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PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release Contact: Nancy Stevens (202)
225-2201 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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