
for a country of 8 million people. The United States aborted its
efforts to support and train the new police force and currently
has a ban on selling guns and equipment to Haiti. This policy
effectively denies Haitian law enforcement officers the
essential equipment that they so desperately need to maintain
order and enforce the rule of law.
President Aristide has given the United
States special authority to assist with drug interdiction
efforts by allowing the United States to interdict drugs in
Haitian waters. The government of Haiti does not have the
resources needed to wage a tough and consistent war against
drugs, and the President of Haiti is begging the United States
for assistance to eliminate drug trafficking.
President Aristide is pursuing a progressive
economic agenda in Haiti. Under his leadership, the Haitian
government has made major investments in agriculture, public
transportation and infrastructure. On February 7, 2003, the
government doubled the minimum wage from 36 to 70 gourdes per
day, despite strong opposition from the business community.
There have also been a number of reforms to prohibit trafficking
in persons and protect the estimated 400,000 children from rural
villages who work as domestic servants in households in the
cities.
President Aristide has also made health care
and education national priorities. More schools were built in
Haiti between 1994 and 2000 than between 1804 and 1994. The
government expanded school lunch and school bus programs and
provides a 70% subsidy for schoolbooks and uniforms. The
maternity wards of eight public hospitals have been renovated,
and hundreds of Haitians are being trained as physicians. Twenty
new HIV testing centers will open around the country during the
next two years. All of this is being accomplished despite a
continuing embargo by the IMF and the World Bank.
The so-called opposition is supported by many
of the same people who were content with the brutal dictators of
Haiti's past. These are the same people who enriched themselves
on the backs of the poor in Haiti for so many years with the
support of the United States government. These people do not
want a strong president like Jean- Bertrand Aristide, who will
force them to pay their taxes and provide decent wages to their
workers.
Last Thursday, armed gangs took control of
the Gonaives police station during a five-hour gunfight and set
the mayor's house on fire. Since then, these gangs have set fire
to the police stations of Gonaives, St. Marc and Trou du Nord.
In St. Marc, they sealed off the city by dragging tires, debris
and logs across the main roads and setting them on fire. The
armed gangs have seized nearly a dozen towns in the past week,
and at least 40 people have been killed.
Unfortunately, these gangs appear to be
obtaining support from the so-called opposition in the hope that
their attacks will help to fuel other attacks in other parts of
the country and eventually a coup d'etat in Port-au Prince. This
is clearly an attempt at a power- grab. Unfortunately, the same
forces that fashion themselves as the opposition also have
control over the broadcast media in Haiti. They have used the
power of the press to discredit President Aristide and
disseminate false information to the international press about
the situation in Haiti.
The nations of CARICOM are trying to assist
the people of Haiti to end the violence and resolve this crisis
peacefully. The CARICOM proposal includes an outright rejection
of a coup d'etat in any form and requires that any change in
Haiti must be done in accordance with the Constitution of Haiti. CARICOM calls
upon the opposition in Haiti to ensure representation on the
Provisional Electoral Council so that the Council can begin to
prepare for the holding of elections.
CARICOM also calls upon
the international community to provide economic support to
Haiti. Economic assistance, including assistance from the United
States, is essential to alleviate the suffering of the people of
Haiti and build a foundation for political stability and
economic growth.
The State Department must denounce Andre
Apaid and the Group of 184 and must answer this question: How
can the State Department remain silent while Andre Apaid, who
allegedly holds an American passport, creates so much
dissension, disruption and violence in this small, impoverished
country?
The State Department must use its influence
to help stabilize Haiti, provide assistance for health,
education and infrastructure development, and discourage
Haitians from building boats and rafts to get to American
shores.
Finally, the international press must
discontinue the practice of repeating rumors and innuendos and
begin to spend quality time learning the truth and writing the
truth about what is really going on in Haiti.
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