ARTICLE - ANTI-MARTELLY PROTEST - PARL.

ANTI-MARTELLY PROTEST AT PARLIAMENT
(Defend Haiti) -

PORT-AU-PRINCE – On the occasion of the opening of legislative sessions and the state of the union address of President Michel Martelly, a crowd formed outside of the parliament and, for the first time, chants against the head of state were heard.

Neither as an artist, a presidential candidate, or so far as a president, had President Martelly ever been received by a hostile crowd.

The protesters outside of the parliament chanted “aba Martelly”, down with Martelly....

The crowd of men outside were former employees of TeleCo, the state-owned telecommunications company that was purchased by a Vietnamese company and is now called NatCom. The group has set up large protests in the past over the past year in demand for 36-months of back-pay that they claim they are due.

The men did not leave demands at just for back-pay but asked that Michel Martelly be removed from office for holding nationality in other countries.

To this day, the claims are only allegations launched by a senator who says that Martelly holds citizenship in the United States and Italy, and that three (3) other ministers also hold other nationalities.

Although President Martelly would have not been able to run for the presidency of Haiti if he held a foreign nationality, the recent decision by the Head of State to dissolve the Provisional Electoral Council because of fraud, has only exacerbated the suspicion that it could be possible.

The men also held out other issues against the Head of State, including his spending and his selection of family members and friends in government.

The fact that the state claims to have spent $10 million [US] during Christmas giving toys and money to the population rather than paying the former employees, was not lost on the protesters.