Karine Jean-Pierre White House briefing lauded as historic

BY SAM BOJARSKI MAY. 26, 2021

THE HAITIAN TIMES

Dec. 24, 2020

Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addresses the media May 26. (Screenshot photo)

For the first time as a member of the Biden White House, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stepped up to the podium May 26 with a thick, brown binder for an on-camera briefing with the White House press corps. 

She briefed reporters on administration appointments, President Joe Biden’s proposed American Jobs Plan and an investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, before fielding questions from reporters on numerous topics. 

During the televised briefing, one reporter asked Jean-Pierre to reflect on “making history” as the first Black woman in 30 years to stand behind the White House press podium, on behalf of the president. 

“Being in this building is not about one person, it’s about what we do on behalf of the American people,” Jean-Pierre, 46, said in response. “Clearly the president believes that representation matters, and I appreciate him giving me this opportunity, and it’s another reason why we are so proud that this is the most diverse administration in history.” 

Prior to the scheduled briefing, Jean-Pierre’s appearance was welcomed by the media and colleagues, including Press Secretary Jen Psaki, as an historic moment. Psaki, who typically briefs the press, has announced she is leaving her role in about a year. The New York Times reported that the televised briefing by Jean-Pierre was seen internally as an audition for the press secretary role. 

 

FEAST OF THE HOLY TRINITY (May 30th, 2021) +Guy Sansaricq Dt. 4, 32-34+39-40; Ps. 33; Rom. 8, 14-17; Mt. 28, 16-20

Everything in the material world can be described by words. Material objects can be seen, touched, weighed, smelled and tasted. On the contrary, God a spiritual being cannot be experienced by our senses. Therefore He cannot be described by human words. He is invisible, inaccessible to our senses. God is MYSTERY. Through FAITH only can we reach HIM!

In the First reading Moses is heard making this point to the people in the desert. You must obey the Lord even if you do not see him. His MIGHTY DEEDS give evidence of his existence. The second reading speaks about another mighty deed of our God. He pours His SPIRIT upon the believers. He literally adopts us as His Heirs, co-heirs with Christ, the First Son.

From these words and many others flows our faith in the Holy Trinity. God although absolutely ONE has a SON. At the same time HE SENDS what He calls HIS SPIRIT upon his SON and upon us. We may therefore claim that God is FATHER, SON and HOLY SPIRIT.

As we live in communion with Jesus and receive a share of HIS SPIRIT, we can say that our entire spiritual life unfolds within the Son, through the Spirit to the glory of the Father. The teaching on the Holy Trinity highlights God’s love for us who are called to be sharers of his Spirit of life, sons in the SON and therefore GUESTS of his intimate life!

 

Stop pushing for elections in Haiti, President Biden. They will only make things worse | Editorial

By the Miami Herald Editorial Board

May 29, 2021 04:30 PM

Haiti is a mess. And the Biden administration finally acknowledged that in granting Temporary Protected Status to more than 100,000 Haitians in the United States. President Biden has kept part of his campaign promise and reversed his predecessor’s attempt to terminate TPS, humanitarian relief that has provided a safe haven for tens of thousands of Haitians and Central Americans living in this country.

For that, Biden, whose Department of Homeland Security issued a new 18-month TPS designation to Haitians living in the United States as of May 21, 2021, should be commended. It means that he and his officials have finally heard what immigration activists, clergy, members of the Haitian community in the United States and Haitians in Haiti have been saying for months:Haiti is too dangerous for its nationals to return.

But the administration’s work in that tortured nation is not done. If Haiti is so dangerous and so unstable that the administration has given its U.S.-based citizens a reprieve through TPS, then Haiti also is too dangerous and too unstable to hold credible and secure elections. But the Biden administration has been insisting on them. It should stop.

Not a cure-all

TPS is only a Band-aid solution. Now Congress and Biden must take the necessary next steps to give Haitians not just a permanent solution with a pathway to citizenship in order to remain in the United States, but also the choice to return home in confidence, not fear — because their homeland is safe.

This brings us to the Biden administration’s Haiti policy — or, rather, its lack of a clear policy committed to restoring democracy there.

For months, the administration has been following its predecessor’s mantra of “elections at all costs” by calling on Haitian President Jovenel Moïse to hold legislative and presidential elections this year. But in insisting that elections are the only way forward, the Biden administration has failed to address the stark realities that led to its decision to grant a new TPS designation. Conditions on the ground in Haiti make clear that Moïse cannot hold free, fair and credible elections: serious security concerns, social unrest, human-rights abuses, crippling poverty.

In other words, Moïse, Haiti’s wannabe autocrat, is not governing. He has failed to meet Haitian citizens’ most basic needs. Instead of tackling gang violence that has led to an alarming rash of kidnappings and human-rights violations, Moïse has used the past 16 months of one-man rule to take several unconstitutional actions. They include the creation of a problematic national intelligence agency; the introduction, in the words of Acting Assistant Secretary of State Julie Chung, “dubious definitions of terrorism”; a reduction in the role of key institutions such as the Superior Court of Auditors and Administrative Disputes, and the removal and replacement of three Supreme Court judges.

He has also pushed a controversial June 27 referendum on the constitution that almost every Haitian constitutional scholar and legal expert has said is illegal. But rather than listen to them, U.S. State Department officials have ignored them. Some in the State Department have reportedly told members of Congress in private that they do not think moving forward with the constitutional referendum is appropriate, they have refused to say so publicly. The administration’s mixed messaging is unhelpful and should stop.

Action, not rhetoric

In a recent address to members of the Haitian diaspora to commemorate the country’s May 18 Haitian Flag Day, Chung said the United States will “unapologetically denounce authoritarianism, impunity, human rights violations and corruption.” We are, right now, calling Chung and the Biden administration on it.

It’s time for Washington to end the rhetoric on Haiti and take real action. It’s time to stop equating democracy solely with elections,and it’s past time to promote and demand good governance. That means that the administration must stop supporting leaders with autocratic tendencies simply because it deems them “democratically elected.” They are just as guilty as their counterparts elsewhere in the hemisphere who trample human rights and promote policies that will keep them in power.

It’s time to support the Haitian people, not just by keeping needed remittances flowing into Haiti as the TPS designation will do, but by also giving Haitians in the United States the real choice to return home if they choose, and real hope that things will get better.

The Biden administration must ask itself: What does it want conditions in Haiti to look like at the end of its 18-month TPS designation? Does it want the number of Haitians coming to our border to have exponentially increased because the country has become even more unlivable following the controversial constitutional referendum? This not only will further derail the possibility of holding free, fair and credible elections, but it will fast track what the Catholic Church has described as Haiti’s “descent into hell.”

U.S. to blame, too

While Biden works to persuade members of Congress to support a pathway to citizenship with his legislation to overhaul immigration, he must also direct his State Department to take a harder look at Haiti and make some real changes. He must do so because the United States has long had a heavy hand in Haiti’s politics and is not immune from blame for what is currently taking place there. It’s also the right thing to do. After all, we once occupied the country for 19 years and, in that process, forced a new constitution to benefit our own desires.

It is time for the Biden administration to also listen to the cries of Haitian families, here and those on the island — who are increasingly becoming kidnap victims — and of the country’s young grassroots activists who have been screaming for a better and free Haiti.

Biden should acknowledge that the first step to a free Haiti is not through insisting on “elections at all costs” but by insisting on good governance. And it should start with the United States openly and unapologetically opposing the June 27 constitutional referendum that, despite whatever good intentions some in the international community may have, will not bring Haiti closer to democracy. Rather, it will pull the country deeper into chaos and authoritarianism. 

Permanent Council Good Offices Mission to Haiti

Terms of Reference

The OAS Permanent Council recognizes the serious political, security, and human rights situation in Haiti. In a show of solidarity with the Haitian people, on March 17, the OAS Permanent Council approved by consensus a resolution (CP/RES. 1168 (2315/21) to express its concern for the situation and extend an offer of support as a contribution to resolve the current political crisis in Haiti.

Background

Member States welcomed the participation of the Government of Haiti in this process and emphasized the need for free and fair elections in 2021, preceded by an inclusive dialogue, as essential to allowing Haiti to move forward and achieve a democratic transition of power in both the Presidential and legislative branches. While many in Haiti recognize that it is critically needed, including President Moïse himself, meaningful political dialogue has so far proven unachievable in the face of deepening divisions in the country. This represents a source of significant risk for the electoral process.

Purpose of the Good Offices Mission

As stated in the March 17th resolution, a Good Offices Mission, under the auspices of the Permanent Council, would serve “to facilitate a dialogue that would lead to free and fair elections” in 2021. This would involve meeting with a wide variety of stakeholders from Government, from the broader political class, as well as from civil society, in order to gauge the situation and encourage dialogue that could lead to an accord. The Mission will not engage in mediation.

Timing

The OAS Good Offices Mission should deploy soon due to the deteriorating situation in Haiti. The OAS Good Offices Mission can help promote understanding among key political actors and create conditions for political dialogue in the country. As the security situation in Haiti becomes potentially more challenging and as the country draws closer to the Constitutional referendum set to take place in June, this window of opportunity will gradually close.

The OAS welcomes the invitation from the President of Haiti for the deployment of a Good Offices Mission, with technical support from the OAS Secretariat, as soon as possible.

Composition

The delegation should be composed of five Permanent Representatives, representing distinct subregions of the Hemisphere, and would be established by the Chair of the OAS Permanent Council, in coordination with interested member states. The Chair would designate the leader of the OAS Good Offices Mission.

Member States would also request, through the PC Presidency, the participation of the OAS Secretariat. A representative designated by the General Secretariat should be considered as a possible participantto the mission for follow-up purposes in hand with the good offices of the Special Representative of the OAS Secretary General in Haiti.

Draft Agenda

 We propose a two-day visit to Haiti and recommend the following meetings, primarily with Haitian stakeholders:

 Meeting with President Moïse, with participation of interim Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Joseph ·

 Roundtable with Haitian political actors (majority, moderate, and opposition)

  • Roundtable with Haitian civil society stakeholders and religious leaders ·

 Roundtable with key Haitian private sector representatives (ADIH, AmCham, Franco Haitian Chamber, CCIH, Haitian Chamber of Commerce of Women Entrepreneurs)

 Outcomes ·

 Issuance of Communique/End of Mission Statement by OAS PC Delegation;

  • Debrief with the nine OAS member state Chiefs of Mission resident in Haiti (Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, United States) ·

 Report presented to the President of the Permanent Council and to the Council itself, with a request that it be submitted to the President of Haiti and made public.

  • Renewed commitment of all relevant stakeholders in Haiti to an inclusive, democratic process leading to free and fair elections in the coming months.

 

Working Toward a Democratic and Prosperous Haiti: U.S. Views

Julie Chung, Assistant Secretary of State

Thank you. Good morning. I would first like to wish you a wonderful Haitian Heritage Month. I wish we could be together in person this morning. This month gives us an opportunity to reflect upon and celebrate Haiti’s many contributions to the world, and especially to the United States. Today is also Haitian Flag Day – a day to commemorate the creation of Haiti’s national flag. I recognize you may have other important events to attend, and I know there is a march planned here in Washington, D.C. So I wanted to thank you for taking some time out of your schedules to engage with us on this particularly important day for the Haitian community.

Haiti’s rich history and culture testify to its great strength and limitless potential. Understanding this gives those of us who care deeply about Haiti the inspiration to continue persevering in our work to support Haiti as it struggles to move beyond this long and difficult period of multidimensional crises.

Most of us are familiar with the proverb, “Many hands make light work.” As we consider how Haiti’s splintered political environment has paralyzed the country and threatened the well-being of average citizens, these words seem apt. A shared effort is urgently required. Political and civil society leaders must bridge their divisions to accomplish the higher goal of restoring democracy and stability. The more Haitian leaders from diverse sectors of society participate, the easier this task will be.

Every few years, the world anxiously waits to see whether Haiti can overcome its internal divisions to schedule, organize and hold timely elections that lead to a transition of power between one democratically-elected leader and another democratically-elected leader. It should not be this way. In a representative democracy, the people—the people– possess the right to select the leaders who will legislate and govern on their behalf.

This proposition only works if the people can do so on a regularly recurring basis. In this way, electoral democracy forms the foundation of a stable and prosperous state. Countries around the world, and countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean – countries dealing with security and infrastructure challenges – regularly succeed in doing this despite the problems they face. Countries with serious political divisions overcome their differences to do this – and Haiti can also. Haiti’s history makes it a beacon of freedom and its democracy should not be an exception; it should be an example.

Legislative elections that should have been held in 2019 are long overdue. And, what has been the result of this delay? An unchecked executive power since January 2020, as the lower house no longer exists, and there are too few Senators to reach a quorum. There is no separation of powers and no way for the branches of government to hold one another accountable. This situation calls into question the core precepts of Haiti’s democracy.

More than that, this period of one-man rule by decree has already led to the announcement of a problematic national intelligence agency, the introduction of dubious definitions of terrorism, the reduced role of key institutions like the Superior Court of Auditors and Administrative Disputes, and the removal and replacement of three Supreme Court judges. The decision to hold a referendum to amend the constitution of 1987 further adds to the controversy, especially without an inclusive and credible consultative process that fully incorporates civil society. Likeminded international partners have joined local voices in expressing these concerns. BINUH tweeted on April 13 that the constitutional consultation process was “not sufficiently inclusive, participatory, or transparent” and called for the Consultative Committee to engage with a wider range of political and societal actors, including women’s and religious groups, across the country. An April 26 Core Group statement by the Ambassadors to Haiti from Germany, Brazil, Canada, Spain, the United States, France, the European Union, the Special Representative of the Organization of American States, and the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations all echoed BINUH’s assessment of the consultative process. Haiti’s democracy cannot continue like this.

We believe legislative elections are the democratic way to end Haiti’s prolonged rule by decree, and presidential elections are necessary to transfer power peacefully from one democratically-elected leader to another.

Anyone who follows developments in Haiti can see that there are challenges. I personally observed these challenges during my visit to Haiti in 2019, and I urged President Moise to build a government that could tackle issues such as insecurity, corruption, and a lagging economy. Haiti needs a government with functioning legislative, executive, and judicial branches working to move Haiti forward. This is why we call upon all of Haiti’s political stakeholders to come together and agree upon the necessary mechanisms to hold free and fair elections in 2021 that are credible and reflect the will of the Haitian people.

There are many voices who disagree that the way to fully restore Haiti’s democracy is through free and fair elections, who assert Haiti needs a transitional government to put it back on the democratic path. This may be a tempting notion. But who would those people be? How would they be chosen? To which constituents would they be accountable? As an extraconstitutional governing body, which law would determine their mandate? Would a transitional government prevent further chaos? Would it restore timeliness to Haiti’s electoral calendar?

We have seen this before, and learned there are no shortcuts when building a resilient and lasting democracy.

The needs of the Haitian people are far too pressing for elections to be delayed further. You do not hold elections when it’s convenient; you hold them when they are due. In the United States, even during the most divisive and contentious junctures in our history – economic downturns, protests, natural disasters, a bloody civil war – elections were consistently held so that our republic could continue to progress.

The United States and Haiti are the oldest republics in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti is one of our nation’s oldest friends. We share over $2 billion in annual trade. Remittances to Haiti, the majority of which come from the U.S., are equivalent to a third of Haiti’s GDP. The mutual influence of American and Haitian customs and achievements are evident, and fewer than a thousand miles separate our borders.

One major commonality between the people in the United States and Haiti is our devotion to the idea of freedom. Citizens in both countries look back with pride at our forebearers who valued freedom above all else and risked everything to secure this inalienable right. Haitians and Americans fought and died for freedom and set out to design new visions for our respective republics that had never been achieved before.

Centuries later, the Haitian people are still fighting to see a free Haiti – a Haiti that is free from corruption, free from lawlessness, free from kidnappings, free from poverty, and free from unilateral governance.

We hear the demands of the Haitian people for the security, education, healthcare, jobs, transparency, and opportunity they deserve. My colleagues and I have taken the time to listen intently to the thoughts and fears of Haitians in Haiti as well as in the United States. Will a single election be the magic charm that cures all of Haiti’s problems? Absolutely not. And make no mistake – we know how fragile our democracies are. But this does not diminish the fact that Haiti is in dire need of democratic consistency and institutions that serve the people.

When I was in Haiti, I met with inspirational young leaders who each demonstrated an ingenuity, determination, and resilience that should be encouraged and nurtured. The youth are the hope and promise of Haiti, and the opportunities that they are afforded today will impact Haiti’s development for years to come. Prosperity simply cannot be achieved when the fundamental rules of democracy are manipulated or ignored. The creation and preservation of strong, democratic processes and structures are long-term institutional defenses against dictatorship, partisanship, and greed. Without stability and rule of law, Haiti will struggle to attract foreign direct investments and retain its brightest minds.

This is why we choose to invest in Haiti’s people and institutions over individual leaders and personalities. U.S. assistance in Haiti improves access to basic services, including health, water, education, nutrition, and security. In the last decade, the U.S. government has directly contributed billions of U.S. dollars toward the most immediate economic, nutrition, natural disaster, and COVID-19 response needs. In January, we announced an additional $75.5 million toward issues like democratic governance and agricultural development. But our investment in Haiti’s people will only be successful if Haitians also invest in their own democratic governance.

As living bridges between the United States and Haiti, you also have an important role to play in raising your voices to improve and strengthen Haiti’s democracy and economy. You can speak against violence. You can speak against corruption and impunity. You can speak against abuses of power and of civil and human rights. We also hope you will encourage Haiti’s political and civil society leaders to negotiate in good faith to find solutions toward a government that works for all Haitians.

The United States, too, will continue to raise our voice and join like-minded partners and international organizations to revive democracy in Haiti and around the world. We will unapologetically denounce authoritarianism, impunity, human rights violations, and corruption, and we will act against those responsible, as we did by sanctioning three former Haitian government officials in December 2020 under the Global Magnitsky Act. Haiti faces many obstacles on the long and arduous path to lasting stability and prosperity, but by joining together, we collectively make the work lighter and we come closer to reaching our shared goals. Thank you.