Haiti's Incoming President Foresees Personal Bond with Trump
Voice of America - WASHINGTON - The man poised to become Haiti’s president on February 7 draws a parallel between himself and the new chief executive of the United States, suggesting his desire to forge a personal bond between Port-au-Prince and Washington.
Like Donald Trump, Jovenel Moïse has a resume steeped in business, but no previous experience in public office. A successful banana exporter, Moïse earlier helped create a regional power company and ran a water distribution plant, among other pursuits.
"President Trump and I are entrepreneurs, and all an entrepreneur wants is results,” Moïse said in an interview last week with the Reuters news agency. “And therefore I hope we'll put everything in place to make sure we deliver for our peoples."
But the Haitian businessman, 48,faces lingering suspicions related to his financial dealings. Late last month, he spent four hours in a closed Port-au-Prince courtroom answering questions about purported money laundering. He has denied the allegation, claiming it’s politically motivated.
Moïse’s opponents are pressing for a decision by inauguration day on whether formal charges should be brought.
New president delayed
This Caribbean nation of 11 million people has suffered a protracted election cycle.
A first round of voting in 2015 was nullified after allegations of fraud. A second round, set for last October, was delayed after Hurricane Matthew struck, killing at least 1,000 people. Haiti was still struggling to recover from a massive 2010 earthquake that left at least 200,000 dead and the capital city in ruins.
Moïse, handpicked by former President Michel Martelly to represent his change-oriented Haiti Bald Headed Party,won nearly 56 percent of the November vote. Interim President Jocelerme Privert has led Haiti since Martelly’s five-year term ended a year ago.
Moïse has said as president he would govern inclusively. “We have to work together,” he told VOA in an interview in Haiti’s capital on the eve of his election victory.
Military plans?
Moïse told VOA he wants to resurrect a standing army, which Aristide disbanded upon returning to Haiti. But he acknowledged there’s no budget for an army in Haiti, where U.N. peacekeepers supplement civilian police in providing security.
State Department special coordinator for Haiti Kenneth Merten told VOA the United States wouldn’t support a Haitian army, with its history of coups d’etat.
“We’ve spent a lot of money so Haiti could have a police force that is competent and transparent,” Merten says.
Jobs
Moïse campaigned on economic expansion, saying Haiti would “use the people, the sun, the land and water.” The president-elect wants to improve agriculture and develop more tourism.
“Haiti should have four or five tourist destinations, just like the Dominican Republic,” he told VOA.
Pierre Marie Boisson, chief economist of Haiti’s Sogebank Group, predicted that installing a democratically elected president and filling vacant parliamentary seats will improve the economy and inspire broader confidence in the country’s prospects.
“We must expect a booming economy” in 2018, Boisson told VOA. He said the growth would be led in part by the apparel industry, which employs tens of thousands in Haiti.
Some Haitians have fled their impoverished country, including thousands massing just south of the U.S.-Mexico border while seeking entry to the United States. After the 2010 quake in Haiti, the United States granted asylum-seekers temporary work permits and shielded them from deportation.
That changed in September, with the Department of Homeland Security announcingrenewed strict enforcementin light of Haiti’s improving economy.
VOACreole Service’sJacquelin Belizaire and Jean-Pierre Leroy contributed to this report.
Preparations underway for February 7th, 2017
Planning for the transition of power in Haiti was well underway last week, according to Lucien Jura, spokesman of the Transition Commission.
Three separate events were planned for this special day. The first was the traditional ceremony at the Parliament where newly-elected president Jovenel Moïse was to take the oath of office. The second ceremony was at National Palace with an official speech from the new president. The third was the meeting between the president and several international delegations, who attend the ceremonies, including Canada and the Dominican Republic.
In addition to the official events, street-based festivities were also planned for this day.
The commission, he explained, is studying other alternatives to see to what extent big screens televisions could be installed in provincial towns in order to allow the population of these communities to experience these events as well.
At the request of the president-elect the ceremonies for the transfer of power should not exceed one million dollar, while being in compliance with the requirements for a transfer of power. The expenses will be made by the national palace. The commission is there only to plan the ceremony and send back invoices to the national palace. According to the spokesman, the members of the commission receive no salary for this work. They are volunteers.
Haitian Native Céline Marti qualifies for the world ski championships
After the beautiful Raquel Pélissier came in first-runner-up in last week’s Miss Universe Pageant, another beautiful and talented Haitian woman will represent Haiti internationally.
This time, it will be in the world skiing where Céline Marti will compete under the colors of her country of origin.
Marti, 37, was adopted by a Swiss family when she was seven months old. She currently lives in Geneva with her family, including her adopted daughter, who is also originally from Haiti.
Marti is a police officer, a ski and snow-boarding instructor, and a volunteer fire-fighter. She has only gone back to Haiti once to visit. But she still feels a connection to her birth place.
Later this month, Marti will compete in the 2017 FIS Alpine World Ski Champtionship in St. Mortiz, Switzerland. She will be joined by two other Haitian male skiers who live near Paris, France and are also members of the Haitian Ski Federation.
Electronic signatures are now legal in Haiti
Last week, the Haitian Senate passed a bill concerning electronic signatures, which had already been approved by the Chamber of Deputies.
The concept of electronic signatures will soon be a reality in Haiti. During a session on Tuesday, January 31st, the assembly of Senators voted on a bill about electronic signature.
The object of this bill is "to authorize electronic signatures and related services to authenticate data in communications and e-commerce."
With the development of new communication technologies, electronic transactions take more and more importance in the country in terms of promotion, sale and distribution of products. Electronic signatures are widely used in the banking sector worldwide. They allows to digitally sign remote documents.
Brazil withdrawing from the MINUSTAH
United for the stabilization in Haiti (Minustah) and intend to finish its withdrawal before April 15th. It should be noted that Brazil, with its 979 blue berets in Haiti, is the biggest contributing country with 40 % of the staff of the Mission of the UN. In addition, Ajax Porto Pinheiro, Lieutenant-General of the Brazilian army, commands the military component of the Minustah.
Let us recall that the military participation of Brazil initially ended in October, 2016, but the mission was extended by six months, according to Resolution 2313 of the United Nations Security Council, on Thursday, October 13th, 2016.
The Minustah wants to express its appreciation to the Brazilian military for its contribution to the mission of preserving peace in Haiti. The Brazilian contingent played a crucial role in the peace building in Haiti since the beginning of the Mission.
Amid pressure from the Canadian prime minister office, Fox News apologized for a tweet that inaccurately identified the suspect in Sunday night's (Jan. 29th) Quebec mosque terror attack, as a man of Moroccan origin.
By Dylan Byers @CNNMoney
"FoxNews.com initially corrected the misreported information with a tweet and an update to the story on Monday. The earlier tweets have now been deleted," Refet Kaplan, the managing director at FoxNews.com, said in a statement. "We regret the error."
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office called on Fox News to "either retract or update" the "false and misleading" tweet, noting that the suspect had been identified as a French Canadian, not someone of Moroccan origin.
Alexandre Bissonnette, 27, faces six counts of first-degree murder and five attempted murder charges in Sunday's shooting, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Quebec.
Authorities have not released a possible motive, but Trudeau denounced the attack as an act of terrorism.
"These tweets by Fox News dishonor the memory of the six victims and their families by spreading misinformation, playing identity politics, and perpetuating fear and division within our communities," Kate Purchase, the prime minister's director of communications, said in a statement.
"We need to remain focused on keeping our communities safe and united instead of trying to build walls and scapegoat communities," Purchase continued. "Muslims are predominantly the greatest victims of terrorist acts around the world. To paint terrorists with a broad brush that extends to all Muslims is not just ignorant -- it is irresponsible."
"If we allow individuals and organizations to succeed by scaring people, we do not actually end up any safer," she wrote. "Fear does not make us safer. It makes us weaker. Ramping up fear and closing our borders is not a solution. It distracts from the real issues that affect people's day to day life."