ARTICLE - LAVALAS - DISCONTENT - MARTELLY

FANMI LAVALAS EXPRESSES DISCONTENT WITH MARTELLY AND POLITICAL CRISIS
(Defend Haiti) - By Samuel Maxime

PORT-AU-PRINCE - Fanmi Lavalas political party leader, Rony Timothée, expressed discontent with President Michel Martelly and the political fallout following the arrest of Deputy Arnel Bélizaire (Delmas & Tabarre/Veye-Yo) characterizing it as hostilities towards former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Timothée described the arrest as an affront against former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide recalling that the two held a meeting of reconciliation not two weeks before the arrest and that Bélizaire is considered a member of the party.

"We always said that we do not accept the meeting with President Aristide and Mr. Martelly because we knew this meeting would not result in anything but what you saw happen here [arrest of Bélizaire]."

"You have to understand that Mr. Martelly finished meeting with President Aristide and it hasn't been a month and Mr. Martelly goes and arrests a Lavalas deputy in function. This means to say, he knew where he wanted to go with President Aristide."

The party representative, Timothée, found the resolutions passed in the parliament, those calling for the interpellation of members of the Martelly-Conille government, appropriate.

"Today, the chamber of deputies has taken a resolution to not recognize the legitimacy of a series of ministers in power. This is good."

"The senate of the republic, ... they have taken a resolution where they will investigate the nationality of ministers in power. This is good also."

Outside of Fanmi Lavalas, Mr. Timothée has personally expressed concerns about the role of Roro Nelson in the executive.

"Me, personally, I am asking what role Mr. Roro Nelson is playing in the country, because I see he has a convoy, ... he has a number of police in front of him,... a number of cars behind him,.... a number of police behind him."

"I am of the understanding that the constitution does not permit Vice-Presidents,... so he must tell us,... what is he,... is he the Vice-President or something else?"

Fanmi Lavalas says it stands behind the parliament in whatever decision they decide to take, even as far as impeaching the Head of State.

"For all these reasons, we all stand behind the parliament and behind whatever resolution that it takes. Whether it is a resolution to remove Mr. Martelly from power, whether it is a resolution to arrest all of them who hold double nationalities and are doing what they want in the country..."

The representative for Fanmi Lavalas is concerned about the mobilization of the Haitian army and the expenditures of it, as well as others, calling on even the international community to wage an investigation into the Martelly-Conille government's finances.

"...now these guys are bringing up talk about an army. This $95 million dollars,... we have something to say about it. We must ask 'where have these gentlemen found this kind of money?'"

"And we also ask the international community to carry out an investigation into where Mr. Martelly found this money, because he hasn't discussed money with anybody."

"Today, the people live in the streets, ... they are under tents, ... under umbrellas, ... money is being spent... many men are entering their entourage and they are giving them food everyday, they're giving them fresh suits to wear even though the national journal has already said that Mr. Martelly won't take the country anywhere but into the mud..."

Mr. Timothée also criticized the public education program of the president saying:

"...the situation of the people, ... they can't send their kids to school... there is not free education for these children."

President Michel Martelly has called for reconciliation in the month of October by meeting with many of the living former Heads of State. Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a particular president who Martelly had not always seen eye-to-eye.

The Fanmi Lavalas party still remains popular in Haiti but the political party has not been allowed to participate in any elections since the exile of their leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, in 2004.