HAPPENINGS!
- Warning from Protestant leaders: “Haiti is a boiling pot about to explode!” by Raymond Alcide Joseph
The Protestant sector issued an alarming statement on Saturday about the country being ready to “explode,” as President Jovenel Moïse persists with his plan to stay in power beyond his constitutional term of February 7, in 18 days.
That is the latest warning from a religious sector, after a spontaneous uproar by those at – tending mass at the Port-au-Prince cathedral on the previous Sunday, January 10, denouncing the president, crying out: “Too much blood spilled, Jovenel has to go!” Moreover, in an interview with Vatican News, January 13, the Papal Nuncio, being transferred from the Caribbean island to represent the Vatican in Qatar, made damning remarks about the country’s leadership.
In the statement, made available to us by one of the signers, the prophet Jeremiah (chapter 1, verse 13 of the Bible) is quoted and the following tells it like it is “A boiling pot, ready to explode, wrath swelling up, and a terrible chaos threatening.” Such is the county now. And the leaders signing the statement assert: We are literally sitting on a powder keg, a dangerous situation exacerbated by the stubbornness of Mister Jovenel Moïse to hold unto power after February 7, 2021, the constitutional date for his mandate to end.”
It is mentioned that the President “knows very well” that his mandate ends on February 7, “as one Senator of his own party has pointed out.” And as a dig to the president, it’s written: “Didn’t he acknowledge that the mandate of 20 Senators had expired in January 2020,” gloating about it?”
It is rather interesting that the Protestant leaders point this out in their official statement because on the second Monday of last year when the mandates of all Lower House members and of 10 Senators had expired, the president, illegally, included the names of 10 other Senators he considered troublesome in the list of those whose mandates had expired. Singlehandedly, he deprived them of two years of their constitutional mandates. Despite the scandal caused by Moïse’s arbitrariness, he never backed down; neither did his international partners of the CORE Group of Western ambassadors protest his action.
That was the initial stage for setting up his one-man rule. Now his threat to hold onto power beyond his mandate is considered “a dangerous adventure, a flagrant violation of the Constitution. . . . A dictatorship is being set up,”
Following hours of discussion at a meeting held in Tabarre, suburb of Port-au-Prince, on January 12, the 11th anniversary of the 2010 earthquake, the Protestant leaders provided “proofs” of their assertion in these terms:
- “1. Creation by the Executive of an Electoral Council, the members of which were chosen in disregard of norms prescribed by the Constitution. The mission of this unconstitutional entity is not only to proclaim a new constitution, but also to organize new elections.
- “2. Cautioning of gangs that have been federated to facilitate support to the President’s party in areas put under their control is proof that the government has taken a dangerous path. The declaration made by the chief of this criminal federation on the eve of October 17, 2020 is rather eloquent. (At that time Johnny Cérizier, nicknamed Barbecue, pledged allegiance to President Moïse.)
- “3. Blocking the PetroCaribe dossier.
- “4. Publishing an unbelievable number of decrees, libertine and menacing in nature to freedom of speech, to the rights of protest and to religious freedom.
- “5. Impunity for criminals close to those in power [who were involved] in the massacres perpetrated in La Saline and Bel Air.”
After such a repertoire of the deleterious, even criminal, actions of the ruling regime, with incontrovertible facts to prove their point, the Protestant officials assumed their responsibility as servants of God, “conscious of our mission to clear the path for the people of God and discard all obstacles, [based on] Isaiah chapter 57, verse 14” (“Heap it up! Heap it up! Prepare the way. Take the obstacle out of the way of my people.)
If ever there was a battle cry, this is one. Thus, the Protestant leaders make their demands and show the way forward:
- “We require respect for the country’s Charter, notably its Article 134-1 and 134-2.
- “We demand that the President of the Republic, Mr. Jovenel Moïse, acknowledges that his mandate ends on February 7, 2021.
- “We call on international organizations, especially the OAS and the UN, to cease immediately their meddling in [Haiti’s] internal affairs by supporting a President who is openly in rebellion against the laws and the Constitution of the country.”
- “We call on the active forces of the country [such as] religious sectors, business owners, unions and others to position themselves clearly in favor of a peaceful transition, to spare the country and the citizens the suffering and the torments of unbridled violence.
- “Finally, we propose a meeting with civil society organizations to put in place a committee of support and reflection to frame the initiatives of a transition, breaking with the past, introducing real change, as widely demanded by the Haitian people.”
- To this battle cry, with solution suggested to the Haitian President and society at large, the leaders sign their names, providing their titles, as well as their telephone numbers, thereby underscoring that they assume responsibility for their stand:
- “Dr. Gérard Forges and Dr. Gérald Bataille, Ambassadors of the Protestant Federation of Haiti (FPH), Tel. [respectively] +509-4772-6868; +509-3493-5447; Pastor Jacques N. Janvier, President of the Federation of Haitian Pastors (FEPAH), +509-3725-6136; Dr. Françoise St. Vil Villier, President of National Spiritual Council of Churches (CONASPE), +509-3419- 4427; Pastor Israel Baptiste, Representative of the Conference of Haitian Pastors (COPAH), +509-3793-7320.”
The action of these Protestant leaders is similar to the action of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who returned to his country on Sunday, January 17, knowing that he would be arrested. Indeed, on arrival, he was arrested at the airport in Moscow, causing an international uproar and the United Nations calling for his immediate release. It should be noted that Mr. Navalny, reportedly poisoned, allegedly on order of President Vladimir Putin, had been in Germany for treatment, before he decided to return home.
In Haiti, the authorities usually do not arrest, but assassinate those who are considered dangerous detractors, as happened to Monferrier Dorval, Esq, the President of the Port-au-Prince Bar Association. Therefore, Jovenel Moïse and his acolytes are put on notice. In their hands are the lives of these citizens who, thinking that enough is enough, have spoken truth to power.
NEWSBRIEFS
As reported in last week’s column of Nouvelles Brèves, there was what appeared to be a spontaneous demonstration inside the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, with the faithful, in unison, angrily repeating: “Too much blood shed! Jovenel Moïse must go!” We have since learned that there is no spontaneity at mass and that all is coordinated, and that the Archbishop must have been aware of what was to happen. He even could have been the instigator, especially since the Friday night before, January 8, a Catholic nun, Sister Dachoune Sévère, had been kidnapped in her room, at a Convent in Carrefour, a suburb south of Port-au-Prince center city. That Sunday evening, the nun was brought back on a motorcycle.
In that light, the January 10 demonstration is another ominous sign for Jovenel Moïse. Someone at the mass has since noted in a commentary posted on WhatsApp “it was exactly what happened prior to Jean-Claude Duvalier’s departure [in 1986] and Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s ouster [in 2004].” The commentator also noted that, based on church protocols, the prelate officiating mass that day would have to report the unusual political action in church to the Nuncio, the Vatican’s diplomatic representative in Port-au-Prince.
Meanwhile, on January 16, Rezo Nodwes, (rezonodwes.com), reported about an interview that the outgoing nuncio in Port-au-Prince, Eugene Nugent, gave to Vatican News, in which he’s quoted as having said: “In Haiti, there is much corruption, bad governance, bad management, and bad administration.”
In the interview with Adélaïde Patrignani, the Nuncio talks fondly about Haitians. “What I discovered here,” he said, “was an enormously gifted people, very creative artists, musicians, writers and poets.
Starting his tour of duty in 2015, his main mission then was to work with local church authorities in reconstruction projects, following the devastating 2010 earthquake. Other than the good natured and gifted Haitians, he was critical about the endemic poverty, due to “injustices, ecoonomic and social inequalities.” He mentioned the “kidnappings for ransom since autumn and the Catholic Church not being spared.” Undoubtedly, he was referring to the kidnapping of the nun, as mentioned above.
He touched upon the population the restlessness of the people with the unpopular President Moïse, who has been ruling by decree. In addition, there is much uncertainty about Haiti’s future. Regarding “a constitutional referendum and presidential, legislative and local elections to be held by the end of the year,” he said they represent “a major challenge.”
To be noted, Eugene Nugent was transferred, as of January 7, to be the Pope’s top diplomat in Qatar, a Muslim nation in the Mideast.
*A three-day Diaspora Congress in Haiti aimed at drumming up support abroad for the besieged regime at home. January 14-16, the action was at a hotel in Pétion-Ville where a socalled “Congress of the Diaspora” was being held, under the sponsorship of Gonzague Day, the Minister of Haitian Living Abroad (French acronym MHAVE).
On the first day, President Jovenel Moïse and Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe were there to show their interest in the Diaspora. Except for a certain Edwin D’Haïti, from France who, someone vouched, was there, no other well-known Diaspora representative has been mentioned. In the New York Metropolitan area, no one could say who represented com munities in New York and New Jersey, which have heavy concentration of Haitians and Americans of Haitian descent.
Suddenly, the Diaspora has importance, other than sending more than $3 billion in transfers to the homeland in 2019. As it is, it’s expected that this be greatly reduced last year, due to COVID19. Figures for 2020 are not available yet. Anyway, the government which is being contested from almost all quarters in the country, wants the Diaspora to be aware that the new illegal Constitution proposed by Jovenel Moïse will allow full involvement of Haitian citizens abroad in national affairs, providing for double nationality, even multiple, without losing political rights in the country. With this bait, the Haitian authorities figure that the popularity of President Moïse would get a boost from the Diaspora.
On Saturday, the last day of the conclave, National Police Director General (DG) Léon Charles addressed the group and assured his audience that he will rid the country of the bandits that have become ubiquitous these days, kidnapping at will and demanding huge ransoms. According to reporting by the on-line Vant Bèf Info (VBI), DG Charles said, “There’s a new chief in town. Under my command the bandits won’t have it easy.” He availed himself of the opportunity to send a message to all bandits, telling them “change your business” otherwise he will go after them “wherever you’re hiding.”
Meanwhile, the kidnappings continue. On Monday, January 18, Eryl Dédé, a well-known autobus owner, was kidnapped right in Port-au-Prince. On Saturday night, it was the turn of young businessperson Mike Belot to be kidnapped. Unreported were several other kidnappings during the weekend, which shows that DG Charles is whistling in the wind. RAJ 20 January 2021 raljo31@yahoo.com
Cet article est publié par l’hebdomadaire Haïti-Observateur (New York) VOL. LI No. 3, édition du 20 janvier 2021, et se trouve en P. 1, 7, 12, 13 à : http://haiti-observateur.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/h-o-20-janvier-2021.pdf
