Monday, March 22, 2004
Haiti's Final Straw?
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An article in the Jamaica Observer highlights Haiti's business community's concern over President Aristide's plan to raise (by a change in the law through Congress) Haiti's minimum wage. This was reported to have been the catalyst to the convenient insurgency purchase which has triggered so many "Aristide is gone" yawns. The piece also opines about the stay of Aristide in Jamaica. Analysis-As also noted in the past blogging here - the column hints at the Bush Adminstration and the UN's concerns about the problems of popular elective but monopolistic parties - implying Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta's great one-party-merge; the Mandela-Mbeke ANC; and, one supposes, a qualm about Zimbabwe's Mugabe and his party. Pluralism is guaranteed by Haiti's Constitution - and in the other mentioned nations -but short of a militant minority coup d'etat there is no good solution. Jamaica will be a good 'staying place' for Aristide - -maybe the Haitians and he can learn from that nations wonderful Manley-Seaga bi-polarity. Never always calm nor easy - it gave Jamaica her stable polity today -and what the world expects in at least a bi-party nation. President Bush and Secretary Powell perhaps recollect the triumph and dominance of the Lincoln post Civil War GOP and FDR's New Deal Democrats - - they couldn't be beaten, electorally, most of the time. Parties change - leaders die -constitutions and peoples endure. Haiti needs a fresh look and a new hand - maybe she needs a fresh constitution and the party rotation which benefitted Jamaica. Evidently it does take two -- Mexico is another example! |
