The Hobart Branch of the Socialist Alliance has expressed its complete solidarity with the people of Haiti after the extremely destructive earthquake, which has killed at least 100,000 people and has urged all Tasmanians to give all they can to the relief effort.

“Haiti is already the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, so for this to happen seems unfair and cruel to the extreme. The images and scenes emerging from the devastation have touched all the people of the world and Tasmanians are no different. We are urging all supporters of the Haitian people to donate what they can to the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund, which has given concrete aid to Haiti’s grassroots democratic movement since its inception in March 2004 and who will give aid to those most hit by the earthquake.”  Said Melanie Barnes, Socialist Alliance candidate for Denison.

In 2004, Haiti suffered a coup, where the popularly elected president Jean Bertrand Aristade was overthrown and was kidnapped with the support of the US and French governments. This was done, in part, because Aristade wished to raise the minimum wage above its paltry low level.  Haiti now suffers under foreign occupation, sanctioned by the United Nations.

“Obviously the first priority should be the relief effort but this should not blind us to certain realities, which has meant more people died than needed to. Haiti’s, inability to deal with the earthquake is a consequence of the poverty the nation faces but that poverty has emerged out of two centuries of brutal colonial and post-colonial oppression by the United States. Every attempt of the Haitian people to assert their independence, both politically and economically, has been brutally suppressed. So, while immediate aid is needed, the biggest aid the Australian people can give is help facilitate the self-empowerment of Haiti’s people and help bring about the nations true independence. The first step of which would be to end the foreign occupation” continued Barnes.

To donate to the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund go to: http://www.haitiaction.net