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Dukens Raphael of the Confederation of Public and Private Sectors
Workers of Haiti (CTSP) in Vancouver last week
During the 47th annual convention
of the British Columbia division of the
Canadian Union of Public Employees
(CUPE) from April 21-24, CUPE
Communications sat down with guest
speaker Dukens Raphael, secretarygeneral
of the Confederation of Public
and Private Sectors Workersa of
Haiti (CTSP). This interview, which
was posted on CUPE’s website, was
conducted with the translation assistance
of CoDevelopment Canada’s
Carol Wood.
CUPE: What is the current state of the
rebuilding effort in Haiti?
RAPHAEL: As you know, there were
about 300,000 deaths, and the electricity
and telecommunications infrastructure
— in 75 to 80% of Port au
Prince — has been destroyed. There’s
been some effort around reestablishing
the electrical system. Phone service
has been reestablished to a certain
extent for cell phones, but land
lines are not working, and potable
water, drinkable water, has not been
established in the areas affected by the
earthquake. About two million people
are living in tents, with no shelter.
There are a lot of delinquents and insecurity.
People are not safe. Obviously,
if you’re living in a huge tent area,
people are stealing things, there’s
promiscuity, etc. But everything I’ve
been talking about is not the hardest
part. The hardest part for people right
now is the psychosis of fear, because
the rainy season has started already.
When the rains come, the tents won’t
hold. So the rain starts, then right after
that, it’s hurricane season starting
in June. So we are anticipating that
the situation will get worse. The reaction
of the people in government,
instead of coming forward with more
sturdy tents that would be more stable
for people in this season, was to just
spend millions of dollars on regular
tents. And they’re not going to be
useful.
CUPE: How have you been affected,
personally?
RAPHAEL: Everybody has been affected,
from labor leaders to workers.
Our union offi ces were completely
destroyed. Over eighty per cent of
schools have been destroyed. For example,
in the state university where
most students go, there were 13 faculties
and nine were completely destroyed.
The four that are left are too
dangerous to go into. It’s the same
with the health sector. Hospitals have
been destroyed. In all sectors, the
damage has hit everyone.
So the most urgent need right
away is proper shelter for the rainy
and hurricane season. The second priority
would be to better coordinate the
support that’s coming into Haiti. People
who need it most are complaining
every day on television or radio that
they are not receiving the help. Much
of the material aid that has arrived
can be found on the streets for sale.
So there’s been a lot of aid that has
arrived in the country, but that’s not
the problem — it’s that it’s not getting
to the people who need it.
CUPE: Whose fault is that?
RAPHAEL: It’s a problem with the
state. Everyone (aid agencies) just
arrives and they do what they want.
There’s no regulation. The state needs
to take responsibility and say who is
doing what, and where.
CUPE: Is the government even capable
of helping, given that it is in such
disarray itself?
RAPHAEL: It’s true that many government
buildings have fallen down.
And the government lost a few lives,
yes. But the government has the responsibility
to direct these things, to
take responsibility, to govern. There
are lots of things that come out in
international media about such “disarray,”
and the government uses the
situation as an excuse to not fully
take on the responsibility. Despite this
situation, there is a president, a prime
minister and ministers, and they are
still getting their salaries. So they
should do their jobs. If they can’t do
them, they should leave. What I’m
most afraid of is that we may end up
with a popular revolt. People can’t
sleep at night. There is nobody to accompany
them. The risk is that we’ll
see people in the street to solve their
problems. |
