The New York Times Endorses Haiti's Coup d' Etat "Elections"
Two previous articles explained the sham, outrageous enough to make a despot blush, accessed through the following links HERE and HERE.
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'état 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.
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Stephen Lendman: I was born in 1934 in Boston, MA. Raised in a modest middle class family, attended public schools, received a BA from Harvard University in 1956 and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of PA in 1960 following 2 years of obligatory military service in the US Army. Spent the next 6 years as a marketing research analyst for several large US corporations before becoming part of a new small family business in 1967, remaining there until retiring at the end of 1999. Have since devoted my time and efforts to the progressive causes and organizations I support, all involved in working for a more humane and just world for all people everywhere, but especially for the most needy, disadvantaged and oppressed. My efforts since summer 2005 have included writing on a broad range of vital topics ranging from war and peace; social, economic and political equity for all; and justice for all the oppressed peoples of the world like the long-suffering people of Haiti and the Palestinians. Also co-hosting The Global Research News Hour, occasional public talks, and frequent appearances on radio and at times television.
Stephen Lendman is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization. He lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to The Lendman News Hour on RepublicBroadcasting.org Monday - Friday at 10AM US Central time for cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on world and national issues. All programs are archived for easy listening.
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URL: http://www.a-w-i-p.com/index.php/2010/12/02/the-lemgnew-york-timesl-emg-endorses-hai
