CARICOM and Jamaica standing firm

[struggle4progress]

A letter of appreciation to CARICOM and the people and government of Jamaica

As Haitians and as members and representatives of grassroots organizations and institutions working for democracy and justice in Haiti, we take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation and gratitude to the people and government of Jamaica for their generous hospitality and kindness to the democratically elected President of Haiti and his family.

We thank Jamaica for standing firm, in the face of enormous pressure and intimidation, in not recognizing the un-elected government that replaced the constitutional president and government of Haiti through the bloody coup d'état of Feb. 29, 2004.

In this most challenging time for the people of Haiti since the first coup d'état (1991-1994) against Haiti's first democratically elected president, we take comfort in remembering that an African freedom fighter from Jamaica - who would come to be known as the most noble of all Haitians in history - first struck the blow that would eventually bring down both slavery and colonialism in the Western Hemisphere. Jamaica's courageous and principled support for the rule of law and democracy in Haiti reminds us of this shared revolutionary legacy.
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Thank you, Jamaica, for honoring the ancestors' greatest feat when few would dare. Thank you for showing respect for the one-person-one-vote principle. Thank you and the P.J. Patterson government for its generous and exceptional hospitality to the legitimate president of Haiti and his family during this most horrific time in the 200-year-old Haitian struggle for self-rule and sovereignty.
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http://www.sfbayview.com/052604/caricomandjamica052604.shtml