Posted on 02/20/2004 4:50:32 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
When opponents of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide gather this weekend in yet another rally to demand his resignation from office, Haitian Americans won't be the only ones voicing their contempt for the embattled leader.
Joining them will be Cubans, Peruvians, Argentines and Venezuelans -- all of whom are pressing for a variety of political agendas in their home countries.
''We want to send a message: We don't want any more dictators. We want liberty in the Americas,'' said Samir Mourra, a South Florida Haitian-American businessman and Aristide opponent who today will announce the formation of the Coalition of the Americas.
The brainchild of several regional immigrant activists, the coalition was formed in the hope of sending a clear message to the United States government and the international community that it is time to restore true democracy to the hemisphere, supporters say.
While the political climates vary in each country, they are all states embroiled in economic and political upheaval. The unusual partnership underscores the diversity of South Florida's expatriate communities and their involvement in issues in their home countries.
''We all have something in common: totalitarian dictator governments and a fall of democracy in our countries,'' said Betina Rodriguez Aguilera, founder of New Generation Cuba and a member of La Unidad, an exile group pushing to end Fidel Castro's rule on the island.
''People often refer to us as Latin America and the Caribbean, but we are all part of the same American continent,'' she said. ``We are all in this together.''
In Venezuela, critics of President Hugo Chávez say he is trying to impose an authoritarian, Castro-style regime, though his supporters say he is sticking up for the poor. In Argentina, President Néstor Kirchner is struggling to overcome an economic crisis that has left millions without jobs. And in Peru, President Alejandro Toledo's approval rating has dropped into the single digits as he reshuffles his Cabinet for the fifth time in an effort to overcome a political crisis.
Antigovernment rebel forces in Haiti have seized several towns since Feb. 5, the latest manifestation of a three-year political crisis.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.