wfn.org | Christians get involved in Haitian elections

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

May 30, 2000 News media contact: Linda Bloom·(212)870-3803·New York
10-31-71B{256}

By Nathalie Baud*

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (UMNS) - Churches played a significant role in the
nation's May 21 parliamentary elections, despite a climate of fear and
violence.

In an April 3 message to the nation, the Catholic and Protestant churches of
Haiti reminded the authorities of their duty to organize elections as soon
as possible. This was the first time the religious groups had publicly taken
a joint stance in Haiti, and the step underlined the gravity of the
situation and the extent of the churches' concern.

For several years, Haiti's Christians have been involved in a major civic
education effort. The country's democratic institutions have been suspended
for over a year, and Haiti's Protestant churches have mobilized as never
before to press for the holding of democratic elections and to prepare the
people for casting their vote.  

The Haitian Protestant Federation (HPF), including Methodists, Baptists,
Episcopalians and other denominations, used the medium of radio to encourage
Christians to exercise their civic rights.

For years, "Radio Lumière," an evangelical radio station funded by HPF with
a large audience in Haiti, has produced a daily civic education program
called, in Creole, "Haiti Plus: Pou' le monde changer!" ("to change the
world").

The phone-in program has drawn some 30 callers daily to the Radio Lumière
switchboard to talk about concerns. An invited guest, always a committed
Christian, answers them. Using gospel themes such as "You are the light of
the world," the program sets out to convince Haitians that they can take
their destiny into their own hands and that Christians should get involved
in politics. 

Six other radio stations in Haiti have produced similar types of civic
education programs. Radio Lumière and other stations broadcast the last
programs of this kind on April 3, the day on which celebrated Haitian
journalist Jean Dominique, who ran the radio station "Haiti Inter," was
assassinated. 

HPF trained more than 500 young leaders who, in turn, became engaged in
civic education in all the parishes in the country. Haiti has a 55 percent
illiteracy rate, and more than 29,000 candidates were listed for election.
The young leaders aimed to equip people to decide for themselves whom to
vote for and why. They encouraged voters to elect candidates who had already
done something useful in political and public life and to inquire into the
honesty of the candidates standing for election.

The Haitian churches were active in organizing the monitoring of the
parliamentary elections. Two hundred international observers traveled to the
capital city of Port-au-Prince, but Haitians also decided to set up a
citizens' observer mission. With 30,000 national observers, 1,000 of them
directly recruited by the churches, this was the first election in Haiti to
be held under close supervision by the people themselves. HPF Chief
Executive Edouard Paultre estimated that 40 percent of the Haitian observers
were committed Christians.  
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*A longer version of this story was distributed as a press feature by the
World Council of Churches.

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United Methodist News Service
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