By: Marcus Garcia - Haïti en Marche - Translation by HaitiAnalysis.com

THE BATTLE FOR 2011 IS OPEN

PORT-AU-PRINCE, April 13 - At the end of the vote of censorship taken against him on Saturday (April 12) in the Senate, the exiting Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis said that the country will always be able "to count on him."

This reminds us of a sentence attributed to the French ex-president Georges Pompidou, while Prime Minister of Charles de Gaulle during the events of May 1968, Pompidou was forced to resign.

Shortly after, the press lent him these afterwards famous words: "I am a republic reservist". Nevertheless, the historical Gaullists made him pay for it well. Booby traps for the future candidate were multiplying, of which the famous one "Markovic Affair", along with photo slides, to try to discredit the Pompidou couple. Ever since the expression: "Republic reservist" has been popularized

The last sentence of Alexis in the Senate seems then to send us back to it.

Strides of a Leader of State...

For everyone, Jacques Edouard Alexis is one almost natural aspiring candidate to the presidential elections of 2011. After being the head of René Préval government during two presidential mandates, he already has the stride of a leader of State. Both in the eyes of his fellow-countrymen and of international partners.

University formation and career scholar and tireless worker, the vote of the Senate surprises him between two trips abroad on governmental affairs, of which the last one brings him back to Washington where he was at once official of the OEA, along with financing institutions (meeting with the new number 1 of the FMO, Dominique Strauss-khan) and of the American government (meeting with Secretary of state Condoleezza Rice) to negotiate the new economic program realized with international partners under the name of DSNCRP (strategic national File for growth and poverty reduction).

All is well and ready for the summit of lenders planned for the 25th of this month (next week) in the Haitian capital to finalize this program of which Haiti hopes 2 billion dollars to begin with. Declarations of the Prime Minister Alexis on his return from Washington: "Protect me from my friends"...

Little beforehand, he represented Haiti at a historic summit of the Group Rio in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo (where the recent disagreement between Colombia and its two neighbors Venezuela and Equador was solved), and during which Haiti became officially a member of this important South American association. He also currently represents president Préval at the summits of our neighbors of the CARICOM.

The man begins to gain momentum at the international level.

But within the country, it is not as easy, and even darn difficult. Alexis heads a coalition government. Where, it is necessary to add, the contenders for the presidential elections of 2011 all naturally elbow each other (without counting the numerous others on the outside of Power, i.e., the Senate, for example). Now we know the precept: "My God, protect me from my friends, and as for my enemies I will take care of them!" Friends do not necessarily strike you, but they can hand you out to your enemies.

For example, to the senator Youri Latortue, a native of Artibonite just as Jacques Edouard Alexis and who, as everyone knows it, can't stand his fellow citizen even with a ten foot pole.

A "Leadership Power "...

Saturday was Youri Latortue's day of glory. The whole international press was suspended to its declarations in which they denounced the exiting Prime Minister, as having been a sort of puppy of René Préval, the senator of the L'Artibonite en Action party believes the constitution gives to the Prime Minister a true "leadership power".

Has Jacques Edouard Alexis been too complacent towards president Préval? Probably. For the hidden face of the vote of censorship of the senators is a certain number of frustrations with respect to the Préval-Alexis government.

Rising to power in May 2006, the new head of State has not, to this day, proceeded to any sizable restructuring within the Administration. Practically the same leaders, who arrived within the non-constitutional government of ex-premier minister Gérard Latortue, are the ones who fill again today the functions of delegates (or official representatives of executive office in the 11 departments), general directors and plenipotentiary ambassadors or general consuls...

Now Power is a game of "give and take" under all skies. Parliamentary officials (senators and representatives) always have pockets full of small bills, and many big or small contributions from their constituents.

The Préval-Alexis administration seems to make a point of honor at remaining closed to all contributions

The crabbing basket's political culture...

Furthermore, this administration is prompt to encourage reports on corruption (representative having declared 47 tires for his only car in a year. Common, we know that these tires disappear in a wink of an eye during parish fairs,,,)

Or yet the investigations on double nationality, etc.

So the Parliament replies by never letting the government breathe. Summons to no end, up to the fateful vote of Saturday, April 12.

But this is not nothing yet. More important is our crabbing basket's political culture. As soon as one tries to get out, all hang on to its claws and bring it back towards them. At the risk of everyone losing...or disappears.

On Wednesday, (and again Saturday) President Préval presented a program for the boosting of agricultural production that was already launched two months ago by the office of Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis (credits to the small producers and subsidies for up to 50 percent of the purchase of fertilizers and agricultural input etc.). Besides the community stores, university restaurants and others that could profit in this instance of the tons of food products offered today by "friends" countries (Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, France. ..), all that figuring in the announced emergency program, on Friday, April 4, by the Prime Minister after the explosion of the first riots in the city of Cayes (190 km south of the capital ).

Without the means of its politics...

But his declarations did not encounter the expected echo. Why? The population does not believe in the promises of the government leader because they never were followed by effect.

And even on the dawn of the riots, the check for a disbursement of 400 millions of gourdes, announced by Alexis, was not completely approved yet.

Did the Prime Minister lack the means of his politics?

Or, on the contrary, was he so afraid to commit a faux-pas that could harm his future ambitions? Maybe both.

In any case, a certainty: the foes-winners over Alexis, who they may be, surely will not be able to do better.

Georges Pompidou did not raise fear when general Charles de Gaulle took him as assistant during his crossing of the desert. This graduate of Normal Sup, ès Literature, Ph.D., director of Rothschild banks did not seem to be headed for a big political career. But endowed with fine intelligence, he also had known to surround himself with young people who will remain loyal to him even after his death. One of them was Jacques Chirac.

The only crime of Alexis...

In conclusion, to be a republic reservist is not easy to carry. And this is without doubt the only crime of Alexis. One only needs to see the embarrassment that characterizes the summoning letter of the 16 senators. It was said that it was necessary to bunch them all together on the eve of Saturday, April 12. To serve them the same meal, to have them attended by the same doctor for fear that one of them miss the rendezvous due to illness or catching some intestinal bug.

Haiti is a rare political jungle...Where the republic can be more easily assaulted (as roughly as on Saturday, April 12, 2008, for example) than while being "reservist" and no matter how brilliant it might be...