* * * HAITI INFO * * * News direct from the people and organizations of Haiti's democratic and popular movement 13 July 1996, Vol. 4, #18 *** HAITI INFO now has photos in every issue *** Contents: IMF DEADLINE LOOMING BAD REPORT CARD FOR SOUTH HIGH SCHOOLS BRUTAL POLICE BEHAVIOR World of Labor: ATTRACTING ASSEMBLY FACTORIES Popular Culture & Struggle: ANTI-IMPERIALIST "OUR FATHER" Common Ground: ANOTHER G-7 SUMMIT Stories: IMF DEADLINE LOOMING PORT-AU-PRINCE, July 13 - Parliament is bumping up against a July 15 deadline for approval of laws that are cornerstones to the neoliberal reforms the Rene Preval government is enacting here. The Chamber of Deputies received a law that would set up the guidelines for the "early retirement" of half of public administration. Today it called to a special session for a vote, but due to a very weak quorum, cancelled the session. In the meantime the Senate, which received the law on the privatization of state enterprises, is now asking the prime minister to come in next week to formally present it. For over a month, the executive has been pushing parliament to pass the two laws. [See Haiti Info v.4 #15] Preval had announced July 15 as the deadline for the vote because, he said, the International Monetary Fund wants Haiti's letter of agreement and the laws in Washington so they can be reviewed before July 29. (Faced with the possibility the laws will not pass in time, he has now begun saying the lawmakers have until the end of the month.) Along with the executive, the public is also watching parliament closely, for although the laws are only part of the neoliberal plan, they are among the few policies the body can approve or disapprove. (Parliament also had a chance to disapprove of neoliberal policy when Prime Minister Rosny Smarth presented his program, but chose otherwise.) Disaccord in Parliament This chapter in the neoliberal law saga started on July 3, when Minister of Finances Fred Joseph came to the Chamber to present one of the laws. After almost four hours, the deputies voted not to receive him. A week of debates in the press (but no action) followed, and then on July 11, President Preval, with no regard to the constitutional principal of separation of the parliamentary and executive branches, openly revealed his impatience and nervousness when he summoned deputies to the National Palace for a closed-door meeting. The result? The next day the deputies received Joseph, but only with a very weak majority in a half- filled Chamber, and only after angry protests from lawmakers who publicly criticized Preval's interference. In the meantime, in the Senate on July 4, after heated discussions during which Vice President of the Senate Executive Committee Sen. Samuel Madistin resigned from the committee in protest, Joseph presented the other law to the Senate. (In both houses, dissenting lawmakers wanted the prime minister to present the laws himself.) As the denouement approaches, Preval has been campaigning hard. At a press conference on July 10 he said Haiti would "lose" US$105 million and US$120 million if the laws do not pass. The next day he and his ministers made a common front, holding a joint press conference. Preval explained that the laws and other policies are not being forced on his government: "It so happens that the conditions of external financing correspond to our macro-economic model," he said, adding: "Time is short." Joseph, Smarth and other ministers all took turns explaining the importance of the reforms. Despite statements from Preval that his government cannot pay its own employees and is "bankrupt," it has been obviously been spending a mint on publicity to push the neoliberal plan, with television and radio spots, and giant two-page ads repeatedly placed in three of the four main newspapers called "Modernization of Public Enterprises" which tout the "advantages" like more jobs, "better services and better products," etc. Anti-neoliberal Activities Continue At the same time, however, the anti-privatization, anti-neoliberal movement has not let down its guards, and is trying to push lawmakers to vote "no". For several weeks, anonymous leaflets have been causing controversy. They denounce lawmakers who are "selling out the country," listing U.S.-funded agencies working to buy off "people... in the press, in... civil society and in parliament" and listing nine deputies and six senators that are "employees or indirectly in service" of a U.S.-linked and corrupt pro-neoliberal effort. Also, in an open letter on June 26, four deputies and two senators asked for a national debate on the question, and on July 5, hundreds attended a meeting in Milot condemning privatization and demanding land reform. This week, a delegation of about a dozen people from several peasant, popular and women's groups in the north came to "observe" parliament. One woman told reporters: "We will mobilize against Preval, who says the people don't have any problem with privatization! It is a lie! Preval, when he took power, he told the people 'At your service,' but now he is telling the eagle 'At your service!'" They are planning demonstrations for Cap-Haitien. BAD REPORT CARD FOR SOUTH HIGH SCHOOLS LES CAYES, July 9 - The school year ended here with anger and confusion. On July 5, hundreds of secondary school students streamed out of the classrooms where they were taking the final portion of the "baccalaureate" philosophie exams (the philosophie and rhetorique baccalaureate exams are the final exams at the end of secondary school in the French system), taking to the streets and ripping up the math test papers in protest. Students said the tests were unfair because they did not correspond to what they had studied during the year. The Ministry of Education apparently agreed, but blamed the problem on school starting late and professor absenteeism, and re-administered a different exam on July 7. What the ministry did not say is that a main reason students missed school was their support for a three- week strike of teachers who had not been paid in months [see Haiti Info v.4 #8], and that the teachers' outdated methods are not up to the standards of the new exams. Re-administering the math test is not the answer to the troubled education situation here, nor for the rest of the country. Despite the return of constitutionality, the national education system - public and private - has changed little, and has even deteriorated. Haiti Info decided to see how the secondary school year ended in the South department. Some Statistics In 1992, for the South department, with a population of over 600,000, there were 6 lycees (public high schools), only two with their own buildings (the others are merely afternoon classes held in primary schools), and 50 private colleges. In 1992 there were about 12,000 secondary students in the South. Today, with "17" lycees (still only two buildings), there are probably more students, but the numbers inscribed for the "bacc" exams are indicative: 2,103 for "rheto" and only 726 for "philo" for the entire department. (Most students do not make it to secondary school, and even fewer take and pass the exams. A 1990 study by the U.N. Development Program determined that 72% of the economically active population had no education at all, 19% had a primary education, 7% secondary. Only 2% had any higher education.) According to a 1995 study, Haitian households - which average six people each - spend an average of 1,400 gourdes (about US$93) on education for their children. Lycees cost about 364 ($24) gourdes a year per child in the countryside, and about 517 ($34) in the cities (including uniform, materials, etc.) while the figures for private and church schools are around 1,000 gourdes ($66), some as high as 1,700 ($113). A typical school is the private College Lysius F. Salomon Jeune in Les Cayes which costs 375 gourdes to enter and another 125 gourdes a month. It has around 85 students per classroom, no recreation facilities, no laboratory or library. Students and Teachers Comment Students and professors are very negative about the school year. A professor from the Syndicat des Enseignants des Lycees du Sud was clear: "It is a failure, from top to bottom." The teacher, who gives courses in social science in public and private schools, said that during the year, many public school teachers were never paid, and that the government does not inspect or regulate any of the schools. "There are a series of schools that do not respect any regulations, because they are mere businesses to generate income. The priority of the directors of those schools is not providing an education," he said. The teacher said many state primary schools are not in a building but under a "tonel," a roof of branches and banana leaves. "Those schools have no benches, and there are some levels that simply do not meet because the state does not want to hire professors," he added. Secondary education is little different, with barely any control of the lycees that are actually just afternoon classes. The professor predicted the exams would be "a failure" because they are so different from what and how the students actually studied. "The minister cannot think that he can modernize the exams without organizing 'recycling' of professors," he said. Members of Komite Inisyativ pou yon Federasyon Elev Okay, a lycee student group, were equally negative. Their demands for reform, and for their professors to be paid, were not heard, despite press releases and demonstrations. "Students themselves also felt they were used because certain professors are incompetent and cannot give courses the way they should," said one young man. Conditions are terrible in Les Cayes and the rural schools, he said, with "students are piled on top of each other" and "no libraries where students can look for documentation." "We see that the state has 'resigned' from the domain of education. The inspectors that are supposed to be responsible for checking programs, functioning, everything that is supposed to be put into order, we see they do not undertake their responsibilities. In a series of private schools, despite the high fees, students do not have access to anything. Imagine, a student pays 250 gourdes, but he does not have anywhere for recreation or for hygienic needs! If today we can talk about 'philo' students who have practically failed, not to excuse them, but it is mostly due to the resigning of the state," said a second student. "Parents always ask, 'who is responsible?'" he continued. "What we can say for this year is that definitely, this year's education will produce a result that is not at all agreeable, neither for students nor parents." The students said that, rather than improvement, there was not much difference from last year, and that in fact, "year after year, things get worse... despite the protests that students hold to make people attend to the problems." For the local chapter of Union National des Normaliens d'Haiti (UNNOH), the year was 60 to 70 percent satisfactory, despite the fact that many lycee professors had not been paid for more than two years and went on strike. At least the year did not have "big ruptures" of two or three months due to political crises, he said, but conditions are still terrible, and the government shows a clear lack of will. Like the students, he did not see any difference between the Lavalas government and previous governments, except maybe less pressure on professors on what not to say, and a few new schools. "If the state really wanted children to learn to read, the state would create the conditions so that they would know how to read," said the UNNOH member. "I think it is a choice they have made, when they accept that the lycees are in this situation... Maybe they think that there is a whole category of people that, if they knew how to read, they will create problems in the society. But I think also there should be more professional conscience from us to understand the game and do our work well ." BRUTAL POLICE BEHAVIOR PORT-AU-PRINCE, July 11 - Finally the Haitian National Police (HNP) is admitting its members have been responsible for murder, thuggish and brutal beatings, and other violations of citizens' rights. Officers summarily executed one prisoner and tried to kill a second in the capital, four other officers opened fire on a dance in Corail on June 30, in June police executed a prisoner and tortured another to death, throwing the bodies in a common grave. According to the HNP, a total of 173 police have been sanctioned to date, including 15 that have been ejected from the force, and 24 that are being referred to the court system (although, given the lack of justice, that is of little consolation to victims and to society.) The HNP members are recruited and trained (in four-month programs) under the direct supervision of the U.S. government, through the International Criminal Investigations Training and Assistance Program (ICITAP), which is a project of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the State and Justice departments. The U.S. has spent over US$55 million on the HNP so far. HNP Man Brutalizes Woman One of the most heinous crimes was committed by Calixte Saint Clermont who shot a 27-year-old woman in the vagina on July 3 in a community in Grande Anse. That revelation provoked outrage, and this week 19 women's organizations sent an angry letter to Minister of Justice Max Antoine and HNP Director Pierre Denize. "Has the HNP been trained to reinforce the violence of men against women?" the groups asked, and said that while they appreciated the condemnation of the act, "it will remain only words if not accompanied by concrete measures." They listed actions the HNP should take, including education programs and the application of international conventions on women's rights, and demanded a meeting with the two officials. World of Labor: ATTRACTING ASSEMBLY FACTORIES PORT-AU-PRINCE, July 10 - Despite continued firings in the factory zones and denunciations of abuses in the U.S. press (denunciations noticeably absent from the local media), the Rene Preval government appears more dedicated than ever in its goal of turning Haiti into a large "free trade zone" full of factories where workers put together clothing and electronic components in wretched conditions with slave-level wages. Last week, Minister of Work and Social Affairs Pierre Denis Amedee, whose ministry is responsible for protecting workers' rights and is supposed to inspect factories to prevent the kinds of violations repeatedly chronicled in this column, rejected charges of below-minimum wages and other violations from journalists as well as members of the U.S.-based National Labor Committee. Told that workers are fired if they try to organize, are abused, and sometimes are paid less than the 36-gourde daily minimum wage, he said: "I would say first that these allegations are very relative. We do not have the same information," and announced that his ministry, as well as the "Tripartite Commission" (the same commission that pushed for a 29-gourde minimum wage last year [Haiti Info v.3 #15]) were conducting their own investigations. Amedee admitted that "conditions are not ideal" but rejected the NLC report and said he was waiting for the other reports to take action. Told that ministry inspectors have not visited factories in 18 months, he blamed the "difficult situation" he inherited from the de facto government, while his new director, Wilfrid Suprena (former head of the Office of National Migration, and before that, of the Haiti program for Witness for Peace) said that, while there were probably abuses, the ministry has an "articulation" problem and that things cannot be "done mechanically." In the meantime, this week Preval hosted a delegation of a dozen U.S. assembly business people at the National Palace and noted that their presence indicated that the "economic perspectives" and "stability... are beginning to attract more and more investors." He said the government hopes the number of assembly jobs rises to over 50,000. (It is currently at about 20,000, he said.) U.S. Ambassador William Swing accompanied the group, and praised the president for his three priorities: "the economy, the economy, the economy," although he did not mention that the economic model Preval chose is one that benefits, not the Haitian people, but international capitalists like the members of his delegation. But Jean Edouard Baker, head of the Commission on Economic Growth and who was also present, is clear on the Preval's model. During the ceremony, he announced parliament would soon pronounce itself on a law authorizing the creation of a number of "free trade zones" around the country. "Haiti has already proved it has comparative advantage in this sector," said Baker, whose factory assures that "advantage" (the lowest paid workers in the hemisphere) by firing any workers who demand their rights be respected. [See last issue.] Popular Culture & Struggle: ANTI-IMPERIALIST "OUR FATHER" Several "artistes engagees" or "committed artists" have recited a poem that is so striking, and illustrates so well the anti-U.S. imperialism sentiment of some artists in the democratic and popular movement, Haiti Info decided to print the original and a translation. [original:] Notre Pere qui est a Washington, Que ton nom soit efface des anales de notre histoire, Que ta volonte soit faite sur la proie de tes "crooks" au Whitehouse et sur celle de tes nantis, Que tes etoiles brillent au Congres des "restaveks" pour recuperer les plumes de l'aigle travers le monde. Donnez-nous aujourd'hui les cadavres de Benoit Batraville(1), Charlemagne Peralte(2), Richard Brisson(3), Yanick Rigaud(4),Charlot Jacquelin(5), et tout ceux que la CIA a immole a cause de leur patriotisme inebranlable. Ne nous induit pas a la tentation de tes "green-back" maudits pour corrompre notre esprit nationaliste, Mais delivrez nous de ce pain rongeur que tu as livre dans le pays en 1915 (6) et qui sevit encore aujourd'hui, Car c'est a toi qu'appartiennent l'apartheid en Afrique du Sud, le "hing-hang" international, le terrorisme international, le macoutisme dragon en Haiti et le SIDA economico-social. Amen. [translation:] Our Father that is in Washington, May your name be erased from the annals of our history, May your will be done to the prey of your thieves at the Whitehouse and on those of your elite, May your stars shine in the Congress of restaveks(7) to recuperate the eagle's feathers from across the world, Give us this day the bodies of Benoit Batraville, Charlemagne Peralte, Richard Brisson, Yanick Rigaud, Charlot Jacquelin, and all those that the CIA has sacrificed because of their unshakable patriotism. Lead us not into the temptation of your damned "green backs" to corrupt our nationalist spirit, But deliver us from this gnawing bread that you have delivered unto the country in 1915 and that is still ravaging today, Because to you belong South Africa's apartheid, international hing-hang(8), international terrorism, the dragonesque macoutism in Haiti and the international socio-economic AIDS. Amen. References: 1. Benoit Batraville was a leader of the caco movement against the first U.S. occupation of Haiti (1914-1934). He was killed in 1920. Batraville became the leader after Charlemagne Peralte was assassinated. 2. Charlemagne Peralte was the first and most famous leader of the cacos. He was killed by Marines in 1919. He had sworn to liberate Haiti from the "Yankees" who had "cast ruin and destruction on our territory." 3. Richard Brisson was a poet and journalist who was assassinated by the Jean-Claude Duvalier regime when he took part in a 1982 invasion attempt by a group of exiles that landed on La Tortue island. 4. Yanick Rigaud was a progressive woman active in the anti-Duvalier movement and was assassinated by the regime in the late 1960s. 5. Charlot Jacquelin was a literacy worker and critic of the Gen. Henri Namphy regime kidnapped in 1987 from his Cite Soleil home. He was never found. 6. The first U.S. occupation began in 1915. 7. child domestic servant, actually a child-slave (from rester- avec) 8. disorder The author of the poem appears to prefer anonimity, because research in Haiti and in the diaspora did not turn up anyone. However, one of the young artists in one of the groups that sometimes recites the poem told us this: "It is an anti- imperialist poem that really shows how the U.S. government (not the U.S. people) does things in small countries, especially in the Americas." His group has already made changes, adding the names of Antoine Izmery, Father Jean-Marie Vincent and others to the list of those assassinated. "As things evolved, we added the names," he said. "I think that's normal. For example, if an African was saying the text in his language, I am sure he would add the name of Thomas Sankara and others who have died in their struggles." While looking for the author of the poem, Haiti Info stumbled onto an "Our Father" by Richard Brisson [see note 3]. His poem is also an example of Haitian popular culture, for it asks: "Our Father who is in the U.S.A., May your work be fruitful, May your check come, May we spend our vacation this year with you and Mama. Give us something so we can go to the movies every night, My sister and me..." It attests to the thousands of Haitians who grew up, and still grow up, separated from parents obligated to go overseas to earn money. We are reminded of another "Our Father," the "Pater Noster" by the popular French poet, musician and playwright Jacques Prevert (1900-1977) whose poems sometimes denounced injustice. Prevert's version begins: "Our Father, who art in heaven, Stay there, And we will stay on the earth, Which is just as nice, With its mysteries of New York, And its mysteries of Paris..." Prevert's poem also condemns the "terrifying evil of the world": "With the torturers, With the masters of this world, The masters with their priests, their traitors, their thugs." Common Ground: ANOTHER G-7 SUMMIT The "Group of 7" (U.S., Japan, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and Canada) met again last month, this time for two days in Lyon, France. As usual, the scripts were prepared in advance, and without surprise they celebrated once again the cult of liberalism and of mondialisation (the ongoing process of increasing integration of the world market), even if, faced with the persistant and obvious evidence (like the 12.4% unemployment rate in France, recession in Japan, etc.) they were obliged to recognize the risks engendered by mondialisation and the damage it can do, and even propose to take some measures against them, although in the end, their proposed measures will not change much. What do the Seven Add Up To? Western capitalist countries first came together in 1962 to discuss International Monetary Fund financing. In 1973, the five largest countries (in economic terms) started to meet regularly to discuss economic policy. In 1986, with Italy and Canada attending, the group was dubbed "G-7," although it is now really nine with the E.C. presence and Russia as a near-member. Taken together, the seven represent 41% of the planet's GNP, although many have economies much smaller than countries like China and India. As the principal Western powers however, they band together to protect their interests, for despite their obvious concern for their own economies first, they cannot avoid the fact that the crises inherent in the world capitalist system demand coordination and common policy. The G-7 summits always give the leaders a chance to put their instruments in tune, and at this one it was clear that, even if they disagree on specific tactics or on points like the U.S. Helms-Burton law, they agree on the essential point: continued liberalization as the source of economic wealth. Mondialisation's Damage Admitted After their two-day meeting, the G-7 leaders issued a 30-page statement, "Succeed at Mondialisation for the Benefit of All," where they praised "mondialisation" as "intimately linked" to "economic growth and progress" and "a major advantage for the future of our countries as well as the entire planet." To discuss how to keep under control the "major advantage" of the frenzied marketplace where voracious profit-seeking goes unchecked, for the first time, the directors of the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organizations were invited to help come up with joint strategies. As expected, the final statement sang the usual praises to liberalism, "mondialisation" and "competition," but also noted that "mondialisation" brings "risks": "The mondialisation of economies and progress in information technologies are the motors of economic growth and prosperity. But they can equally be perceived as a cause of destabilization and insecurity..." Mondialisation brings "parallel to it... a large uneasiness regarding the destabilizing effects of this phenomenon, as much as in the interior of some countries, as on the international scene" and it "can aggravate the inequalities in poor countries as well as the risks of marginalization in certain regions of the world. The necessary reforms oblige rapid and sometimes painful restructurations, whose effects, in certain countries, can temporarily aggravate the job situation." As a "remedy," the leaders reaffirmed their dedication to "a tight cooperation in terms of economic policy and on exchange rates" and hinted they would appreciate a rise in the value of the dollar, something good for the Japanese and European economies. They also pledged to work for "as large as possible a division of the benefits of the economic growth" and the reduction "in our countries" of "the risks of the exclusion of individuals and social groups." They called for up to US$6 billion in debt relief for the most indebted African countries "on a case-by-case basis," and stressed continued "aid." But what might appear as concern for indebted countries and for each others' economies is actually the recognition by the G-7 of the fragility of a world economy where US$2,000 billion is traded everyday and where, as brokers say, "a sneeze in Sao Paolo is a hurricane on Wall Street." And the pledge to "favor a strong growth profitable for all" is unlikely to be anything different than the ultra-liberal market free-for-all, given the tough "Criteria of Convergence" being demanded for E.U. members and the continued liberal orthodoxy of the U.S. and its acolytes. The crumbs thrown to the indebted countries, and perhaps a few palliative measures in the G-7 countries, if they occur, will be motivated by one thing: maintenance and growth of the current system. In order to assure the continued domination of their economies, the G-7 realize they have to be ready for rapid damage- control as well as minor adjustments, like a little debt relief, to try to improve their chances of avoiding crises like the fall of the Mexican peso, the Barings Bank fiasco, or social movements like the one in France last December. Massive March and Counter-Summits As during previous summits, non-governmental organizations, union leaders and activists gathered for "counter-summits" to denounce G-7 policies. This year there were two: one organized by Les autres voix de la planete, a campaign bringing together almost 200 mostly French and European organizations, unions, parties and including 50 local associations with the theme "Unemployment, debt, war, that's enough!", and a "Counter G-7" called "What Alternatives to Globalization?" organized by the French chapter of Friends of the Earth. Two representatives from the Plate-forme Haitienne de Plaidoyer pour un Developpement Alternatif (PAPDA) participated in the second summit. But the highlight of anti-G-7 activities was a massive, inter- union march of about 50,000 workers and activists who clogged the streets on June 25 carrying banners with slogans like "Down with sado-monetarism!" and protested unemployment, exclusion and G-7 policies. Camille Chalmers of PAPDA said the march "was the most important event, because it showed workers understand very clearly the connection between resistance in the South and resistance in the industrialized countries." The Friends of the Earth Counter G-7, attended by many development non-governmental organizations and a number of other groups, as well as by intellectuals like Samir Amin, Susan George of the Transnational Institute and Michel Chossudovsky of the University of Ottawa, was two days of lectures and workshops on topics like "Womens' resistance to political and economic globalization." It concluded by issuing letter to the G-7 with demands related to the Halifax summit statement (June, 1995), and called the G-7 statement "empty rhetoric," and the "worst G-7 communique in years." The Les autres voix counter-summit, which appears to have been a bit more combative, was held on June 22 and 23 and included a march attended by 10,000 people. The organizers said one of the most important results of the meeting was the decision that "this... should only be a step; we must weave new international solidarities." Les autres voix issued seven demands to the G-7: the "abolition of precariousness and unemployment;" the maintenance and development of public services; the respect and extension of essential rights (health, education, housing, etc.); equality and an end to discrimination; abolition of the "debt-system;" drastic reduction of military budgets and nuclear disarmament, and an end to the "pillaging of natural resources and poisoning of the planet." ABOUT HAITI INFO: * Haiti Info is published every two weeks in Haiti by the Haitian Information Bureau, an alternative news agency, and is edited by a group of committed individuals from democratic and popular sectors. * All articles Copyright HIB. REPRINTS ENCOURAGED. Please cite Haiti Info and send copies of usage. * Haiti Info is available by mail, and electronically via computer. Subscription rates range from U.S. $20 to $100, depending on location and method of reception. For subscriptions, other correspondence and help for journalists: Haitian Information Bureau, c/o Lynx Air, Box 407139, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 33340, USA. For electronic mail: hib@igc.apc.org.