ARTICLE - SEN. BENOIT - 2012 - YR. OF CRISIS

2012, A YEAR OF CRISIS, PREDICTS SENATOR STEVEN BENOIT
(Haiti Libre) -

PORT-AU-PRINCE – "The crisis is latent. It will burst at the opening of the Parliament’s first session in January," predicted early on Monday, the first senator of the West Department.

Among the topics that will fuel the crisis, the Parliamentarian mentioned the amended Constitution, the charges relating to dual citizenship against prominent government members and the explosive National Education Fund issue.

"Under which Constitution’s rule are we today? Have we dropped the constitutional amendment passed in May 2010 by an overwhelming majority by the Haitian Parliament," asks Steven Benoit (Ouest/Alternative) whose words are quoted by the Haitian daily Le Nouvelliste.

According to the West Department Senator, the president of the National Assembly, Jean Rodolphe Joazile (Nord-Est/Alternative), Premier Garry Conille and President Michel Martelly shall speak clearly on this matter. MPs and senators who voted on this text will not allow their vote to be trampled on, protested the senator.

Nothing should have prevented the publication of the amended text in the State Journal “Le Moniteur”, argues Steven Benoit, who fears the emptiness in the Senate of the Republic this year. "With 30 members, the Senate finds it difficult to operate; with 20 it will be worse, said the West Senator, who argues for the creation of a Permanent Electoral Council as provided for in the amended Constitution. This institution will hold the next election and avoid an empty parliament."

Steven Benoit rejects the idea that the next elections are be held by the Provisional Electoral Council; that, in general, he said, works for the benefit of the party in power.

The Issue of Dual Nationality

"A president can’t hold three passports. This is a serious matter. He must be punished. But we are not at that point yet, "said Steven Benoit, who expects that Senator Moise Jean Charles (Nord/Inite) will provide the evidences he claims to have on this issue...

With his experience as a former member of the commission who worked on the issue of nationality of two deputies in the Lower House during the 48th Legislature, Steven Benoit takes the matter very seriously. He invited his colleagues to have the same behavior.

The FNE, another explosive issue

Among the issues that are likely to fuel the crisis, there is the National Education Fund (FNE). There is a gap of more than $ 20 million in the fund to finance the program of free education, said the president of the Anti-Corruption Commission in the Senate of the Republic, referring to the revelations of the head of the Digicel in Haiti, Denis O'Brien.

In a meeting with the Finance Committee of the Senate of the Republic in December, the Governor of the Central Bank, Charles Castel, had indicated that there was in the account of the FNE $ 4.8 million generated by taxes on transfers. Taxes levied on telephone calls are not managed by the Central Bank, he had also indicated.

According to the president and officials of the Ministry of Education, 903,000 children have already benefited from the program. Where do these figures come from, asks Steven Benoit. The Senator intends to invite the Minister of Education and Training to provide evidence about the information for the West department... The Parliament invited his colleagues to do likewise for their departments.