Media

Haitian Journalists Association denounces the anti-democratic attitude of Martelly

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (defend.ht)-“The Head of State Michel Martelly has, once again, demonstrated his intolerance and disrespect verging on indecency against the press and against the society in general”, said the Association of Haitian Journalists (AJH) in a communiqué. The press organization called the corporation for solidarity and vigilance for new abuses of the Head of State who has made clear Friday his hostility vis-à-vis some media including Radio Kiskeya

Haitian journalists expressed outrage after the last scene of President Joseph Michel Martelly to Toussaint Louverture International Airport shortly before leaving for Venezuela against members of the Haitian press. The Head of State has, once again, demonstrated his intolerance and disrespect even verging on indecency against the press and against the society in general, by his conduct and the nature of his statements that exceed understanding, having nothing to do with the stature of a modern statesman, wrote AJH.

It is sobering to note that the president initially has willfully refused to answer a question asked by radio Kiskeya’s reporter, Alexis Eddy Jackson, on his nationality after identifying the media for which he works. Nobody should be surprised of such a behavior of President Joseph Michel Martelly, since it is not his first attempt. However, at the Association of Haitian Journalists, we wanted to believe that the head of state, after his intolerable abuses against the press in the first moments of his mandate and following the advice of his closest advisors communication and staff, would understand the work of the press and the reserves inherent to the office of head of state. Alas! Such was not the case. The President believes it’s necessary to impose his law information and dictate to journalists topics that should interest him and not the public.

How much time President Michel Joseph Martelly will still need to act as a true statesman, as a president, and set aside this false arrogance that seems to hide the limitations of the contradiction, and the inability of this wisdom the country needs in times of uncertainty and questioning? the press association wonders.

In a second step, President Michel Joseph Martelly, in response to a question from a journalist of Melody FM radio on the incidents in the residence of Prime Minister Garry Conille the evening of Wednesday February 1, unfortunately wanted to do the lesson for journalists. The President of the Republic would have liked that the questions are oriented according to his interests. Worse was to come when the head of state has chosen to sketch a gesture of profound contempt toward the journalists at the press conference before leaving. Enough is enough! The Association of Haitian Journalists once more protested in the strongest terms against such behavior that hardly correspond with the construction of the rule of law as hoped. Never, ever, the Haitian press will make the game of any power and satisfy the throes of a regime that thinks it could trample on the principles and republican ideals.

The AJH thinks appropriate to reaffirm its solidarity with journalists and media targeted by the thinly veiled attacks of the president and reaffirms its determination to lead the fight for a free and responsible press.

Port-au-Prince, Friday, February 3, 2012.

Jacques Desrosiers, Secretary; Yves Patrice Cherry, Deputy General Secretary, Pierre Marie Raphael, Administrative Secretary.