Grand-Anse’s National Road No. 7

OAS goes, anger and outrage stay!

By Yvon Janvier

English | French

Translated from the French by Dady Chery for Haiti Chery

For over a week, the anger mounted in Grand-Anse residents. The cause: the Brazilian company Construtora OAS Ltd, charged with the construction of Lot 2, Carrefour Zaboka – Jeremie of National Road No. 7, took off and left the work far from complete. To quell persistent rumors of a protest, local authorities scrambled to meet with officials from the company to take stock of the situation. Protests nevertheless took place the next day.

On the afternoon of Monday, August 6, 2012, Grand-Anse authorities met with OAS officials after the company unilaterally decided to break its contract with the Haitian government for the rehabilitation of an approximately 43-mile (69-km) road that links Jeremie to Carrefour Zaboka, farther south in the country. The meeting included Jeremie Mayor Ronald Etienne, Departmental Delegate Norman Wiener, Government Commissioner Antoine Rosny St. Louis [Recall that all the elected municipal government officials have been dismissed and replaced by presidentally appointed Interim Agents. DC], and for OAS Ltd, Guillermo Cocco and Savio Souza.

The latter had no communications office, and so it was the initiative of the local authorities that allowed them to confirm the rumor. Evidently Construtora OAS Ltd unilaterally stopped the ongoing work on National Road No. 7 and abruptly cut short its contract with Haitian and international donors: specifically, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). When the project manager of the Canadian agency was contacted the same day by Le Matin about the position of its institution on the issue, she said she did not yet have one.

OAS will justify its decision

According to what was reported in the local press, this sudden about-face by OAS was due to two major reasons cited by company officials. The first relates to a problem of expropriations that should have been done under the previous government before the work started. Before this condition was fully satisfied, however, OAS was as eager to capture the contract as a greedy child shown a cake. Due to compensations for damages in multiple expropriations, OAS now believes that, as a private for-profit with such a contract, and this was the second reason given, the institution recorded more loss than profit.

Mr. Cocco and Mr. Souza, however, wanted to reassure the public that nearly 65 percent ​​of the work on the 43 miles of road in the charge of OAS was already completed. This did not seem obvious to many Grand-Anse residents interviewed by the newspaper, who believe that the majority of the work is yet to be done, especially in dangerous areas like Corbera, Plaine Matin, not to mention the bridge on Riviere Glace, which continues to claim lives every rainy season.

Still, OAS representatives, whose work was supervised by Haiti’s Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communication (Travaux Publics, Transports et Communications, TPTC), justified the company’s actions by saying that it has received money only for work done. So, for the remaining 14 miles — this is yet to be confirmed by the Haitian state — the OAS had previously, according to a clause in the contract, posted a bond: in this case, a sum of money held by the State, to deal with any eventuality. The question remains, according to some observers, as to whether this sum, which is unspecified, can cover Haiti’s losses due to the OAS decision.

In addition, the company will pay in full its liabilities to its employees, including all statutory benefits, added the OAS representatives especially to reassure the local workforce that will be unemployed, along with the expatriates who will be terminated, they said. But some of the employees contacted by Le Matin brought up the rudeness, irresponsibility and mismanagement of the company that let them go without notice on Monday, July 30, 2012 as they prepared to start work.

At a briefing from local authorities — the icing on the cake abandoned by OAS — a press note was read by the Departmental Delegate and signed by TPTC Minister Jacques Rousseau. Through this note, the population of the great south was informed of the unilateral decision by OAS to terminate its contract with the Haitian State. In this statement, the minister assured the public that all measures will be taken by the government to continue promptly the work on National Road No. 7, especially since funding remains available.

Will there be enough there, observers still wonder, to appease a population unfortunately trained always to take to the streets to see that its needs are met by State officials? Will this initiative of the political and judicial authorities to meet with OAS to clarify the issue contain the growing anger of Grand-Anse residents?

This is the hope of both the Mayor, the Deputy Commissioner and county government, which have struggled to invite the population to remain calm. Anyway, as announced, on Tuesday, August 7, 2012, Jeremie residents took to the streets to express their displeasure and outrage, without violence. They denounced the complicity of some authorities with OAS and demanded that the State be firmer on the issue and resume the work as soon as possible.

This work, initiated since September 3, 2009, was funded to the tune of US $95 million by CIDA and IDB, which were also in charge of managing the funds. The rehabilitation of the Cayes – Jeremie road is split into two sections. On one hand, the Camp Perrin – Carrefour Zaboka stretch is handled by the National Equipment Council (Conseil National des Équipements, CNE). On the other hand, the Carrefour Zaboka – Jeremie stretch is handled by OAS, based in Brazil. The company originally scheduled completion of its assignments for the end of 2011, then it announced an extension until June 2012, and finally to August 2013, before suddenly opting to break its contract.

UPDATES

UPDATE #1, March 21, 2016. Construtora OAS Ltd, a Brazilian company that broke its contract with Haiti almost four years ago and left a half-finished road in Grand-Anse, Haiti, is now at the center of the Petrobras scandal that might send former President Lula da Silva to prison. OAS is charged with having renovated a beachfront triplex for Lula in Sao Paulo State as part of a money laundering scheme. In this scheme, Lula allegedly concealed his ownership of the triplex.

UPDATE #2, August 26, 2016. Enjoy the show as former Brazilian Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff take a cosmic fall worthy of Haitian divine intervention. For more than 10 years, the Clintons’ military occupation of Haiti enjoyed the assistance of Lula and Dilma. The Brazilian companies that backed them got to scoop up juicy no-bid Haiti reconstruction contracts for which they hardly needed to deliver any work. OAS Ltd, for example, got paid $95 million of aid money to build in southern Haiti, well away from the earthquake damage, a road that it left, without any notice, less than half finished. Currently OAS Ltd stands accused of being so grateful to Lula that it undertook, and presumably finished, $745,000 of work for him on a beachfront luxury three-level condo. On August 26, 2016, Lula, his wife, Marisa Leticia Lula da Silva, and the former OAS President, Aldemario Pinheiro Filho (Leo Pinheiro), were indicted. Dilma’s impeachment will come in a few days. Most Brazilians are happy to see their backs even as the West’s fake left cries coup, and its heroes are exposed for being probably nothing more than common thieves.

UPDATE #3, September 20, 2016. Brazil’s former President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was ordered today to stand trial for serving as the alleged supreme commander of the Petrobas money laundering scheme and for accepting an alleged $1.1 million in bribes that included a three-level seaside condominium from the construction company OAS Ltd. Hats off to the judge behind the Petrobras investigation, Mr. Sergio Moro, for his great service to his country and the world. This is the beginning of an irreversible descent to prison for Lula, who assisted Bill Clinton in 2004 in engineering a brutal United Nations military occupation of Haiti: a country that held no animosity toward Brazil and had even helped Simon Bolivar to liberate northern Brazil from slavery.

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UPDATE #4, April 4-7, 2018. Brazil’s Supreme Court, with a vote of 6 to 5 on April 4, decided that former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has been sentenced to 12 years and 1 month in prison by a lower court for corruption and money laundering, can be imprisoned and should not remain free during any additional appeals. Judge Sergio Moro of the 13th Criminal Court of Curitiba issued a warrant for Lula on April 5, which gave him until 5:00 p.m. on April 6 to appear at the Federal Police office in Curitiba to begin to serve his sentence. After some negotiations by his lawyers, Lula turned himself in during the evening of Saturday, April 7.

 

Sources: Yvon Janvier, jyvon21@gmail.com Le Matin (French original) | English version and updates by Haiti Chery

 

Grand’Anse – Route Nationale No 7

L’OAS laisse, colère et indignation restent!

Par Yvon Janvier
Le Matin

anglais | francais

Depuis plus d’une semaine, la colère des grand’anselais gronde. La cause, la compagnie brésilienne, Construtora OAS Ltd, chargée de la construction du lot 2, Carrefour Zaboka – Jérémie, de la route nationale No 7, s’en va en laissant des travaux, et pas des moindres, inachevés. Prévenant la rumeur de plus en plus persistante d’une manifestation de protestation, qui a quand même eu lieu le lendemain, les autorités locales se sont empressées de rencontrer les responsables de la compagnie pour faire le point.

C’est dans l’après-midi du lundi 6 août que les autorités grand’anselaises ont rencontré les responsables de l’OAS, après la décision unilatérale de ladite compagnie de rompre le contrat qui la lie à l’État haïtien pour la réhabilitation d’environ 69 kms de route reliant Jérémie à Carrefour Zaboka, plus au sud du pays. A cette rencontre se sont retrouvés, entre autres, le maire de Jérémie, Ronald Etienne, le délégué départemental, Norman Wiener, le Commissaire du Gouvernement, Me Antoine Rosny Saint-Louis, et pour l’OAS, Guillermo Cocco et Savio Souza.

Ces derniers, de toute évidence, ne disposent pas d’une cellule de communication. C’est l’opportunité de cette démarche des autorités locales qui a permis de confirmer la rumeur. L’OAS, a effectivement, cessé de manière unilatérale, les travaux en cours sur la route nationale no 7 et mis brusquement un terme au contrat le liant à l’état haïtien et aux bailleurs de fonds internationaux en particulier, l’Agence canadienne de développement international, l’ACDI et la BID. La responsable de projet de l’agence canadienne contactée le même jour par le journal pour s’enquérir de la position de son institution sur la question, a souligné qu’elle n’avait pas encore de réaction.

L’OAS justifie sa décision

Selon ce qu’ont rapporté les autorités locales à la presse, cette volte-face soudaine de l’OAS découlerait de deux raisons majeures évoquées par les représentants de la compagnie. La première serait liée à un problème d’expropriations qui auraient dû être effectuées sous le précédent gouvernement avant le démarrage des travaux. Or, avant que cette condition ne fût entièrement satisfaite, l’OAS s’était empressée de s’approprier le contrat [sic], tel un enfant trop gourmand mis en présence d’un gâteau. De dédommagements en dédommagements pour expropriations multiples, l’OAS estime maintenant, en tant qu’entreprise privée à but lucratif, avec un tel contrat, et c’est la deuxième raison évoquée, l’institution a enregistré plus de pertes que de profits.

Toutefois, ont voulu rassurer MM Cocco et Souza, sur les 69 kms de route à la charge de l’OAS, près de 65% des travaux ont été déjà effectués. Mais cela ne semble pas évident pour bon nombre de Grand’anselais qui, interrogés par le journal, estiment que le gros du travail reste encore à faire, notamment dans des zones dangereuses comme Corbera, plaine Matin, sans omettre le pont à jeter sur la rivière Glace qui continue de faire des victimes à chaque saison pluvieuse.

N’empêche, se sont justifiés les représentants de l’OAS, dont les travaux étaient supervisés par les TPTC, que l’entreprise n’a reçu de l’argent que pour les travaux réalisés. Donc, pour les 22 kms restants – ce qui reste encore à être confirmé par l’État haïtien – l’OAS avait préalablement, selon une clause du contrat, déposé une caution (en l’espèce, une somme d’argent), détenue par l’État, en vue de parer à toute éventualité. Reste à savoir, selon certains observateurs, si ce montant, dont la valeur n’a pas été exprimée, pourra couvrir les préjudices que subira l’État haïtien suite à la décision de l’OAS.

Par ailleurs, l’entreprise s’acquittera en intégralité de ses dettes envers ses employés, incluant toutes les prestations légales, ont ajouté ses représentants, pour rassurer notamment la main d’œuvre locale qui va se retrouver au chômage, en même temps que les expatriés seront révoqués, ont-ils souligné. Mais certains des employés, contactés par le Matin, évoquent l’inélégance, l’irresponsabilité et la mauvaise gestion de l’entreprise qui les a remerciés sans préavis, depuis le lundi 30 juillet, alors qu’ils se préparaient à se mettre au travail.

A ce point de presse donné par les autorités locales, la cerise sur le gâteau délaissé par l’OAS, est la note de presse lue par le délégué départemental et signé du ministre des TPTC, Jacques Rousseau. La population du grand Sud à travers cette note est informée de la décision unilatérale de l’OAS de mettre fin au contrat qui le liait à l’État haïtien. Dans cette communication, le ministre a assuré que toutes les dispositions seront prises par le gouvernement en vue de la poursuite des travaux, à bref délai, sur la route nationale no 7, d’autant que le financement demeure disponible.

Cela suffira-t-il, se demandent encore des observateurs, pour apaiser une population malheureusement éduquée à toujours manifester dans les rues pour voir ses besoins satisfaits par les responsables d’État ? Cette initiative des autorités politiques et judiciaires de rencontrer l’entreprise OAS, ltda pour faire lumière sur la question arrivera-t-elle à contenir la colère croissante des grand’anselais ? C’est le vœu tant du maire, du délégué départemental et du Commissaire du gouvernement qui se sont démenés pour inviter la population au calme. En tout cas, comme annoncé, le mardi 7 août, les jérémiens étaient dans les rues pour exprimer sans violence leur mécontentement et leur indignation. Tout en dénonçant la complicité de certaines autorités avec l’OAS, ils exigent que l’État soit plus ferme sur la question et reprenne les travaux le plus vite possible.

Ces travaux, lancés depuis le 3 septembre 2009, ont été financés à hauteur de 95 millions de dollars américains par l’Agence Canadienne de Développement International (ACDI) et par la Banque Interaméricaine de Développement (BID), chargée également de la gestion des fonds. Les travaux de réhabilitation de la route Jérémie – Cayes sont divisés en deux tranches : Camp Perrin – Carrefour Zaboka, est assuré par le Conseil National des Équipements (CNE) d’une part. D’autre part, Carrefour Zaboka – Jérémie était assuré par l’OAS Ltda, basée au Brésil. Cette institution avait prévu initialement la remise des travaux pour la fin de 2011, puis avait annoncé une extension jusqu’au mois de juin 2012 et finalement en août 2013, avant de décider subitement de rompre son contrat.

jyvon21@gmail.com

Source: Le Matin