Aristide sparks mixed reaction
2004-05-31 22:39
Cape Town - "South Africa is becoming a haven for thugs and thieves," said human-rights academic Rhoda Kadalie about the arrival of Haitian former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in South Africa on Monday.
In an interview with the Natal Witness, Kadalie accused the South African government of "harbouring a whole lot of human rights violators - one of which is Aristide".
Kadalie said: "I am also sick of hearing that he is here because the African Union and the Caribbean Community asked South Africa to have him. So what?
"The other thing is that Aristide must be extremely rich, having raided the state coffers. Why must we pay for him
to stay here. It is a gross shame."
Political pressure mounted on the government on Monday after Aristide's arrival, with calls for them to reveal the legal authority they will use to allow him to stay and to disclose the costs of his stay.
'Royal treatment' is an affront, says DA
The Democratic Alliance formally objected on Monday to Aristide's arrival, calling him a discredited leader and a known violator of human rights.
DA foreign affairs spokesperson Douglas Gibson said: "The DA believes that because Haiti is so far removed from our national interest, we should never have become involved in its affairs in the first place.
"The fact that Aristide is going to be afforded treatment normally reserved for heads of state is a further affront to the people of South Africa.
"The DA firmly believes that money spent on Aristide would be far better spent on the pressing needs of the people of South Africa.
"The minister must divulge the exact provisions of the
Immigration Act used to grant Aristide entry into South Africa," said Gibson.
He said Aristide's arrival was not a cause for celebration, but rather an illustration of how out of touch the government was with the priorities of the country.
"His arrival - and the red-carpet treatment afforded him
- illustrates that the government is more concerned with the old boys club of presidents and politicians than it is with the people of South Africa."
Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder said the decision to allow Aristide to stay in South Africa at government's expense and for an unspecified time had not been properly thought over by the government.
"The only possible explanation for this decision is the unrealistic idealism of President Mbeki regarding black solidarity in the world.
What's it going to cost? asks IFP
Mulder said the correct decision would have been to allow Aristide accommodation in SA at his own cost and with a time
limit.
The Inkatha Freedom Party expressed the hope that Aristide's stay in SA would contribute to peace and stability in Haiti - but called on the government to disclose what Aristide's stay was going to cost.
Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille said on Monday that as long as the government was within its legal rights, she does not have a problem with Aristide.
"He should not be treated differently to any other
asylum seekers," she said.