Haitians storm prez palace over soaring food prices

PORT-AU-PRINCE: Hungry Haitians stormed the presidential palace to demand the resignation of President Rene Preval over soaring food prices, and UN peacekeepers chased them away with rubber bullets and tear gas.

Food prices, which have risen 40 per cent on average since mid-2007, are causing unrest around the world. But nowhere do they pose a greater threat to democracy than in Haiti, one of the world's poorest countries where in the best of times most people struggle to fill their bellies.

"I think we have made progress in stabilising the country, but that progress is extremely fragile, highly reversible, and made even more fragile by the current socio- economic environment," UN envoy Hedi Annabi said on Tuesday after briefing the Security Council.

For months, Haitians have compared their hunger pains to "eating Clorox" because of the burning feeling in their stomachs. The most desperate have come to depend on a traditional hunger palliative of cookies made of dirt, vegetable oil and salt.

Riots broke out in the normally placid southern port of Les Cayes last week, quickly escalating as protesters tried to burn down a UN compound and leaving five people dead. The protests spread to other cities, and on Monday tens of thousands took to the streets of Port-au-Prince.

On Tuesday, demonstrators in the Capital set fires, barricaded streets and looted stores, and a crowd tried to break down the gates of the presidential palace, demanding Preval's resignation.

"We are hungry!" the crowd shouted. "He must go."

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Hungry Haitians stormed the presidential palace to demand the resignation of President Rene Preval over soaring food prices, and UN peacekeepers chased them away with rubber bullets and tear gas.

Once again Guyanese look like sissies when come to defend their basic right and necessities from their government.

You mean Government must give them food hamper like what the P.N.C. use to do.?

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Originally posted by Ken:
You mean Government must give them food hamper like what the P.N.C. use to do.?

No Sir, I am simply saying that food and other necessities must be affordable for the poor. Guyana is facing the same price gouging crisis that should be regulated by Govt.

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Originally posted by Prince Juno:

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Originally posted by Ken:
You mean Government must give them food hamper like what the P.N.C. use to do.?

No Sir, I am simply saying that food and other necessities must be affordable for the poor. Guyana is facing the same price gouging crisis that should be regulated by Govt.

You tell them how to do it. Unfortunately, ther are forces outside of any small, and large nation's control. Regulate food prices, then you kill off further production investments and give rise to black-market export. Then you do what the PNC did, establish cumbersome govt machinery to control it, then they mis-manage, steal and every thing goes bankrupt.

You people should thing before you come with quick and simplistic solutions. You see how Zimbabwe ended up trying to work against market forces and reality. This is voodoo economics, the type which the PNC is famous for. Your solution to such a crisis is typical of your type, storm, loot, burn, plunder to take what you want. It's no wonder you are in the situation you are in.

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Originally posted by baseman:

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Originally posted by Prince Juno:

quote:

Originally posted by Ken:
You mean Government must give them food hamper like what the P.N.C. use to do.?

No Sir, I am simply saying that food and other necessities must be affordable for the poor. Guyana is facing the same price gouging crisis that should be regulated by Govt.

You tell them how to do it. Unfortunately, ther are forces outside of any small, and large nation's control. Regulate food prices, then you kill off further production investments and give rise to black-market export. Then you do what the PNC did, establish cumbersome govt machinery to control it, then they mis-manage, steal and every thing goes bankrupt.

You people should thing before you come with quick and simplistic solutions. You see how Zimbabwe ended up trying to work against market forces and reality . This is voodoo economics, the type which the PNC is famous for. Your solution to such a crisis is typical of your type, storm, loot, burn, plunder to take what you want. It's no wonder you are in the situation you are in.

Must give the PPP credit in this regard. They are respecting market forces. Without a doubt price controls lead to black marketing and decreased production.

The solution lies in the Govt actively promoting food production by clearing more lands for large scale agriculture, ensure drainage and access to loans.

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Originally posted by BLACKBEARD:
?

No Sir, I am simply saying that food and other necessities must be affordable for the poor. Guyana is facing the same price gouging crisis that should be regulated by Govt.[/QUOTE]

You tell them how to do it. Unfortunately, ther are forces outside of any small, and large nation's control. Regulate food prices, then you kill off further production investments and give rise to black-market export. Then you do what the PNC did, establish cumbersome govt machinery to control it, then they mis-manage, steal and every thing goes bankrupt.

You people should thing before you come with quick and simplistic solutions. You see how Zimbabwe ended up trying to work against market forces and reality . This is voodoo economics, the type which the PNC is famous for. Your solution to such a crisis is typical of your type, storm, loot, burn, plunder to take what you want. It's no wonder you are in the situation you are in.[/QUOTE]

Must give the PPP credit in this regard. They are respecting market forces. Without a doubt price controls lead to black marketing and decreased production.

The solution lies in the Govt actively promoting food production by clearing more lands for large scale agriculture, ensure drainage and access to loans.[/QUOTE]


BB, go to sleep bro. You are correct, the solution lies in facilitating increased production vis tax and other fiscal incentices without tampering with the market forces. We all know, that is short term and creates bigger problems in the longer term.

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You people should thing before you come with quick and simplistic solutions. You see how Zimbabwe ended up trying to work against market forces and reality. This is voodoo economics, the type which the PNC is famous for. Your solution to such a crisis is typical of your type, storm, loot, burn, plunder to take what you want. It's no wonder you are in the situation you are in.

I don't think my statement concluded all of that. Our views and opinions may be differ on Guyana's politics/economics, etc, and we are free to express them as Guyanese or former Guyanese if you will, but we must not allow our self to get personal and describe one self as such over politics, regardless who is right or wrong. I believe a debate can be disagreeable and still be respectful. I am not an expert on Guyana's political/economic situation, but while you disagree with me, others will disagree with you. So, where does that leaves us?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Prince Juno,

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Originally posted by Prince Juno:

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You people should thing before you come with quick and simplistic solutions. You see how Zimbabwe ended up trying to work against market forces and reality. This is voodoo economics, the type which the PNC is famous for. Your solution to such a crisis is typical of your type, storm, loot, burn, plunder to take what you want. It's no wonder you are in the situation you are in.

I don't think my statement concluded all of that. Our views and opinions may be differ on Guyana's politics/economics, etc, and we are free to express them as Guyanese or former Guyanese if you will, but we must not allow our self to get personal and describe one self as such over politics, regardless who is right or wrong. I believe a debate can be disagreeable and still be respectful. I am not an expert on Guyana's political/economic situation, but while you disagree with me, others will disagree with you. So, where does that leaves us?

I dont wish to get personal, but you are the one who implied the use of "storming" techniques in Haiti is the way. You advocated the type of policy that brought utter failure under the PNC. It was these "direct intervention" policies under the PNC that drove the industry into the ground in Guyana and chased off many rice producers in the 70's and 80's. Now there is a global problem, what's your response, revert to those bankrupt and draconian policies. It's not simply a choice of two different approaches to a problem, it's a choice between a civilized 21st century behavior and that of a cave-man.

I recently posted an article here about tons of food aid rotting in Haitian ports because customs officlas wanted bribes to release it.

Tons of Food Aid Rotting in Haiti Ports
AP foreign, Thursday March 6 2008 By JONATHAN M. KATZ and JENNIFER KAY

Associated Press Writer

CAP-HAITIEN, Haiti (AP) - While millions of Haitians go hungry, containers full of food are stacking up in the nation's ports because of government red tape - leaving tons of beans, rice and other staples to rot under a sweltering sun or be devoured by vermin.

A government attempt to clean up a corrupt port system that has helped make Haiti a major conduit for Colombian cocaine has added new layers of bureaucracy - and led to backlogs so severe they are being felt 600 miles away in Miami, where cargo shipments to Haiti have ground almost to a standstill.

The problems are depriving desperate people of donated food. Some are so poor they are forced to eat cookies made of dirt, salt and vegetable oil to satisfy their hunger.

An Associated Press investigation found the situation is most severe in Cap-Haitien, Haiti's second-largest city. One recent afternoon, garbage men shoveled a pile of rotting pinto beans that had turned gray and crumbled to dust as cockroaches and beetles scurried about.

The men had found the putrid cargo by following a stench through stacked shipping containers to one holding 40,000 pounds of beans. It had been in port since November.

``So many times, by the time (the food) gets out of customs it's expired and we're forced to burn it,'' said Susie Scott Krabacher, whose Colorado-based Mercy and Sharing Foundation has worked in Haiti for 14 years. ``The food is there. It is available. It just can't get to the people.''

Though it is unclear how much of Haiti's food supply is tied up in the port delays, the effects could be serious. Haiti imports about 75 percent of its food supply, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And there is little room for error in a country where the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reported that almost half the population was undernourished in 2002.

The U.N. World Food Program and large-scale U.S. rice growers say they have been able to get their food into Haiti by hiring local agents to handle bureaucratic procedures. But smaller charities, merchants and private citizens have often been forced by the delays to throw away containers of food or pay exorbitant fees.

The problems stem in part from efforts to clean up a port system the World Bank recently ranked as the second-worst in the region, ahead of only Guyana.

Before the changes were implemented last fall, bribes flowed freely and goods passed through unsearched and without duties being paid. That deprived the government of money and helped make Haiti a major transshipment point for Colombian cocaine destined for the United States.

The international community has encouraged Haiti's customs reform efforts, with the U.S. government helping fund port security and U.N. peacekeepers stepping up anti-smuggling patrols along the coast and Dominican border.

But new requirements for licenses and manifests in triplicate have overwhelmed poorly trained workers and the country's archaic, handwritten customs system.

Unlike U.S. ports, where less than 5 percent of containers were scanned last year and only a fraction of those opened up and inspected, Haitian cargo handlers said each container at Cap-Haitien must now be completely emptied and inspected. Customs chief Jean-Jacques Valentin said that policy was Haiti's own decision.

Frustrated by the new procedures and demanding higher pay, striking workers shut down the port at Cap-Haitien for 20 days in December. Graffiti denouncing the port's director still mars its buildings.

And despite the reforms, some say the bribes are continuing.

Jean-Paul Michaud, a Canadian, said he sailed to the capital of Port-au-Prince late last year carrying 60 pounds of donated clothing and medicine - and that port authorities demanded $10,000 in ``customs fees'' - code for a bribe to make the fees disappear.

``I'd have rather thrown the aid in the water,'' said Michaud. The Canadian Embassy intervened and the fee was later waived.

Krabacher's group says it has paid nearly $16,000 in fees in the first six weeks of 2008 alone, compared to $23,418 for all of 2007.

Lawmakers concerned about the situation questioned Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis about the port delays during a February no-confidence vote.

``There is a lot of work being done in terms of the ports,'' Alexis maintained. ``We are looking at a way to implement a 'fast-track' policy, so people can get their merchandise out more quickly.''

He also recommended splitting the National Port Authority into two agencies, one focusing on the logistics of port management and the other overseeing customs because he does not believe the current agency can handle both tasks.

Haitian President Rene Preval echoed those concerns in a speech to parliament in January, calling for a crackdown on illegal contraband and a lowering of exorbitant container fees that are three times higher than those in neighboring Dominican Republic.

While lawmakers haggle over the answers, precious food rots by the ton.

After opening the door of the orange container filled with rotting beans last month, the workers were hit by a revolting smell. They let the odor dissipate for a week before spending two days loading the beans into a flatbed truck and hauling them away for disposal.

The garbage collectors grumbled about the waste, with one saying he wished he could have taken the beans to his neighborhood before they rotted. The workers then went in search of a container loaded with spoiling rice.

Dimitri Torres, the director of container-handler Cap Terminal SA., said he doesn't even know who shipped the beans. They had already been transferred from one container to another during inspection and the shipping documents had disappeared.

Valentin, the customs chief, blames the backlog on shippers who are trying to skirt the new system. He said some intended to smuggle items into Haiti and avoid customs duties.

``They are people that weren't straight with not bringing contraband, and that's why they're making excuses and that's why things are slow,'' Valentin said.

Cap Terminal normally has about 50 containers at its yard next to the port, Torres said. More than 200 are now stacked up, at least half belonging to Miami-based Frontier Liner Services.

That company, like several others, has stopped shipping to Haiti until the delays are resolved and its empty containers are returned. Haiti-bound cargo traffic in Florida's Miami River is at a virtual standstill.

``We've had to lay off people,'' said Munir Mourra, president of Miami-based River Terminal Services. ``Pretty much all the stevedores on the vessels have been laid off.''

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Katz reported from Cap-Haitien and Kay from Miami.

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