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2 The Canadian Statesman. Bowmanville, Wednesday, September 21,1994 Section Two i|t Canaiiatt ^tatoan Former Publishers • Rev. W. R. Climie, 1854 -1878 • M. A. James, 1878 -1935 • George W. James, 1935 -1957 Produced weekly by James Publishing Company Limited P.O. Box 190,62 King St. W., Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3K9 905-623-3303 Fax 905-623-6161 Campaign Time Is Running Out The November municipal election is about two months off. And, there is some evidence that the electorate is shaking off the summer slumber and starting to take notice of the fact that the municipal vote will occur November 14., But, that's less than two months away. And there still are not vast numbers of candidates lining up at the Municipal Building to toss their proverbial hats into the ring. A lack of issues has been cited as one reason for the lukewarm reaction to the election of 1994. And, while there is no single topic that has everyone's tongue wagging, those who claim there are no issues may not fully understand the situation. If you want to look at issues in Clarington, how about considering these for starters: Highway 407; the safety of nuclear power; the disappearance of farmland for development; the need for new commercial and industrial development; the need for more recreational facilities; the need for facilities for older adults; the proper handling of the regional garbage crisis; rising taxes; crime; the wise development of new shopping facilities; the support of downtown businesses; and the proper balance between residential and commercial growth? With a little more thought, this list of issues could possibly fill the page. If you think there are no issues, think again. What we really need are not issues, but people to deal with them. Yes, a number of public-spirited citizens have come forward to offer their services as elected officials. But, to really have an effective election, we need a wide cross-section of ideas and communities represented. So, come on, folks, the time remaining for campaigning is running out. Let's get the municipal election campaign of 1994 on the road. Long Term Presence Only Solution for Haiti It's far too early for anybody to declare a victory in Haiti. Certainly, we can expect the U.S. government to claim war has been averted and democracy restored. But, fa - how long? The U.S. and all the other more fortunate democracies of the world have a difficult role to play when they try to improve the political stability in other countries by turfing out corrupt governments or intervening between opposing factions in civil wars. The problem is that the actions of the more fortunate democracies seem to lack staying power. For the U.S. to put a real democracy in place in Haiti, it would probably have to commit itself to a 10 or 20 year program in which thousands of troops would police the country, war criminals would be brought to trial and economic development programs would be introduced alongside improvements to education, health, and local government. Such a process would take billions of dollars and would amount to a "colonization" of the country by American interests. And colonization is, itself, not without its drawbacks, as any of the major empires of history have discovered. At worst, it merely sets up another form of dictatorship and further abuse of power. . But, without some kind of continuing presence and control, how can warring countries ever arrive at stability? Will not those longstanding factors which caused the instability simply re-surface once the last of the peacemakers has boarded the last plane home? j At the end of the Gulf War, it was widely assumed that the allied forces victory would lead to the downfall of the Iraqi strongman, Saddam Hussein. In actual fact, it was the American president who supported the Gulf War who fell from power. Hussein, so far as we know, remains firmly in charge. In the case of Haiti, without a continuing "police" presence to support the democratically-elected government, it is likely to be only a matter of time before the old junta or a new regime takes power once again. Unfortunately, there are still many countries where power comes from the barrel of a gun. And ballot-boxes can seldom match the power of a machine Countries such as the U.S. and Canada can never be sure if they are doing the right thing when they try to get involved in the internal affairs of foreign nations. Allowing rival factions to settle their differences by wars or executions or genocide seems heartless and immoral. Short-term interventions could cost substantial resources and change nothing over the long-term. Public opinion polls seem to indicate citizens have little stomach for such actions. Any long-term police presence would simply be an army of occupation which would eventually be unwelcome by the very citizens it is supposed to defend. There is even less public support for such major meddling in the affairs of a foreign country. . And, if intervention occurs in Haiti, why should it not occur in the dozens of other troubled nations in Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East? Why not in Somalia or Rwanda, for instance? There arc no easy answers. All we can expect are piecemeal policies which will vary with each situation. For 140 Years, Our First Concern Has Been Our Community Publisher - John M. James Assoc. Publisher - Richard A. James Plant Manager - Donald J. Bishop Ad. Manager - Brian G . Purdy Editor - Peter Parrott Production Rick Patterson, Laurens Kaldeway, Doug Lugtenburg, Sharon McMullen, Barb Patterson, Ralph Rozema, Jim Snoek, Vance Sutherland, Jim Tuuramo Advertising Editorial Laverne Morrison Brad Kelly, Lorraine Manfredo, Laura J. Richards Office Angela Luscher, Junia Hodge, Grace McGregor, Nancy Pleasance-Sturman, Marilyn Rutherford We Asked... How should the rest of Canada respond to the election of the Parti Québécois in Quebec? .. .And You Said Wally Heinbuch Laurie Till Bowmanville Bowmanville "It's just another "I say if they want to provincial govern-' separate, go ahead." ment. We should deal with them the same as we deal with any other provincial provincial govern- ment." Paul Livingston Bowmanville "Encourage a trench to be dug from Ottawa up to the James Bay and float Quebec out to sea." Jim Vandergaast Bowmanville "1 think Quebec should remain part of Canada. Splitting up the country would mean travellers travellers would have to cross borders." Next week's question: What kind of gun control would you like to see the government introduce?