Saturday, January 22, 2011

Eagle Scooter Wheels Factory

The priest who became president

"The solution is revolution, first in the spirit of the Gospel, Jesus could not accept that the people go hungry.
is a conflict between classes, between rich and poor. My job is to preach and organize ...». [1]

Today we talk about Jean-Claude Duvalier, the former dictator he was allowed, after years of exile, return to the nation that ruled with an iron fist and even deadly. This news made me recall another president of Haiti, the first to be democratically elected, who, unlike Duvalier's son, remains in exile. Your name: Jean-Bertrand Aristide .

Aristide, born in 1953, a peasant's son lost his father while still very small, therefore, to their upbringing and education, his mother decided to resort to the piety of the Catholic order of Salesians , known for its assistance to the poor. As a direct result of their training sacred, at thirteen years entrains toward the priesthood. While still young he had close dealings with Ti Legliz , whose religious ideal and its behavior, strongly attached to those of Liberation Theology, influenced him forever. In the late 70's had the opportunity to conduct a radio show means to spread seized his criticism of the last Duvalier, the dictator "Baby Doc ." In his program continually denounced the outrages of the armed wing of it, formed by the Volunteers for National Security or Leopards (similar to the dreaded Tonton Macoute of his father). They were the first steps of religious and political opposition. Tutors

recognizing the insatiable hunger for knowledge of his ward, they managed to continue his studies abroad, having the good fortune to attend courses in remote places like Europe and the Middle East. For his dedication and his many trips he learned to speak several languages-English, English, hebreo, italiano, alemán y portugués-, de su natal Haití obtuvo tanto el creolé , idioma de los humildes, como el francés, preferido por los «distinguidos». Acerca de la jornada educativa referida también se maneja la versión de que fue un ardid de la alta jerarquía eclesiástica para sacar al ministro del medio y así interrumpir sus protestas [2].

Ya de regreso en Haití (en 1985), la orden lo puso a cargo de una parroquia en la densa comarca de La Saline . Sus singulares sermones lo popularizaron, cada vez más personas se sumaban a su feligresía, que tal vez descubrían en la voz del padre una alegoría de what would be his own if not silenced by the state terrorism. Soon the fame of Father Aristide, known as Titid or Titid ("little Aristide" in Creole ) [1], went beyond the boundaries of his place and covered the entire nation. His words, the fruits of his mind, went to graze their actions, exemplary in this vein was his effort to found an orphanage that sheltered homeless children.

protest his speeches, his continued call for peaceful protest and resistance ... may well be heavy enough to contribute to the exacerbation popular, which later became in sturdy revolt. In 1986, the insurrection triumphed and Jean-Claude Duvalier, left the order by the U.S., was driven to flee abroad. Not with this fall's speech Father Aristide changed his tone lofty as the military court, General Henri Namphy in command, had a sort recognized Duvalier. The high command Church made another attempt to curb the activism of his subordinate, they wanted to move to a much less populous jurisdiction, however his effort after working in the opposite direction, those loyal to Aristide, to learn of plans to remove its pastor, went so far as to call a hunger strike. Consequently, the Catholic leaders threw back their plans and the father returned to take control of his parish with the spirit strengthened.

The leadership of the pastor, dangerous to authoritarianism, became the target of several attacks. One occurred in 1987. The vehicle he was traveling in was burned but managed to escape unharmed. The most infamous attack occurred on September 11, 1988. A group of armed men took the parish at the time of the mass. The priest again escaped unhurt but his congregation did not run with the same fate: 13 people were killed and around 70 others injured [3]. The tragedy was followed by a wave of anger away from the pacifism preached by Aristide. The Church, shocked, Aristide sent a document asking him to move to Canada, even cornered by his superiors, the father did not budge. Catholic authority, but not the father defied , knowing the popular support in his favor, he revoked his priestly guarantees, making it impossible to return to profess the priesthood. The father had some cards to play before the inflexible mandate secured, but the benefits envisioned that the situation could bring him and obeyed. So he was released from his responsibilities for the Church and could participate fully in social activism, and even in politics.

continued in the renovated road con su oposición y crítica a la tiranía, esta vez representada por quien había tomado el poder tras la caída de Namphy, el también militar Prosper Avril . Tras la caída de éste, la sucesión castrense no se vio suspendida, el general Hérard Abraham vino a tomar las riendas de la nación.

En 1990 la presidenta interina Ertha Pascal-Trouillot convocó a elecciones presidenciales, las primeras libres desde 1804, y a Aristide se le ofreció la candidatura de una amalgama de fuerzas izquierdistas denominada Lavalas , la que aceptó. Arrasó en la contienda con cerca del 67% de los votos [3]. Su administración benefited the masses with a series of initiatives for adult literacy, eliminate government corruption and uphold human rights. From a month before his seizure of power began attempts to overthrow the conservatives. The first was directed by Roger Lafontant , who was head of the feared son Duvalier's repressive forces. This initiative could hit and several subsequent be tackled by the military loyal to the elected Government. The priest and politician, once established in office, reduced his leftist rhetoric and agreed to terms with the hegemony, especially with the U.S. and France. It is proposed to obtain the support of powerful nations to alleviate these poverty prevailing in the country. Just take a look at the statistics for a glimpse of the deplorable situation: life expectancy was 56 years, infant mortality was lying in nearly 1 in 10 children, adult illiteracy was about 53% and GDP Annual per capita was only U.S. $ 400 [3]. International lending agencies-whether they Monetary Fund (IMF), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) or whatever, responded positively to requests for aid and investment began to bear fruit collected. The oligarchy, who saw with horror the possible removal of privileges granted by the corrupt previous regimes, began working against the government "populist" of Aristide. Rife rumors that another coup was warm ... Some law enforcement officers mutinied, several rebels were apprehended, the opponents reached their committed eight months later, a coup led by General Raoul Cedras left the core of Staff and oust Aristide. Thirty people were killed in the assault [3]. Under the duress of the coup ousted President took a plane bound irrevocable exile for three years. Following the coup, the perpetrators were imposed as President Judge Joseph Nérette . The countries that sympathized with the Aristide government ilk stressed the self-imposed dictatorial government and demanded the restoration of deposed democratic presidency. In a sort of irony, the Vatican was the only entity recognized the assailant government [2] (instead of, perhaps, the only head of state priest), in contrast, organizations like the OAS passed the sentence to action they agreed to a trade embargo, the United States did its part and within its jurisdiction froze accounts and assets of wealthy Haitians. Aristide enjoined his countrymen to resist to the end ... but always in a peaceful manner, in contrast, illegitimate government reactions were far from any pacifism: unabated killings with a political background and the violent repression of any demonstration. The government could no longer sustain the force for longer. In February 1993 he had only resigned to accept the intervention of multinational peacekeeping forces. A week later it seemed that the president's powers were returning to their true owner ..., however, found that there was something more than a simulation, to capture that trading conditions were unacceptable, including the imposition of a Prime Minister and a supreme military validated by the government in retreat. The UN, to be deceived more embargoes decreed, their accumulation became a worsening of the crisis, which, according to Aristide, would affect only the wealthy, since poor people would not wonder what they could not buy even though abound. spurious government finally relented and in August a neutral representative sat with the permission of Aristide in the presidential chair. The embargoes were lifted and a new peacekeeping mission was ready to land on the island. Over time, the violence in Haiti showed that it would be difficult to resolve the crisis through peaceful means, such gray horizon, obscured an even greater degree by the mockery of the government of Haiti a los últimos acuerdos internacionales, derivó en la restitución de los bloqueos y el endurecimiento de la postura internacional, como ejemplo, EEUU bloqueó militarmente los mares de Haití. Recrudecida la situación, la trama desembocó en un evento sin precedentes, por primera vez la ONU echaría mano de fuerzas armadas para disolver un régimen golpista, también por primera vez EEUU se disponía a atacar a un gobierno alineado al « American way » para, en contra de sus políticas, favorecer a otro que de alguna manera era percibido como de oposición (o de menos alternativo). En este tenor pudo influir el entonces reciente cierre del escabroso capítulo de la Cold War.

intervention began in September, did not find much resistance because the Haitian government had hastened to negotiate with American power. Many of the coup leaders were dismissed and fled to seek refuge outside the borders. Aristide returned to his homeland on October 15, 1994, accompanied by an entourage of American leadership. There were demonstrations of joy by the people.

In November, restored Aristide to the presidency called on the Vatican release of his priestly duties, I was granted at last that such a split was something that also Catholic hierarchy wanted high. Around the same time a cousin of the president, who also was an officer and politician, was assassinated by an armed group. At the funeral, blinded by the pain the former priest gave a speech in which he called the faithful to justice fincar multinational coalition that had failed to do. He then takes several wealthy homes, were no casualties in the assaults.

probably as compensation to the powers which had received much support, the steps the president began to take away from the leftism, gave rise to the debts contracted privatization and tax free marketing agencies (eg IMF). Those actions claimed a quota policy when some of its allies began to work against.

Aristide and his cabinet managed to circumvent the adversity and reached late of his term in office.

Ten years later, the evangelist once again to run for the presidency, this time its possible contenders boycotted the elections since the considered fraudulent in such a way Aristide was presented alone, the international consensus echoed the claim fraud and illegality, then decided to discontinue its hegemony financial support to Haiti until they demonstrate their adherence to the principles of democracy. This was only the beginning of the decline ... Resurfaced coup attempts, this time the company of nations did not lift a finger to stop them. Therefore, Aristide's presidency went to left-wing governments as ruled by Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, acting to increase the animosity of global hegemony and settled the government popularity between the moderate sectors of the population.

The blasts came to a head on January 1, 2004, in full celebration of the bicentennial of Haitian independence. There were mass demonstrations demanding the resignation of the president, the protests continued and the course of days; the capital was stained with blood, the dead were counted by tens; befell killings as of Sciere . Armed groups without a clear political affiliation began to take control of neighborhoods. The anarchy and eventually growing opposition to Aristide and his cabinet backs to the wall. Inevitably, as discerned from weeks before the regime fell. According to the version of the Left, the episode was the result of a plot by a collusion of conservative neoliberal Haitians and foreign powers. The conservative version of the failure referred to the incompetence of the administration Aristides. Howsoever, the priest several decades earlier had instigated the masses to rebel, now it was ousted by a revolt.

who took over, Boniface Alexandre, sought help from United Nations to support peace, support the organization did not take long and a mission of international forces arrived in the country. That force, transformed into the UN Mission for Stabilization in Haiti (MINUSTAH ), after seven years still have interference in the Caribbean country. The breakdown of the mission has caused prejudice to the natives, even unnerved the country's development [4].

Jean-Bertrand Aristide today lives in exile in South Africa, from where he expresses his desire to return to their homeland [5].

Notes and sources:
Posted by admin at 2:09 PM

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)