Oh my oh my. I've already posted
this Diary on how Jamaica has been growing a political backbone.
Now the story that you WON'T HEAR on commercial media is the result of the CARICOM summit this past weekend.
If democracy, the fate of elected leaders and/or Haiti matters to you, click below!
Ok, SUPER brief background for those who didn't click on my Diary link.
CARICOM is truly a new organization - an economic and political bloc of Caribbean nations, similar to ASEAN and others. The recent coup in Haiti caused a political storm because CARICOM had just accepted Haiti as a full member and was working overtime to resolve the differences between Aristide and his opponents.
Then Aristide had a metaphorical gun put to his head and was whisked away to the middle of nowhere. PJ Patterson, the eminent Prime Minister of Jamaica, was the rotating President of CARICOM at the time and made several strong statements in support of Aristide, thus guaranteeing the displeasure of the United States.
On March 15th, Jamaica welcomed Aristide ashore, further enraging the United States.
Fast forward to this past weekend and CARICOM had their big summit. On the table of course was the subject of Haiti. Here is an excerpt of what PJ Patterson said:
Who would have thought that when we last met at our Ninth Special Meeting in St. Lucia in November 2003 that the resilience and validity of our Community would have been so tested and tried in such a brief spell? We would never have imagined that the ongoing political crisis in our sister member state,
Haiti, would have become so explosive and with such a strange twist of circumstances that would seek to undermine and threaten the very pillars of unity on which our integration movement was founded.
We cannot emphasise too much that the Charter of Civil Society, which embraces the ideals and standards of political governance, must move from a non-binding undertaking to a legally binding arrangement as we cement the governing structures and entrench democracy within our societies.
I believe CARICOM has every reason to be proud of the CARICOM initiative. It presented a logical blueprint for achieving lasting democracy in Haiti. Despite our best efforts, it was torpedoed. As we remain steadfast in our commitment to the tenets of democracy and good governance in our societies, CARICOM must continue to play its part in seeking to help the people of Haiti realize their full potential for political, economic and social development.
The situation in Haiti speaks volumes to the imperative of strengthening our governance machinery in the course of regional decision-making and the pursuit of international policy.
What is Patterson talking about? CARICOM was pushing for a two-prong solution: intervention by UN troops and organizing a contingent of CARICOM member troops to back up and monitor future elections. CARICOM members, led by Jamaica's team, was at the UN trying to get a last minute deal through the Security Council and then of course, Aristide was snatched.
But enough of Jamaica. What did the 15 nations of CARICOM have to say?
The 15 nations of the Caribbean Community withheld recognition from
Haiti's US-backed interim government yesterday as leaders closed a summit renewing calls for a UN investigation into the ouster of former
Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Leaders said their minds were made up that for now Haiti's interim government would not get official recognition from their regional bloc.
"Right now we are not satisfied," St. Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said at the close of the two-day summit. "We are going to watch and see a number of things as they evolve."
The leaders issued a statement early yesterday saying "no action should be taken to legitimize the rebel forces."
Holy shit! Of course France and the United States have bent over backwards to legitimize the rebel forces. Is Guy Philippe dead or even in jail? Hell no. He's being praised by puppet president Gerard Latortue of Haiti.
[CARICOM members] lamented interim
Haitian Prime Minister Gerard Latortue's recent statements hailing rebels as "freedom fighters" and saying he was freezing
Haiti's participation in the regional bloc because of its stance on bringing Aristide to
Jamaica for temporary exile.
"These developments have not made it possible to receive the interim administration in the councils of the community," the leaders said.
They said while Haiti remains a "welcome partner" in the Caribbean Community, "there has been an interruption of the democratic process."
The leaders said they would ask the UN General Assembly or Secretary-General Kofi Annan to oversee an investigation into Aristide's claims that he was abducted at gunpoint by US agents when he left Feb. 29 as rebels threatened to attack Haiti's capital.
You think it's over? Not even close! Do the United States and its puppets EVER give up?
So intense was behind-the-scenes lobbying from Washington.... that while one prime minister felt obliged to refuse to take a telephone call from a Bush administration official,
another was aggravated enough to respond with expletives when presented with what was viewed as a virtual ultimatum.
Possible cuts in aid and trade benefits also surfaced, as well as a threat by Washington to hold some governments responsible should any American military personnel be killed on duty in the current unstable political situation in Haiti where pro-and anti-Aristide factions continue to be involved in political violence and lawlessness.
Holy shit! And what else is our buddy Latortue up to?
In Haiti, meanwhile, the interim government announced it will block dozens of ex-members of Aristide's government from leaving the country, including former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune.
I call Latortue "our buddy" because decent, honest and good Americans are putting their LIVES on the line to defend this piece of shit.
All this and more is ongoing without the slightest peep by the American media. Don't blame yourselves. At least you're savvy enough to surf the Internet. I just clicked on CNN (the website) and there's an article about Janet Jackson. Enough said.
Does it take a genius to know that this whole ignore Haiti thing smacks of racism? Nah. It's no different than Rwanda. As long as it isn't our precious Europeans squabbling, who cares?
I do. And I'm watching.
Peace