[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 23 (Monday, February 26, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E209-E210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      SHOULD THE U.S. HELP HAITI?

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 26, 2001

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to bring to the 
attention of the House an article written by one of our former 
colleagues, Joseph Kennedy, II. In an article which originally appeared 
in the Boston Globe, Mr. Kennedy takes note of the spectacular progress 
that Haiti has made towards democracy. He lauds their progress though 
they are one of the poorest countries in the world and have 
environment, water, and electricity problems. Additionally, the 
majority of Haitians are illiterate. He points out that America, though 
mighty, needs Haiti. He goes on to applaud the recently elected 
President, Jean-Bertraud Aristide and urges the U.S. to support his 
Presidency. I submit this article for your perusal and I too join Mr. 
Kennedy in his conclusion that the U.S. should and must help Haiti. I 
also laud Secretary Powell for his comments which appeared in an 
Associated Press article, where the Secretary called President 
Aristide's commitments to carry out governmental and political reforms, 
``an appropriate road map.'' I would like to insert into the 
Congressional Record Mr. Kennedy's article which appeared in the Boston 
Globe on February 7, 2001.

                 US Should Help Aristide Rebuild Haiti

       Today's inauguration of President Jean Bertrand Aristide 
     serves to remind us of how far Haitian Democracy has come and 
     how far the economy has to go in order to establish peace and 
     prosperity in our Hemisphere's poorest nation. The average 
     Haitian lives on less than $1 a day--the lowest in the 
     Western Hemisphere. Malnutrition is three times the regional 
     average. More than 65 percent of Haitians cannot read or 
     write. The same percentage survive on subsistence slash-and-
     burn farming that strips the landscape. The legacy of 
     deforestation has left the mountains countryside barren and 
     the coastal waters muddy with topsoil runoff.
       Clean water and working sewage systems are largely 
     inaccessible. In a country suffering from dangerous outbreaks 
     of polio and drug-resistant tuberculosis, health care is a 
     luxury. Housing in rural Haiti is crowded and inadequate. In 
     the cardboard shacks and plastic villages of the urban slums, 
     it's downright dangerous.
       Americans have an interest in keeping Haitians in Haiti. 
     Those who take to rafts to risk ocean crossings either die 
     along the way or end up as refugees on our shores. The United 
     States also has an interest in stemming the flow of drugs 
     coming from South America by way of Haiti.
       Some critics call Aristide a threat. In my work with him 
     over the past decade, I have found him to be an honorable man 
     who looks out for the poor and the vulnerable.
       It is time to end a debate based on rumor and focus instead 
     on Aristide's commitment to use his new term of office to 
     reform Haitian institutions, fix the worst aspects of the 
     last elections, and reach out to the opposition.
       This commitment was made in a solemn agreement with the 
     U.S. government last December. Haiti agreed to implement a 
     number of important political, judicial, and economic 
     reforms, including: Holding runoff elections to settle 
     disputes over 10 Senate last May, establishing an electoral 
     council with opposition parties, increasing cooperation with 
     the United States to fight drug-trafficking and money-
     laundering, strengthening the judicial system and protecting 
     human rights; and launching discussions with international 
     financial institutions to craft strategies to achieve 
     budgetary and economic reforms.
       President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell should 
     accept the pact signed by the Clinton administration. In 
     addition, opposition leaders ought to work with and not 
     obstruct the Article administration.
       A key factor in raising the standard of living for ordinary 
     Haitians is private-sector investments in Haiti. In the last 
     year, Fusion Telecommunications, whose board I serve on, 
     assisted the Haitian national phone company, Teleco. I was 
     proud to help bring more than $1 million in private 
     investment from Fusion into Haiti. Of course, there are 
     hurdles investing in developing countries, but these 
     challenges should not translate

[[Page E210]]

     into abandonment, political or economic. The alternative to 
     abandonment is engagement.
       We can help Haiti overcome its brutal history and enter a 
     new period of peace and prosperity. It will not happen 
     overnight, but without the commitment of the private and 
     public sectors, it will not happen at all.
       Ten years ago, the poor of Port-au-Prince whitewashed their 
     city walls, emblazoned them with the insignia of President 
     Aristide's party, and cheered as their president-elect rode 
     to his inauguration.
       The second Aristide government is poised to accept the 
     world's help to build a new Haiti. Turning our backs will 
     simply create a new crisis. The Haitian people posses vast 
     resources of spirit and ingenuity. Unleashing their economic 
     potential will build a stronger nation, create new 
     partnerships in the region, and redeem the promise of 
     democracy so long desired to Haiti.

     

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