Le projet de Michele Pierre-Louis.

Pierre-Louis' task in Haiti: to revive a wounded nation

BY JACQUELINE CHARLES
If there is a metaphor that describes the challenges facing Haiti's newly ratified Prime Minister Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis, look no further than the Port-au-Prince neighborhood that once served as home to American dance icon Katherine Dunham.

Smack in the middle of squalor, in a neighborhood marred by years of gang violence, stands 30 acres of overgrown forest, fruit trees and clogged natural springs. They surround Dunham's famous but now rundown private residence, along with the dozens of bungalows and emptied swimming pools that once defined the world-famous Habitation Leclerc resort.

For the past year, Pierre-Louis has been quietly transforming the endangered estate in Martissant into a modern-day Eden, complete with a cultural center and botanical garden.

''It can be part of reviving a community, fighting against insecurity,'' Pierre-Louis, 60, told The Miami Herald back when armed gangs and squatters made her plan seem more like a distant dream than an achievable reality.

Pierre-Louis, a member of Haiti's privileged class, has risen above the country's rigid caste system to become one of its most respected grass-roots advocates and popular international speakers. Part of her appeal is her unflinching ability to tackle challenges.

''She is a progressive individual,'' said Jocelyn McCalla, a consultant and the former executive director of the National Coalition for Haitian Rights. ``She just hasn't been as visible. But she is thoughtful, dynamic and visionary.''

While most of the gangs have been disarmed and the squatters relocated since restoration began, rescuing the estate and an adjacent 10 acres remains a monumental task.

TROUBLED NATION

Even more challenging for Pierre-Louis will be trying to restore a nation of nine million people, afflicted by decades of turbulent politics, weak institutions and a global oil and food crisis.

Haiti is now in its fourth month without a fully functioning government following the April 12 firing of Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis and his government in the wake of deadly food riots.

Although the congratulatory notes confirm her official status as Madame Prime Minister after it was ratified by both chambers of Parliament, Pierre-Louis still faces a second round of voting under Haiti's Constitution.

To win the power to govern, the economist and educator must now do battle in Haiti's male-dominated and volatile political arena, where ongoing negotiations over the composition of her government have been marked by too many players and too little trust.

Since 1995, Pierre-Louis' vision has involved providing books to a country where most people can't read. Currently, her Fondation Connaissance & Liberté, or FOKAL, supports 35 libraries in Haiti. The foundation is an affiliate of billionaire George Soros' Open Society Institute (OSI), and it provides grants to universities, supports youth programs, and encourages dialogue and debate in a nation still struggling with the transition from dictatorship to democracy.

''I consider her among my greatest achievements in terms of hiring,'' Aryeh Neier, president of OSI, said of Pierre-Louis, whom he often calls on to help train other managers and evaluate development programs in the 70 countries where its programs are working.

With the exception of a three-year stint as the assistant general director of Haiti's National Airport Authority from 1979 to 1982, and an even briefer one as a member of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's Cabinet in 1991, Pierre-Louis has shied away from politics.

She has, instead, concentrated on working the trenches in many of Haiti's neediest communities in areas of literacy, rural economy, civic education and women's empowerment. She has also served as a voice for the youth.

When supporters of Aristide attacked students at the University of Haiti in 2003 -- students who were calling for the former president's resignation -- the usually low-key Pierre-Louis strongly condemned the violence.

''The incident reveals the government's hostility to higher education and to basic human rights, including the right to demonstrate peacefully,'' Pierre-Louis said at the time. While the tongue-lashing garnered the respect of students, it drew the ire of Aristide supporters.

A NOTED GRANDFATHER

Born in Jeremie, she is a divorced mother of an adult daughter, and the granddaughter of Ulrick Duvivier -- a member of Haiti's lower chamber in 1896, who served as chargé d'affaires in Havana and secretary of state of foreign affairs and public education before the U.S. occupation that began in 1915.

Supporters point out that Pierre-Louis, who is fluent in four languages -- French, Creole, English and Spanish -- and holds master's and doctoral degrees from U.S. universities, can work anywhere. Instead, she has chosen to remain in Haiti.

In a public address recently to outline her general policies, Pierre-Louis said Haiti has no shortage of deeply rooted social and economic problems -- so many that during the difficult ratification process, she questioned her decision to accept the nomination by Haitian President René Préval.

''My decision was not triggered by the desire to hold a position,'' she told reporters. ``My decision is rooted deep inside my commitment to my country.''

Haiti watchers say that while Pierre-Louis has proved herself to be an effective leader and formidable contender, how well she does -- if given the chance to govern -- will depend on her ability to manage conflicts with Parliament, to which she is responsible.

And then there is Préval, her longtime friend and business partner. The two have always shared a brutally tell-it-how-it-is relationship. Pierre-Louis' ability to maintain that, along with her own autonomy, alongside a president who is a known micro-manager will also dictate her degree of success.

Soros, who has put millions of dollars of his money into efforts to foster democracy in developing nations from Africa to Haiti, said that while overcoming the obstacles in Haiti will be difficult, Pierre-Louis can do it.

''She is a very dependable, level-headed, capable and devoted person,'' Soros said. ``She is scrupulously honest and very committed. If anybody can succeed, it is her.''





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

© 2008 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
ttp://www.miamiherald.com

La note finale, dans l'article comme dans la réalité, est réservée à Soros...

Vous avez tout compris Jude.

Helas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On peut avoir la version française de ce texte ou une tratuction.mon anglais est comment dire....
merci