Strike News from Haiti

Saturday, May 24, 1997

Haiti's President Assures the Haitian People That They Can Count on Him to Restore Order.
Port-au-Prince, May 19, 1997 -(AHP)-: President Rene Preval told the Haitian people Sunday that they can count on him to understand that tolerance and democracy are not synonymous with anarchy. In a speech commemorating Flag Day, President Preval deplored the fact that after 'one year and three months of power and dialogue, certain groups are interpreting dialogue for weakness."; Without specifying which groups or individuals and without drawing any allusions to last week's demonstrations of students and teachers, Mr. Preval denounced the corruption of the public administration and the judicial system, and the dysfunction of the State apparatus that are the 'three wounds eating away at the country's flag.'; The President said that the Ministries of the government should not only be honest themselves, but they should also work to eliminate corruption within their administration. "The loss of hope has been baptized as the "Grand Mangeurs" (Big Eaters) by the Haitian people," Mr. Preval said. The expression was originally launched at government employees who getting rich in an illicit manner. "When the citizens are obliged to sit under the table to benefit from public services such as the telephone, water and electricity, this can not help but create a lack of hope," the President said. He also spoke of parliamentarians who have not done their work, saying that is the people's money that is being wasted. Mr. Preval recalled that his country is today one of the poorest in the world, with a heavy heritage of unemployment, hunger, injustice and illiteracy left by former regimes. He also said that the Haitian people had hoisted the flag of hope December 16, 1990, the date of the country's first free and democratic elections. "Tolerance is not that everyone can do what they want, democracy is not anarchy, unity is the force," he said, asking everyone from the popular organizations to the ministries, mayors, professors, students and police to work together so that the Haitian flag 'could fly high.'; A ceremony at the National Palace was cancelled. Students, reinforced by popular organizations, took part in demonstrations and unruly riots most of last week. On Monday, in response to a strike called for by popular organizations asking for the resignation of Prime Minister Rosny Smarth, paralyzed most activity in the capital. The majority of schools and businesses were closed. Traffic was light as was business in the public banks. The Senate does not work on Mondays. The Chamber of Deputies has been on vacation since last Monday.

Activities Slowly Resume in Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince, May 20, 1997 -(AHP)-: Activities slowly resumed to normal Tuesday in Port-au-Prince, but a number of schools remained closed, AHP reports.; Many schools sent students home because of continued protests by popular organizations for the departure of the government of Prime Minster Rosny Smarth. Traffic was slow in the morning but picked up mid-day; private cars circulated freely all day. Many public offices and commercial businesses were open. Several people were wounded, journalists aggressed and material destroyed during last week's trouble. Nearly a dozen private vehicles were burned and vandalized as well. Students started the demonstrations last week as a protest to a strike called by public school teachers. The demonstrations degenerated into riots with police intervening with tear-gas canisters and shots in the air to restore order.; In a public notice released Monday, Pierre Max Antoine, Justice Minister, said he 'deplored the acts of violence perpetrated against citizens and public property.' He assured the population that everything necessary would be done to insure their protection and well-being. He also said that the 'authors and accomplices of the acts of sabotage, fire and government property will be investigated, arrested and judged according to the law.'; The State Prosecutor of the civil court in Port-au-Prince, Jean Auguste Brutus, announced his decision Tuesday to follow-up on the recent acts of vandalism. "Certain acts posed by these individuals shows that they have nothing whatsoever to do with the student protests," Mr. Brutus said; Non-identified individuals have infiltrated the student movement, searched cars and vandalized down-town buildings, according to witnesses. The individuals have seized authorized weapons and stolen money and objects of value. Prosecutor Brutus responded to the public threats and calls for violence from representatives of popular organizations by saying that they could be brought to trial for this. Vanes Cherestal, leader of a popular organization called CONAPOP, said his movement to oust Prime Minister Smarth was not a peaceful one. "We want the government out at any cost and won't exclude any method," said Mr. Cherestal. Meanwhile teachers of public schools in Jeremie and the surrounding areas did not return to work Tuesday, unable to resolve their differences with the government in a meeting Monday afternoon. The Departmental Delegate, Brierre Nazaire, met with the teachers' association and parents Monday to try to persuade the teachers to return to work. Meanwhile business and public activities slowly returned to normal in the metropolitan areas of the Grande Anse.; Teachers across the country are demanding back-pay from the government according to an agreement signed last February with the Minister of National Education.

Deputies' Finance and Budget Commission And Government Officials Meet to Discuss the School Crisis>: Port-au-Prince, May 21, 1997 -(AHP)-; The Finance and Budget Commission of the of the Lower House of Representatives met Wednesday with the Finance and Education Ministers, as well as the head of the economic and Social Assistance Fund (FAES), Monique Pierre-Antoine, to discuss the rehabilitation of 133 public schools.; The program will cost about US$3,000,000 and be covered by FAES; about US$20,000 per school. Meanwhile the Chamber of Deputies met Wednesday with teachers' associations and parents of students for the second consecutive day to discuss the school crisis, which has left the system paralyzed for the last two weeks. No solution has thus far been reached.; The Lycee Petion announced Tuesday that on May 26 there will be peaceful march in the memory of their peers who were shot last Thursday during a demonstration when police intervened. But to date no parent has made any declaration supporting this statement, nor has the General Hospital confirmed the death of any student. Students are asking the government to take the necessary measures to find a solution to the crisis in order to save the academic school year.; They are specifically asking for the resignation of the Education Minister and the back-payment of teachers' salaries. In Leogane, 33 kilometers south of Port-au-Prince, students from the Lycee Anacaona went on a hunger strike Tuesday to demand that their school reopen. Meeting at the National Palace to resolve the education crisis; President RenÈ PrÈval met Friday at the National Palace with departmental directors, inspectors and directors of different schools around the country to resolve the public school crisis.; The meeting, held in the presence of Delegates and vice-Delegates, allowed the Education Minister, Jacques Edouard Alexis, to make some points on negotiations with the teacher's groups who had signed a protocol agreement.; The accord approved the liquidation of back-pay for public school teachers and an 82% increase in salary and improved administration of public schools.; Mr. Alexis favors improved coordination between the Ministry and other regional and local groups. He promised that the problem would be resolved progressively.; Directors of public schools said that certain problems were at the level of public establishments. others complained about the lack of infrastructure and teaching materials.

St. Marc, May 20, 1997 -(AHP)-: The police of Saint Marc (100 kilometers north of Port-au-Prince) brutally dispersed a demonstration Monday organized by teachers, students and parents demanding 18 months back-pay of teachers' salaries. A teacher and a student were beaten by a wooden stick during the police intervention. A parent was detained and then released.
Les Cayes, May 20, 1997 -(AHP)-: About 100 people, including teachers, students and their teachers demonstrated Monday in Les Cayes to demand the application of an agreement signed last February between the Ministry of Education and teachers' organizations. The agreement states that salaries will increase 82%.

Justice Minister Pierre Max Antoine announced that actions will be taken against those people who declared that students were killed during a demonstration organized by the schools of Port-au-Prince. He said he would set up an independent commission to study these allegations.