ARTICLE - PARLIAMENT - WE ARE WORKING

PARLIAMENTARIANS INSIST THE PEOPLE'S WORK IS STILL BEING DONE
(Defend Haiti) - by Samuel Maxime

PORT-AU-PRINCE - Parliamentarians of the Republic insist that the government is still working for the people of Haiti. This came after comments from Senator Jean Hector Anacacis who said of the government that "it's totally dead."

The people's government has become dysfunctional without a prime minister in place. President Michel Martelly after having two choices for the seat rejected by parliamentarians has not met with members of parliament to consult on a third one.

Senator Anacacis arrived at the National Assembly to find empty seats to which he was quoted as saying "Me, I came here today for a meeting, but there is no meeting, tomorrow there won't be a meeting, the day after tomorrow there won't be a meeting - for what reason?"

Senator Simon Desra Dieusel disagreed with his colleague, Anacacis, and said:

"On the agenda for tomorrow, since we finished the case of the prime minister, was an audience with the BRH (Bank of the Republic of Haiti)."

"Two days later, and I am speaking of the day before yesterday, we had an audience with the BNC (National Bank of Credit)."

"The gentlemen are working."

"Because a prime minister is not ratified today there is not a meeting in the National Assembly going on but all the commissions are working."

The Metro News footage of the National Assembly with empty seats on what would be a normal workday was a telling image of where things are. The news crew spoke to the President of the Chamber of Deputies to see if the people were being served by their representatives.

Seemingly a bit perturbed, the President of the Chamber insisted that work was being done:

"The question of having meetings is a finality, it is one of the main jobs of the chamber."

"Conferences with the president, we are working normally, all the decisions, all the things that we have to do."

"We have several commissions that are working to give reports. But it is true that there are not truly meetings being held but the chamber is working."

"Today I received a report from the Commission on Health, that you too, received already. There is also the Commission on Agriculture that is working, the Commission on Justice that is working, there are a series of commissions that are working."

"There are also special commissions that we formed and they're working and we're awaiting their reports."