HAITI

ROBERT MAGUIRE, Director of International Affairs and Haiti Programs, March 1, 2004
CZIKOWSKY: What was the degree of corruption before and during Aristide? Do the rebels promise serious reforms, and what seems to be the likelihood that such promised reforms can actually be met?
MAGUIRE: Haiti has always been plagued by corruption. Many experts have argued that the corruption seen under Mr. Aristide was not as bad as that under various military governments or dictatorships. Still, Mr. Aristide did not appear equipped to clamp down on corruption, something that would have earned him strong international support. I have yet to see any position papers or statements—about anything—from the rebels or the political opposition. This has been a struggle for power, not of ideas.

EUGENIA CHARLES-MATHURIN, Co-Director, Quixote Center’s Haiti Reborn, March 2, 2004
CZIKOWSKY: What is it the rebels want? It seems they have no clear objectives. Is there any hint of what they plan to do now that they have power?
CHARLES-MATHURIN: The rebels want the Haitian people’s blood and they do not want to see democracy prevail. They most certainly don’t have any objectives and that is what the international community should ask them: to indicate their plan for the Haitian people. How are they going to continue to move forward with the process of democracy? Are they going to respect the Haitian people’s rights? Will they submit themselves to the justice system given that they have been convicted in absentia for killing over 5,000 Haitians in 1991-1994? I think the plan is to reconstitute the Haitian army and continue to massacre the people who support democracy, the people who have been craving education, basic healthcare, clean water, and food, most importantly, the children who are dying of malnutrition.

JANE REGAN, writer, September 7, 2005
CZIKOWSKY: How used to hurricanes is the Haitian government? Do they know to respond quickly and to seek people who are stranded and to either rescue them or, if that is not feasible, to at least drop food and water to them?
REGAN: The Haitian government so far has a horrendous response to hurricanes. The last two storm and hurricane related flooding incidents killed over 5,000. The U.N. was already in Haiti, as were tons of aid agencies, sot hey did all the work.
The Haitian government has no plans, and a budget totally dependent on foreign aid. Worse, it has no real disaster relief network or programs. Once, there was the threat of a hurricane and so government officials got on the radio and told people to “move in with friends who live on higher ground and buy canned food and bottled water to last three days.” Millions of people live in sea level slums and would not know anyone “on higher ground” and with two to three million living on less than $1 a day, do you think they can buy even one can of food?