Thursday, November 7, 2013

Jocelyne Frédéric-Gauthier - the first black elected to the City of Laval, Quebec

Another star ranking in the Haitian diaspora !!!
Par Max Dorismond mx20005@yahoo.ca
Jocelyne Frédéric-Gauthier
Taciturn, modest, nothing, at first sight, gave us a glimpse of her in politics. Yet, here we are, where nobody hoped,  at the Municipal Council of Laval. As the polling closed at 20:00 o’clock eastern time starts the counting of ballots. At 21:00, Jocelyne Frédéric, the only woman among the eight candidates of the District Auteuil has a lead already over her rivals, Michel Cantin, Pierre Michel Honey, André Desbiens, Daniel Doyon, Guy Garand, Rabih Habib, Vincent Viviani . She leads her way. For the seven contenders, the tension is palpable, the minute's tick too slowly, the word luck is more synonymous and time stretches with a taste of eternity. Midnight, the gap announced previously was maintained with a difference of more than 1500 votes at the expense of the nearest competitor for Frédéric. The die is cast, the whole room rushes to greet, embrace, and congratulate the amazing lady, as the new Municipal Council of Laval. Her score speaks in the statistics of her party, she ranked third among the twenty elected. For the history, she is the first black to occupy one of the 21 seats dedicated to this position to manage the second-larges city in Quebec after Montreal.
 What about Jocelyne Frédérique ?
Jocelyne Frédéric was born in Jeremie, Haiti and married to our friend Julio Gauthier. Mother of two sons, Jean-Marc and Jimmy. She holds a Bachelor of  Art at the University of Quebec and has a background in political science and public administration ENAP ( National School of Public Administration), she led a battle tirelessly within the Movement against Laval mayor Vaillancourt  who took, according to some media, the city in hostage. Frédérique has been an activist in this opposition movement since 2008. Followed the  dismissal of the mayor for corruption and the resignation of the CEO of the Movement, Lydia Aboulian, the party turned to a former candidate of the Parti Québécois, Marc Demers, to take the reins of the group. On November 3rd, after a fierce struggle between the eight competing parties, the Movement Laval wearing the eponymous town with Marc Demers as mayor and twenty advisors including Frédéric. Meanwhile, the new mayor promised to our friend Jocelyn, during a dinner where I was present, an official position in relation to her expertise and public service experiences that she accumulated since 1980 in the Québec to now.

Follow her passion to release and recreate.
Two reasons for my enthusiasm for the success of our friend Jocelyne or any Haitian who shines in other skies. As a natural optimist, I always look on the bright side of things. I never ceased to praise, encourage, help my vis-à-vis to perform, to follow their passion, because passion, as I have written already, is the music that makes life dance.
When a Haitian managed to transcend the boundaries of colonialism syndrome, I applaud with both hands because it is a message of hope for our future generation, a referenced gesture to destroy the complex little niggers hinders of our actions and prevents us to rush to the future that emerges naturally for us to host. Stuck, cramped or dirty on a daily uphill struggle color, class, power that stultified, the Haitian being inherits an unspeakable evil that prevents him from opening to another, enjoying himself. Far from his native land, when he manages to transcend this defect, to discover that he is primarily a colorless human among humans evolving in an environment free from coercion and physical or psychological violence, he performs and recreated beyond all expectations. The evidence is there.
However, in a foreign land, if we live with the unhealthy memories that had haunted us for a part of our existence on the homeland, we will not be useful to our adopted country which really needs our person. Without hypocrisy, our new haven relies heavily on our contribution to its development. Which reminds me of the speech delivered in 2007 by the Prime Minister of Quebec, the Honourable Jean Charest, as an official guest at a dinner of the Young Haitian Chamber of Commerce (JCCH), an organization that recognizes almost every year, the outstanding achievements of young professionals and entrepreneurs Quebec Haitian origin working in all areas of activity of Quebec society and who have distinguished themselves by their outstanding extraordinary journey and their political and social commitment. The motivational words of the Prime Minister, during  this audience of 85% Haitians still echo in my head like a magic formula, a haunting refrain... And I quote: '' Tomorrow belongs to you, the country belongs to you, do not hesitate a moment to take your places. The future is now! ''.
Indeed, it was not a wishful thinking or a demagogic speech. Thousands of our fellows had boarded the train. The dream had become a reality for many of our fellow citizens as well as… Such as the case of Mrs. Frédéric who, without hesitation, took her place to assert her ideas, her beliefs in favor of her adopted city where its citizens have trusted her fully. We wish her all the success in the world in her new career.

Max Dorismond mx20005@yahoo.ca
Laval 5 Nov. 2013

       

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