- Two previous articles explained the sham, outrageous
enough to make a despot blush, accessed through the following links:
-
- http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2010/11/haitis-sham-elections-solidifying.html
-
- http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2010/11/massive-fraud-in-haitis-sham-elections_30.html
-
- No matter for The New York Times, a notorious voice for
wealth and power. On November 30, its editorial titled "Haiti After
the Vote" endorsed the sham, saying:
-
- Despite elections "sullied by low turnout, polling-place
confusion and accusations of voter intimidation, ballot stuffing and other
fraud....international observers from the Organization of American States
and the Caribbean Community agree with Haiti's national election council
(the Provisional Electoral Council - CEP), which has declared that the
election was fundamentally sound."
-
- So did MINUSTAH's head of mission (UN Blue Helmets),
Edmond Mulet, calling the election "fairly good....in many ways,"
his way of endorsing brazen coup d'etat rule.
-
- Preval's hand-picked CEP, in fact, rigged the election
by banning 15 parties, including by far the most popular, Aristide's Fanmi
Lavalas. Doing so violated Haiti's 1987 Constitution.
-
- Besides the above abuses, voter names were left off rolls.
Those of dead ones were included. Required ID cards weren't issued to most
Haitians losing them in January's earthquake. Voting stations opened late,
closed early, and in some cases had faulty or no ballots. Premarked INITE
party ballot stuffing was widespread. Individuals using several ID cards
voted multiple times for INITE candidates, hand-picked Preval ones.
-
- Largely financed and orchestrated by Washington, the
entire process was farcical and outrageous, evident to those on the ground
observing it, and, of course, for Haitians - again denied democracy to
institutionalize coup d'etat rule, serving local elites, Washington, and
America's corporate exploitation of Haiti's resources and workers.
-
- They're paid a below subsistence 25 cents an hour (about
$2 a day, 70 gourdes), ensuring extreme poverty and for many too little
to survive. It's less than one-fifth the 1980 minimum wage under dictator
Baby Doc Duvalier in violation of Haiti's Labor Code, Article 137, requiring
annual inflation adjustments. However, corporate interests blocked changes
to assure the Hemisphere's lowest wage, (virtual slave labor), a benchmark
to keep other regional ones from rising.
-
- The Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH)
called yesterday's elections "no surprise." They were "consistent
with the (CEP's) history throughout the electoral process. Haiti has been
on the course of undemocratic elections since the CEP was handpicked by
President Preval in October 2009, in violation of Constitutional requirements
for an independent Council."
-
- IJDH's conclusion: "New, credible elections should
be organized immediately, by a new, credible CEP."
-
- No, for The New York Times, saying:
-
- "Re-running elections this large - not just for
president, but for 11 members of the 30-member Senate and the entire 99-member
lower house of Parliament - would lead to months more of confusion and
government inaction. Unless compelling evidence of fraud is found, it is
not necessary and clearly not in Haiti's interests."
-
- No time ever did The Times express more arrogance, more
contempt for democracy, more disdain for a people denied any measure of
equity and justice for over 500 years, except for two brief interregnums:
-
- -- after its successful 1791 - 1803 revolution, turning
slaves into citizens by establishing the world's first Black republic,
and
-
- -- during Aristide's tenure as president, abruptly ended
on February 29, 2004 when US marines forcibly deposed him at gunpoint.
-
- At issue only for Times management is "press(ing)
ahead with an open and honest vote count" - what's impossible after
a sham process. Yet its editorial concluded, saying:
-
- "Haitians, whose patience has already been grievously
tested, need to believe that their next leaders were legitimately elected.
That appears to be the case. Haitians also need for those leaders to get
on with the business of governing and rebuilding."
-
- Ignored is brazen injustice, institutionalized illegitimacy,
coup d'etat rule, and Haitians again denied what people everywhere deserve
- officials serving everyone equitably and fairly. Instead they got government
of, by and for wealth and power alone, what no one should ever tolerate,
especially in countries like Haiti - impoverished, ravaged, and exploited
as ruthlessly as any people anywhere. It's long overdue time that changed.
-
- Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached atlendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge
discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour
on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and
Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
-
- http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.
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