Haiti April 22nd 2004
HAITI -- (House of Representatives - April 22, 2004)
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Mr. MEEKS of New York: Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Meek) for his leadership and for his courageous battle to make sure that the people of Haiti are not forgotten, and that is really what this is all about, and that is why the leadership of the gentleman from Florida's focus has been not on the politics, not on what is in the best interest of this one or that one. His focus has been on what can we do for those people, those average everyday citizens that live in Haiti who have dreams and aspirations just like we do, who all they want is for their children to be able to have a better life, to be able to get an education, to be able to go to work to provide a living so that they can have a family themselves and live a life that is a life that is free of violence and that is free of the deprivation of food and human rights violations. And that is what this is really all about. It is about people.
And I am going to travel with the gentleman because he is going, and I know there is a bipartisan CODEL that will be leaving for Haiti tomorrow morning, and I have decided to change my schedule based upon his courageous trip that he has already taken, that he already visited, and he has gone out to not just the big cities. He has gone out to the side roads. He has gone out to the rural areas. He has gone out to where the people are.
And I want to just get a chance to get a feel of that so that we can make sure when we come back here that we can implement a kind of program and a kind of attention on Haiti that does not last just for 6 months, just for 1 year or 2 years, but something where it is sustained, 10, 15, 20 years, to establish a true and strong democratic institution, not for the United States of America, quite frankly, not for Canada, not for France, not for anybody else, but for the people of Haiti, that little country that is connected to the island of Hispaniola. We need to make sure that we do something for
those people, and I just appreciate the gentleman's leadership on that.
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Mr. MEEKS of New York. That is it, Mr. Speaker. I think if we do not create the kind of democratic institutions and help them go along, and not just America, I think that he said it absolutely right. Not just us, but with the help of the United Nations, with them involved, so that we can create a climate of security. Because only if they have security can they have elections, and then only with elections can they have a true democratic government. And I do not like to get into these comparisons to Haiti and Iraq and things of that nature. We know that there are substantial differences. But one thing that is clear is there is a question as to what people of Iraq want and wanted. There is no question as to what the people want. Yes, they want us and they want the United Nations there to help them. They are begging for us to do this. So this is not something that is imposed, and they are just saying, if you give us the window of opportunity to create a secure environment, we know what we want to do and we just need that kind of help, not just for a day or for a week, as I said, but where it is a continuous help, and just help us get on par with the Dominican Republic, for example. Forget being another United States.
Help us so that when it is time to negotiate trade agreements when we are doing the FTAA that we as a country can take advantage of it and we can create the jobs. As the gentleman appropriately said, we can fish on our own.
So we are moving now. We have got the FTAA coming. We have got some other pieces dealing with the Caribbean Basin Initiative. We have got various other trade agreements. And if we do not help now, these people could be left out. But if we help now, they can be included in. And guess what? It will be short-term pain for us for long-term gain for everybody because then they will not be dependent upon us. Our troops will not be necessary there. They then will become a prosperous neighbor, and we do not have to worry about people coming over in a boat trying to get to our Nation, trying to flee an island that should be one of the most beautiful islands in all of the Caribbean. That is what this is all about.
Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, they have some of the best beaches in the world, and the cruise ships used to go there all the time. Now there is a little small part of Haiti on the northern tip that is gated, secured, and they go there.
Does the gentleman from New York wish to share with us anything else this evening? Because I am going to close because I know we have an early morning and we have other Members who have to address the House.
Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Speaker, I will close with this: I will follow his leadership. He has been a great leader, and I think that the people of Miami, but more importantly, the people of Haiti, are well served by his leadership. I think he is doing this not in a political way, but in a bipartisan manner; and I look forward to being with him in the morning.
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