Tough warning to Préval and the Haitian gvt from Jean Jean Roosevelt

Tough words are coming out of this new song from famous Haitian singer Jean Jean Roosevelt.

"Be careful this time, chief" he says.  "We will forget all the money that were meant for schools, hospitals, roads, etc, but that went elsewhere.

This time, don't touch the money that is destined for the children of Haiti in this reconstruction effort."

Even though Pres. René Préval is fighting with all his might to get a hold on this massive foreign aid coming to Haiti after the January 12 earthquake, it is clear that the international community is very reluctant to give him any important role in the reconstruction except, of course, to sign the authorizing paperwork.

Things are so tight that the Préval government had to dip into the Petrocaribe funds to get its hands on over 165 million dollars that the children of Haiti will have to pay 30 years down the road.  You didn't know?

Well for those who 'really" didn't, this is how it works.

Haiti being given member status in the Petrocaribe group, Venezuela sell fuel to Haiti at current market rate.

Haiti pays only 50% of the bill and the other 50% goes into a fund that the Haitian government can use for social projects.   That 50% is not a gift but a loan to be repaid at a very low interest rate in 30 years.

Government projects may consist of roads, schools, hospitals, health centers, etc.  The only catch is to use it, the government must abide by governing rule that requires those projects to be made public at its initiation and to go into an open bid format.  The lowest bidder gets the contract.  But...

Yes there is a but.

In case of a state of emergency, the government does not have to abide by those governing rules.

They could give a check to anyone to buy anything and do any project.

Now try to understand why the audit requested by deposed Prime Minister, Mrs Michèle Pierre-Louis, still has not been made public.

Her last words when she was being forced out of office, "I request one audit by the 'Cour Supérieur des Comptes' and one by an independent firm on the spending of the 197 million dollars that were taken from the Petrocaribe funds".

That money was supposedly spent for relief and 'reconstruction' after the HANNA disaster in Gonaives Haiti.

Now to better understand,  state of emergency was declared with the help of the Haitian Parliament, and ...

You should know the rest by now.

Going back to more recent events, January 12, another 165 millions of dollars has been again taken out of that fund by the present administration.

The time limit for the preferred method of spending had run out and the President quickly asked the parliament to either renew or reinstate the state of emergency so that they could 'well' spend that money.
Please do not blame just the government.  The Haitian Parliament could have asked for the audit for the first 197 million that were spent.

Anyway, "words" may mean very little to a few.

But when those words are sung,
it starts making big noise to many.
And Jean Jean Roosevelt is starting to make BIG NOISE.


"ATTENTION CHEF" is what he sings.

Watch and Listen...