[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 192 (Tuesday, December 5, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H13931]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         DIFFICULTIES IN HAITI

  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, I come to the well today to speak about the 
prospects for democracy in Haiti, an area where we have a great deal of 
investment. I am sorry to report that the news is even more dismal, 
there is more deterioration in the signs that we are getting toward 
democracy. We are not, and there are some four particular disturbing 
areas we need to have more information from the executive branch on.
  First, we apparently are going to have elections on December 17 for 
the new President in the country of Haiti. It is very important that we 
do that, but, of course, the elections have to be full, fair, free, 
democratic elections. There is no indication that the elections are 
indeed going to be full, fair, or free. In fact, most of the opposition 
parties are boycotting the election.
  There is virtually no campaigning going on, with the exception of one 
party, which is the chosen party of the present President, and it is 
impossible to underestimate, in my view, the damage done by the 
parliamentary elections that basically caused the loyal opposition to 
lose faith in the system and refuse to participate in it.
  The second disturbing area has to do with these elections, and that 
is, it appears that some of our taxpayers' dollars that are being 
financed as aid to Haiti are indeed going into the chosen campaign of 
the party of the President there. There appear to be some unaccounted 
moneys in significant amounts, and there is only one campaign in 
evidence, and it is a very well funded, lavishly orchestrated campaign. 
The indications are, certainly the rumors are strong and we have had no 
denials, that those are U.S. tax dollars that are running that campaign 
and providing for all those banners and T-shirts that are springing up 
around the country that is so poor that many people do not have T-
shirts or food or medicine or other things they need. But these 
campaign shirts seem to be getting out there.
  It appears also as we read reports in Miami that some of our tax 
dollars are being used to lobby ourselves. I suspect we will be hearing 
more on that as others look into those allegations that are being made 
about tax dollars that are going to lawyers and lobbyists in our own 
country.
  The third area of concern is we have a new chief of the national 
police, which is the group supposed to provide the stability in Haiti 
once our troops leave in February. It turns out Colonel Solastine is an 
old Aristide friend, sort of a political hack, and has been head of the 
palace guard, and it is not expected that he is going to be able to 
bring either professionalism or independence to the national police.
  The final problem that I point to this morning is we just have had a 
cancellation of a business delegation from Haiti. Haiti desperately 
needs more investment and business. The Haitians who were coming here 
on a mission this week to talk to American legislators and businessmen 
about how to do that have canceled their trip because of the heightened 
tensions between the United States and Haitian Governments and because 
of the situation in Haiti, which they describe as ``inopportune.'' 
Inopportune is a euphemism for we are scared to death, we are closing 
our business, there is no security, there is a lot of corruption, and 
there is much to be done. These are problems we need to look more into 
before we spend more tax dollars. I thank you. I look for a report from 
the White House on this.

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