My beloved Linda, Thank you for your vote of confidence, and I...

My beloved Linda,

Thank you for your vote of confidence, and I am exceptionally flaterred.

Linda, politics has always been a big facination and an intriguing faturation to me. I just love politics.

Linda, just between you and me, my faturation for politics started long before I was was forced out of Haiti in the 70s due. Let me say that I had a big mouth.

I had no tolerance and no patience for the Duvaliers's governance methods, and so I became a ferocious critic of the government, I was only a young man in my very early 20s.

To shut me up, I was asked to become a government agent.

I remember the day the militia comandor with 2 other makout came to my house aiming to shoot me for refusing to join the government.

I then met the qualification of being a "Kamoken."

After hiding in the bushes for 2 long weeks, I finally got on a 25 feet boat (batiman) with 78 other people headed to Florida.

It was during Jimmy Carter administration, back then the United States was very friendly to Haitian refugees, we were all welcome.

I was home sick for years.

I lost no time returning to Haiti only a few months after the fat pig, Jean-Claude, left the country.

The trip to my hometown was very overwhelming to me due to the bad living condition my people were unduring.

I took matter into my own 2 hands, upon my return to the state, I was able to get them humanitarian help in 1989. In 1995, I was able to build a clininc with the help of some folks from upstate New York to provide them with basic health care. And today, the project also provides education assistance and economic development to all people in town and its surroundings.

As much as I am burning with the disire to be able to provide a better life to all of my people and make Haiti the paradise of the caribbean and reclaim its title "The Pearl of the Antilles" once again, I feel powerless, unfortunately.

And to answer your question, no, I cannot run for any public office in my native country, Haiti.

I do have the back up that I would need to accomplish it, believe me, but I can't.

Two months ago when I went to Haiti, everybody in my hometown demanded that I run for parliament or the senate in 2011. They told me not to worry regardles what my citizenship status would be, "we have the power to send me to the parliament or the senate", they told me. It was very painful when I turned them all down.

Linda, citizenship status is not the only factor that could bring pain to a diaspora who is running for public office in Haiti, there is what's called "wanga" (black majic), which constitutes the most lethal wapon your oponent would use to get the rid of you faster.

Political competition in Haiti is not about providing a much better product, a better alternative, or a better approach than your opponents, it is about getting the rid of your opponents using every means necessary.

Politics is the most brutal and cruel business in Haiti and I don't want to die yet.