Kiwicanuck said:
The ?Dominican Today? Newspaper today reported yesterday?s violent acts in Haiti against Dominican President Leonel Fernandez, which prompted him to leave the country immediately.
Haiti?s Foreign Ministry in a press release deplored the violence. The Ministry said that the violent acts, in which the demonstrators stoned the Dominican President?s vehicle, cannot be excused and are "intolerable."
The Haitian government feels that the incidents can retard the normalization of relations between both countries.
It also reported on the same page the story of the Canadian Policeman who was killed also yesterday by two unidentified gunmen.
The Canadian policeman was riding in a vehicle with a colleague near a UN checkpoint close to Cite Soleil, the largest slum of Port-au-Prince, when they came under gunfire. <unquote>
Surely these are bad signs in regards to future relations with the D.R. and to stability within the D.R. itself.
Wouldn?t many of you feel that one of the biggest problems the D.R. has is that Haiti occupies the other half of the same Island. Or is it better to not even think about it and hope the problem will just disappear some day. Is paradise really being threatened by this very serious problem ?
Kiwi Bruce
1. Haiti does not occupies half of the island, only the western one-third (in really, its slightly less than one-third, but let's leave it at one-third).
2. Hoping the problem will disappear will not help because we have been hoping for that since day 1 of our independence and it has simply gone from good to bad to worst to below worst... However, trying to find valuable and realistic solutions to Haiti is a better option. We are doing everything we can to help the Haitians, including asking the rich countries to help and absorbing so many illegal Haitians to the poin that many Dominicans feel threatened by the sheer numbers of them, often time dwarfing the dominican population in many small towns and neighborhoods nationwide.
3. Relations between Haiti and DR are very good, if not the best they have ever been. History would have dictated that this recent violent act against Leonel and the DR would have resulted in the DR closing the border, deporting Haitians enmasse, scapegoating Haiti, and demanding a public apology. On the contrary, Leonel (as a leader) preferred to minimize the seriousness of the situation, did not scapegoated the Haitian people or the government, and accepted the apology of the Haitians an apology that the Haitian government determined on their own to give to the DR. The DR government calm nature towards this hostility and the shame the Haitian government has felt due to this act is proof that Haiti and DR (at least at the official level) are friends recognizing that the problems will not be solved by indulging in hatred, but rather in understanding and cooperation!
Leonel's actions are highly honorable and Haiti's response is of the same caliber. I hope this is a sign of a better century shaping before our eyes, different from the bloody and useless relations we had for the past century or so.
4. The "threat" comes in the form of massive migration, which throws the issue of low wages into further inferior territory. This will not only worsen the lives of low class Dominicans who are being pushed out of the market, but also Haitian immigrants already working deplorable wages having to endure further diminishing in their own pay.
Also, there is a very realistic risk and fear of criminal element coming from Haiti to DR and much of the attacks some fearful Dominicans have commited against Haitians have been after Haitian criminals harrassing and/or killing a Dominican national, often for nothing worth taking a life. Thus, the Dominicans over-react, compounded by the very visible number of Haitians in Dominican streets, the shoving of Dominicans off the labor by cheapening of the work force, etc etc etc.
The reactions of the Dominicans is understandable, but not justifiable. Crime and injustices are never solutions to crime and injustices. Reasoning, cooperation, and recognition of the problems is the way to solve this problem.
My conclusion: Haiti is going through the worst moment in its history right now. It truly is unfair! Some times I think about the situation and I question myself what would Toussaint think of Haiti if he was to be alive today? I think he would have fallen to the ground and cry in disbelief! The liberation that he hoped for the most oppressed slaves in the world (African slaves in the colony of St. Domingue or Haiti, only had an average 6 month life expectancy from the moment they reached the ports. That's how brutal the French were to those people, not to mention the holocaust the French and Belgians created in Africa, to the point that fear arose that Africa was going to be depopulated! 4 million people perished for no justifiable reason! The biggest crime against humanity in the existence of the world, in my opinion, and these are the supposed "most civilized" societies of the world, commiting such barbaric acts!).
I am genuinely disgusted with the way the rich and powerful countries have been trying to block the sun with their fingers and forget about Haiti. The US, more than any other country, owes Haitians part of their independence, since would be Haitians fought side by side with American revolutionaries to secure their independence! Yes, the history books say the French helped the Americans, but the French simply took their African slaves from Haiti and took them to the American battle fields, so in reality the Haitians helped the Americans and this is how they treat the Haitians today? Bush only sent troops for a few weeks! A few weeks! Over 2,000 American troops have lost their lives in Iraq, those troops was all that was needed to secure Haiti, rather than letting that country spiral to this horrific situation!
I wish the DR would have been able to be in a position to do more to help Haitians, but we are not! We are the biggest help to Haiti, but our help is not enough and we are doing all we can! Brazil is another true friend of Haiti, as well as Uruguay and other Latin countries. Where is the US in this? Where are the French? It can't be that the French are still bittered that the Haitians humilitated them two centuries ago with machetes against their once most powerful army in the world? If so, GET OVER IT!
It's not fair! Haiti deserves better from its neighbors!
Haiti was there for many of these nations when they needed them and this is how they get repaid?
Horrific to the fullest extent that word can be applied! HORRIFIC!
-NAL:angry:
