Martelly's pick Rejected
PORT-AU-PRINCE — The Haitian parliament rejected the nomination of Daniel-Gerard Rouzier to serve as prime minister, in a blow to new President Michel Martelly.
More than a month after Martelly took up the reins of power in the quake-hit Caribbean nation, Haiti still lacks a legitimate government, after prime minister Jean-Max Bellerive and his cabinet resigned.Forty-two deputies voted against Rouzier's nomination, most of them members of former president Rene Preval's Unity Party, while 19 deputies voted for him and three abstained.
"We will write to the president to let him know the Chamber of Deputies has rejected Daniel-Gerard Rouzier's nomination as prime minister, and ask him to nominate a new prime minister," said speaker Saurel Jacinthe.
In debates before the vote, several deputies expressed concern that Rouzier was a businessman, pointing to a possible conflict of interest if he became prime minister.
Rouzier, who is close to Martelly, studied in the United States and has a masters degree in accounting, founded E-Power, a company that supplies many Haitians with electricity and holds government contracts.
Critics had also hammered him for being the honorary counsel general of Jamaica, a post that had functions, some lawmakers argued, that were incompatible with him becoming prime minister.
Rouzier, a married father of three who has written two books, "The Power of Ideas" (2002) and "To Believe, Love and Hope" (2006), is described in his biography as an avid book and art collector, especially on Haitian subjects.
As he was sworn in as president in May, Martelly vowed to "change Haiti," promising to restore order and confidence in a country struggling to emerge from one of the most destructive earthquakes of modern times.
Much of the capital was leveled in a magnitude 7.0 quake in January 2010 that killed more than 225,000 people and left one in seven Haitians homeless, a devastating disaster for a country that was already the poorest in the Americas.
Seventeen months on, the pace of reconstruction is painfully slow for hundreds of thousands of traumatized survivors who lost everything and are forced to subsist in squalid tent cities around the still-ruined capital.
Observers had predicted that Martelly would face an uphill struggle to form a government and navigate the often treacherous currents of Haitian politics.
He has just three members of his own fledgling Repons Peyizan party to work with in parliament as he looks to forge deals with Unity, Preval's ruling party that firmed its grip on power in the legislative elections.
First-round presidential election results led to deadly riots in December after Martelly was said to have finished third and out of the race. An outcry led by the United States ushered in a team of international monitors who found massive fraud in favor of the ruling party candidate.
Preval's handpicked protege Jude Celestin was eliminated from the race in February and Martelly was reinstated to compete in a long-delayed run-off against former first lady Mirlande Manigat.
"His papers weren't correct," said Patrick Joseph, a deputy with Unity, the political party of former President Rene Preval. "We need to stop wasting time, and they need to submit an appropriate choice to be ratified."
Kenston Jean-Baptiste, a deputy from a little-known political party, accused the opposition of wanting to hang on to power.
"Those who voted against (Rouzier) don't want to share the cake," Jean-Baptiste said. "The people who are used to blocking the country will continue blocking the country."
Kenneth Michel, an adviser to Rouzier, declined to comment on the rejection, only saying that "parliament is parliament and parliament has its rights."
Haiti's next prime minister will play a key role in efforts to get moving with stalled reconstruction after the devastating damage of last year's earthquake.
This is a shame. Same people in power do not want Haiti to make progress. Bad begining for the country
ReplyDeleteVagabon sa yo ki pa vle bay peyi'a on chans ap join pa yo. Pito yo poze.
ReplyDeleteWhat a pity for Haiti. They don't want him because he is not black and stupid and his last name is not "MeciDieu". It's their lost and his gain. A man like him does not belong there anyway. that's why all the intellectuals are OUT. Good luck to this poor country.
ReplyDeleteWhat Now? If he was a thief and an assassin, I'm sure they would have voted for him. A man of such high caliber, a man who has everything going for him should not be among those people.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Canada, France, the United States would love to have him. They sure know how to appreciate a good thing, unlike those animals.
We lost our chance now. He would have been the ideal man for Haiti. Let's see what happens next. Back to the same old shut....
Mezanmi, sispann voye monte. Fok nou fe research avan nou pale anpil sou wall la. Tout moun konnen byen ke Rouzier se yon bon moun, men gen anpil bagay ke nou pa konnen de li.... Mr. Rouzier se yon membre nan Cabinet ministeriel nan Jamaica Se deja montre ke li pa vreman gen intere li nan Haiti. Deuxiememan, misye fe preske $1 million de dollars nan business li, li peye preske $600 dollars nan Tax. Tax Evasion is a CRIME.
ReplyDeleteEpi nan 21 documan parleman an te mande li, li remet selman 18... I don't know what you guys are expecting from Rouzier, but for me He's Fine as the CEO of E-Power. He needs to focus on helping Haiti get Power 24/7 instead of worring about the Haitian Government.
I hope you guys learn something new from my message, and rethink a little bit. Thanks!
Well put Jackiecell. I doubt that a national can have full fiduciary to Haiti as President while serving the interests of a foreign master. and those who call Haitians animals must remember that he too come from the same pit.very often they speak too fast, too strong and too loud without knowing a damn thing of what they are talking about, and that's a shame.
ReplyDeleteDaniel Rouzier would have been a good asset for the country, but too bad Il,ne ferra pas l'affair des kidnappers, c'est pouquoi ils refusent de le voter. Dieu est grand, un jour ou l'autre il debarassera notre Haiti de ces va-nu-pieds
ReplyDeleteThey want the president to buy their vote. The whole parliament is full of crooks like Preval who are look to fatten their own pockets.
ReplyDeleteI am extremely disappointed in the Haitian parliament for keep the country from progressing, as I listen to the interviews its a shame to listen to the discrimination of them so call knowledgeable law makes to defend the constitution of Haiti.As the said there is Education and Indication which i believe certain member in the parliament are Indicated.Its a shame so shame on you all the Haitian parliament for putting the reconstruction of the country on hold. I approve Michel Joseph Martelly and his surrounding government .Good Luck n God Bless you Ur excellency.
ReplyDeleteSooner or later the law of PLEINS POUVOIRS will have to be activated in order to move he country forward.The nation ca not remain hostage to a group of people eyeing only their personal interests.this government is for change and CHANGE IT WILL BE FOR THE GOOD OF ALL.
ReplyDelete