 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Port-Au-Prince (AFP) Feb 5, 2010 Their confidence in President Rene Preval shaken by the response to last month's devastating earthquake, Haitians say they long for the leadership of a Hugo Chavez, or Barack Obama or Fidel Castro. "Haitians adore Chavez and Obama, Obama sometimes more, sometimes more Chavez. Both of them should be our president," said Frank Royemon, a young Haitian working as a translator for a group of American journalists. And before the presidents of Venezuela and the United States burst on the international scene, he added, "Fidel Castro was the dearest here, always will be. He should bring the revolution to Haiti." At another spot in the city, in a small encampment of homeless people next to the Port-au-Prince prosecutor's office, Richeline Sylva, a 20-year-old mother of two, sighs. "Oh Chavez, he is very good and he says things that must be said," she said. Then she adds, "Like Obama. We were very happy when he was elected." "That the United States and Venezuela do not get along is not our problem, But both those presidents could be ours," interjected another young woman, who introduced herself as Geraldine. In the ruined streets of Port-au-Prince, it is easy to find people who express admiration for the presidents of the two countries among the most at odds with each other in the western hemisphere. "Do you think the United States is occupying us?" Paul McKenso, a waiter at a hotel in once upscale Petionville asked a group of foreigners. "Now is not the time to be asking ourselves this. At least someone is helping us, and although we adore Obama here, oooh, Chavez is formidable." The US military presence here is visible, distributing aid throughout the city. But the flag and shield of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela can also be seen in public works in some of the city's most miserable slums. "I think that if Chavez comes here, he can walk everywhere and nothing is going happen to him. Everyone knows him and respects him," said Royemon.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters A world of storm and tempest When the Earth Quakes
Haiti Earthquake: A Reminder That Disasters Are PreventableBoulder CO (SPX) Feb 04, 2010 Amid all the commentary focused on the historic tragedy in Haiti, a tough but important fact has gone virtually unmentioned, according to a nationally recognized expert on disasters at the University of Colorado at Boulder. "What is missing from the tragedy of disaster, and our response to it, is the recognition that disasters are preventable, that it is within the power of societies and c ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook