Don Bohning, who spent 3 decades as a Latin America correspondent, editor for the Herald, dies
By Glenn Garvin
Don Bohning, who spent three decades building up the Miami Herald’s Latin American coverage, died early Saturday after a long battle with cancer. He was 82.
From the mid-1960s to the turn of the century, there was scarcely a war, coup, revolution, massacre, assassination, volcanic eruption, hurricane or other act of political or environmental mayhem that Bohning didn’t cover. And when he couldn’t get there himself, he was editing copy from an all-star cast of reporters he assembled that won two Pulitzer Prizes under his command.
“In the early 1980s, when the country suddenly woke up to the importance of Latin America, the Herald’s Latin Desk was a Murderer’s Row of great correspondents: Guy Gugliotta. William Montalbano. Juan Tamayo. Bill Long. Sam Dillon,” said Tim Golden, a Herald foreign correspondent of that era, ticking off a list of reporters who were the elite of American foreign correspondents.
“And Don was the anchor of that lineup — the player-coach, the mentor, the wise man who knew every layer of the story and every good source. He was also the teacher who made sure that lineup remained strong for years and years, even after so many of those reporters went off to the foreign staffs of other papers.
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He wasn’t one for flashy scoops — though he certainly produced some — or frilly writing. “He worked hard and wrote fast,” observed University of Miami journalism professor Joseph B. Treaster, a former colleague, offering the highest praise known to their generation of reporters.
Bohning concentrated more on stories that explained why things happened and what their impact would be on common people. “He had a little bit of Ernie Pyle about him,” said a friend, longtime Time magazine correspondent Bernard Diederich, citing the World War II combat correspondent famous for preferring to share foxholes with GIs over cocktails with generals. “He never was too busy to talk to a taxi driver or a market lady and get their thoughts.”
SIGNATURE OF AN AGREEMENT TO FIGHT AGAINST THE FORGERY OF TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
Last Thursday in an agreement signed by Mr. Pierre-Richard Casimir, Minister of Justice and Brian Shukan, a representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Haiti, agreed on behalf of both governments, to create a joint mission to fight against the forgery of visas, passports as well as other travel document. This agreement also plans to investigate related crimes affecting both countries.
The Ministry of Justice, as regulatory body of the national police force of Haiti, made a commitment to strengthen the security of American visa applicants, in particular due to their proximity to the American Embassy and to protect them against the counterfeiters.
With this agreement, the Ministry intends to respond to the complaints of the Haitian citizens who are victims of fraud because of swindlers who are pretending to be representatives of the American Consulate.
KENNETH MERTEN IS WORRIED ABOUT THE ELECTORAL PROCESS
The new Special Coordinator for Haiti at the State Department, Kenneth H. Merten, was on official visit in Haiti for five days recently. The U. S. Embassy provided a summary of Merten's first visit as special coordinator of the Haiti case in the State Department.
The electoral crisis is the main concern of the senior official at the State Department. Merten, who knows Haiti’s political figures relatively well, had working sessions with the main figures among whom were President Michel Martelly, Prime Minister Evans Paul, members of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), representatives of the United Nations and representatives of human rights organizations.
The American diplomat expressed the United States’ desires regarding the need for the electoral process. America expects the Haitian authorities to respect the 2015 electoral calendar 2015 reiterating that it can bring "long-term, viable economic growth in Haiti ".
During the previous week, the American administration had threatened to suspend its cooperation with Haiti if the ballot of October 25th had been postponed. However numerous political party leaders from the opposition demanded the cancellation of the August 9thballot and the resignation of the electoral advisors.
Washington implores the political figures and the people in charge of the electoral body "to work together to solve the defects observed during the elections on August 9th, to assure that the elections of October 25th and next December 27th take place in a peaceful and credible way."
THE HAITIAN GOVERNMENT FORBIDS THE ENTRY OF 23 PRODUCTS ON THE HAITIAN TERRITORY THROUGH GROUND TRAVEL
Many are concerned about this measure.
The former president of the Dominican Senate, Reinaldo Pared, indicated, last Thursday, that the decision of the Haitian government to forbid the entry of Dominican products by ground travel to Haiti is "silly and nonsense" by the Haitian government, and it is going to hurt the Haitian people the most, according HPN.
He also announced a 40 percent increase on the prices of these 23 products which from now only can enter Haiti by sea or by air travel.
However representatives of the Haitian private business sector (Réginald Boulos and Gregory Brandt) contradict these statements, saying that these measures will produce no price increase, something that Haitian Minister of Finance, Wilson Laleau also confirmed.
Nevertheless, the Dominican government is still angry. "Enough silliness and nonsense from the Haitian government," shouted Pared.
On a different angle, the current president of the Senate and the Dominican Congress, Crisitina Lizardo, asserted that the tolerance of the Dominican government toward Haiti had reached its limits, according to a quote in Dominican Today.
She asked the Dominican president and high-ranking diplomats to look for other measures, including other markets to sell the national products.
The Association of the Dominican exporters (ADOEXPO) indicated, on Thursday, that because of the measures of the Haitian government, the losses to the Dominican Republic are estimated at 200 million dollars.
EU official: Haitian ban on Dominican goods will be costly
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — A European Union official warns that an upcoming Haitian ban on some Dominican Republic products will drive up prices in the impoverished country.
Alberto Navarro, head of the EU delegation in the Dominican Republic, said Tuesday that wheat, corn, bread and other affected goods could become up to 40 percent more expensive in Haiti.
Haiti's government says it is banning 23 Dominican goods from crossing the border of the island it shares with the Dominican Republic to improve tax collection. The goods will be allowed to enter Haiti by boat or plane.
The goods represent some $500 million in sales a year and make up 6 percent of all Dominican exports.
The ban comes amid growing tensions between the two countries as the Dominican Republic steps up deportation of Haitians.
JACMEL: WHEN THE IRON MARKET BE REBUILT?
HPN learned that the inhabitants of Jacmel, are demanding for the restoration of the iron Market to in order to transform the Bel-Air and offer more leisure activities to the visitors and to the local youth.
Nevertheless, the state of decay of the iron market didn’t draw the attention of any authority, in particular not the ISPAN, the city hall, nor the delegation of the Department of Tourism designated to protect the historic buildings in the city.
Built by Bruges studios in Belgium, imported by the municipal administration headed by Alcius Charmant, the iron Market was built in 1895 by the engineer Alcibiade Pommayrac. Once the work was finished, the iron Market was officially submitted to the Haitian government on December 9th, 1895.
Over the years, the pillars have been eaten away by rust and salt, certain parts of the roof even collapsed creating hazardous areas. Furthermore, certain pilasters were removed from the ground and the iron constructions which dominate the roof, intended formerly for storage, were partially attacked by rust.
To avoid any further decay, a mission made up of executive such engineer of the company Eiffel, an architectural leader in the city of Strasbourg had traveled to Jacmel in August, 1998 as part of a French cooperative mission to analyze the technical feasibility of repairing of the market whose architectural interest justifies the preservation.
This study which resulted with the necessity of reconstructing the building as before rather than repairing it because of its state of advanced degradation, was submitted to the city hall of Jacmel.
Seventeen Years later, no repairs have been made. Instead, a new municipal market was built in the locality of Beaudouin, the temporary leaders at that time proceeded with moving the merchants on Monday, 23 Mars 2015.
The ruins of this big building became, to the great displeasure of the population, an open-air dump.
Haiti World Bank report: Time for a social contract
Haiti’s presidential campaigning slowly gains momentum amid continuing uncertainty about the fate of the country’s scheduled Oct. 25 elections, a new World Bank report calls for a social contract to improve the lives of all Haitians.
The report notes that natural disasters and political instability have greatly affected Haiti’s anemic economy and contributed to the 6 million Haitians living in poverty on less than $2.25 a day. At the same time, a bad business environment has not encouraged private investments, while insecurity in the urban centers has sharply increased with the crime rate in metropolitan Port-au-Prince reaching critical levels.
“Policies to ensure more inclusiveness are needed,” the report said.
Growth is faltering and will not be sufficient for Haiti to achieve its vision of becoming an emerging economy by 2030 Mary Barton-Dock, World Bank Special Envoy in Haiti
The call comes as the International Monetary Fund estimates that the Haitian economy only grew between 1 and 2 percent this fiscal year, and Haiti’s Finance Minister Wilson Laleau concedes that it has been difficult to finance the upcoming budget. Foreign assistance is down to less than $500 million from $1.5 billion, Laleau said, and there is less available financing under Venezuela’s PetroCaribe discounted-oil program because of low oil prices.
“These allotments have really tightened the budget constraints of the government,” said Raju Singh, a World Bank economist and author of the Haiti: Toward a New Narrative report unveiled Tuesday. “One big challenge for the future government is to deal with a tighter budget envelope without jeopardizing the progress that the previous governments have achieved to improve human indicators.”
Areas of economic opportunity for Haiti include in agribusiness, light manufacturing and tourism.
Those improvements are in the areas of poverty reduction, primary school enrollment and access to water. Those living on less than $1.25 a day in extreme poverty, for example, has dropped from 31 percent in 2000 to 24 percent in 2012, according to a Bank study.
“These could be jeopardized if suddenly the budget leads to cuts in programs in social areas,” Singh said.
I am confronted by my poor minister of health or my poor minister of education and frankly I have no clue as to how these people could do their job; 60 or 80 percent of the services are done outside their control Raju Singh, World Bank economist
Bank officials say the report is intended to promote a debate around a new social contract for Haiti to dig itself out of poverty and head to sustainable and inclusive economic growth. But that contract requires the government, to among other things, identify a single vision and program, and do more to finance public spending.
“Government says, ‘Please pay your taxes. In return, I will improve my services, I will provide security. I will improve my fiscal transparency of reporting,” Singh said. “In Haiti, this social contract has either disappeared, never been built or has to be revamped.”
The level of insecurity has increased in Haiti’s urban centers, particularly in metropolitan Port-au-Prince where the crime rate has reached critical levels
Singh said officials didn’t plan for the report’s release to coincide with the electoral cycle, but Port-au-Prince based economist Kesner Pharel says its timing offers an opportunity for the presidential, legislative and local candidates “to better understand the great social and economic challenges, and how difficult it will be to lead and manage this country.”
Anybody comes here, builds a hospital and expects the government to staff it or pay for power or to build a road. It's a nightmare Raju Singh, World Bank economist
So far, candidates have largely concentrated on the problems rather than proposal for tackling them. The report, meanwhile, highlights three key areas for growth: tourism, agriculture and light manufacturing.
“Following the earthquake, Haiti experienced its best performance in decades with a real growth rate averaging 3.3 percent from 2011 to 2014, partly spurred by high levels of reconstruction aid. However, this growth is faltering and will not be sufficient for Haiti to achieve its vision of becoming an emerging economy by 2030 and improve life for its poorest citizens,” said Mary Barton-Dock, World Bank Special Envoy in Haiti.
But faster economic growth alone will not be enough to bring significant improvements in the living standards of most Haitians, the report said.
Areas of economic opportunity for Haiti include in agribusiness, light manufacturing and tourism.
“There are a lot of people who are active in Haiti. The issue is how do you improve the earnings of these people?” Singh said.
“We have to be disciplined to sit around the table and say what is our vision? What is the vision of the authorities, of the government, of the population of Haiti in health, in education, in key sectors? And we all share the same vision and we all try to finance the same vision instead of having a piecemeal approach that doesn’t work,” he said. “On the donor side, we have to finance a single vision, a single program of the government; not a hospital here, a school there.”