26005: Hermantin(letter to the Editor)Tycoon in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted Thursday August 18, 2005

Miami Herald


Tycoon in Haiti

Re the Aug. 17 story CEO seeks new job: the president of Haiti: It would be a 
coup indeed if Dumas Simeus became president of Haiti. As a Texan, a friend of 
President Bush's and a wealthy contributor to the Republican Party, the Bush 
administration could not have a better candidate.

As a U.S. citizen, however, Simeus is barred from becoming a candidate in 
Haiti's election because he is not and cannot be a Haitian citizen. Article 
13(a) of the Haitian constitution states: ``Haitian nationality is lost by 
naturalization in a foreign country.''

Haiti does not allow dual nationality. In addition, he renounced his allegiance 
to Haiti as he was required to do to become a U.S. citizen and is therefore 
barred by Article 135(a) of the Haitian Constitution from running for 
president. None of this should bother the Bush administration because Andy 
Apaid, a leader of the coup against Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is also a U.S. 
citizen. Apaid was funded by the U.S. government through Group 186.

What a spectacle: One U.S. citizen topples the democratically elected 
government in Haiti, then another runs for president!

IRA KURZBAN, Miami