Towards absolute and arbitrary power
03/12/2003
- Opinión
The regime of Jean Bertrand Aristide, the former priest who
holds power in Haiti has entered a "diversion which becomes
more serious each day" that doesn't bear any resemblance to
the original 1991 mandate. There is "a tendency for and
astounding, intolerable despotism" This "diversion" is
"relentless, definitive and impossible to undo" The person
who states these words is Christophe Wargny, a French
historian and journalism lecturer who was advisor to the
Haitian Head of State until 1996 (the end of Aristide's
first term).
Last October, Wargny observed that fundamental freedoms are
not respected at all. Months before, Haitian priests and
former colleagues of Aristide, said the same thing using
different words. In May, on the occasion of Father Antoine
Adrien's funeral ceremony (who Arisitide considered as his
own father), priest William Smart spoke against "passion
for absolute power". Father Max Dominique expressed his
"disappointment" and insisted on "acts committed by the
police and groups of bandits".
In reality, observers both within Haiti and outside, note
the general deterioration of the situation in the country
on the eve of the bicentenary of its independence.
Persistent political blockade.
The Caribbean country is experiencing a democratic
transition which is systematically hindered. A document
about the situation in Haiti published this year by the
United Nations emphasised that democracy "is
deteriorating", with a new series of crises caused by
electoral problems since 1997.
The legislative elections of 2000 have not been resolved,
since they were condemned as "fraudulent" by the
opposition, particularly by the collation for Democratic
Convergence.
Attempts by the "Organization of American States" (OAS) to
"resolve" this electoral crisis did not come up with a
solution. Over 20 assignments failed.
A second resolution on the crisis (822) was voted on by the
OAS en Sept 2002, ahead of the 2003 legislative elections.
But a year after the resolution vote took place, the OAS'
Head Haitian Mission, David Lee, could not state that
"sufficient provision have been taken by the government
concerning (amongst other things) security and impunity".
He underlined that "other players continued insisting" in
respect to certain points before "moving towards the
Provisional Electoral Council".
Increase in offences
This situation has caused strong polarization and
intolerance which nourish permanent political and social
tension, where human rights are systematically violated,
starting with freedom of expression.
In an April statement, the Group of Action and Reflection
for Press Freedom (GARPF) said over the last three years
"Tens of journalists and newspaper staff of different ages
have been murdered, maltreated, arrested, threatened or
forced into exile"
Relating to other cases, never-a-day passes without the
report of an offence by groups that defend human rights.
Last March, a statement made by Puerto-Principe Catholic
Church's Commission for Justice and Peace revealed that
117 people disappeared or were murdered in the capital in 4
months.
In the statement, the Commision specified that amongst the
victims were young people kidnapped by police officers,
parents executed in front of their children, shopkeepers
murdered while working, pupils and even children were
killed.
Politicized police?
On too many occasions, it has been revealed that the police
were involved in crimes. IN a statement published in
September, the National Coalition for the Rights of
Haitians (NCRH) reported the phenomenal return of
"attachés" (bandits working with the police). The NCRH
indicated for example, that the "Delmas 33" police station,
situated in the outskirts of Puerto-Príncipe is a shelter
for these bandits. The statement went on to say that
they operate during the night, specializing in sexual
violence, robbery, torture, summary execution,
disappearances and kidnappings; all acting in complicity
with the police.
The government very quickly denied NCRH's report. But at
the beginning of November when the UN expert Louis Joinet
made a trip to Haiti, he discovered elements confirming the
existence of a "parallel police" and ordered its
dissolution. Louis Joinet realized that "the State
impunity substituted democracy"
Human rights organizations revealed their "concern" about
the fact that the police abandoned their mission to
"protect and serve" citizens, rather becoming a
"politicized" body, tied up in government interests.
This became apparent when Jean Robert Faveur, a police
General Director resigned on 21st June and fled in exile to
the US, less than a month after he took up the post. In
his resignation letter, he condemned the Executive's
attempt for absolute control and failure to respect rules.
Facing social-political opposition
The police are deeply implicated in the violent break-up of
anit-government demonstrations in different towns around
the country. Various times the police have arrived to
support the government's violent followers who have
publically declared that they will not accept any anti-
Aristide protest. This comes at a very difficult time for
the government who, over the last few months, face an
increase in protest by various dissatisfied sectors of the
population.
A recent case is the aborted gathering of Group 184 on
14/11/2003 (so called to group together 183 private sector
associations and citizen associations from various
sectors). Thousands of people from different social
backgrounds responded to the call from Group 184, to
express their unhappiness at the Aristide Administration's
methods of running the country.
Government supporters arrived and threw stones at the
participants, while the police maintained a passive
presence. Rather than controlling the aggressors, the
police used teargas to break up the demonstration and
proceeded to arrest 30 members of Group 184's stewards.
Similarly, on 29th October a group of government supporters
violently obstructed a protest of various Haitian civil
organisations, which was taking place in front of the
Palace of Justice to condemn the climate of violence. The
pro-Aristide groups tried to physically assault the
participants. They threw stones, bottles and other objects
at the demonstrators, promising to "cut of their heads and
burn down their houses".
The principle slogan of the protest, whose participants
were mainly women from the National Coordination for the
Empowerment of Women (the acronym CONAP in French) was
"Failing to hear, see or talk is not a solution". The
protest condemned crime, oppression and corruption in
Haiti.
Women's movements and student groups have just the same
experience. On the 22nd October, after abandoning a
demonstration of opposition supporters, Aristide followers
attacked the Ethnology Faculty where students shouted
hostile slogans at the powers.
The same violent method was also used to try and quieten
demonstrators in Gonaives (south-central). According to
figures from various sources, since the end of September
over 15 people have been killed and 30 more have been
injured in gunfire during antigovernment protests.
En Gonaives, former Aristide supporters changed sides after
the terrible murder of Amiot Métayer. He was one of the
president's loyal collaborators who, on 17th December 2001,
led violent operations against opposition supporters when
the government announced an attempted coup. The Head of
State was accused of being personally responsible for
Métayer's murder. A similar case took place one month
later in Cité Soleil, a poor area in the north of the
capital.
The eve of the bicentenary.
On the eve of Haiti's bicentenary (1st Jan 2004), Aristide
speaks of "reparation and restitution" of money paid by
Haiti in the 19th century to France, the imperial power, in
recognition of independence.
But these words from a government with serious credibility
problems, does not seem to break, at national level, the
apparent progressive isolation of the Aristide
administration.
In the streets, the people are asking the powers what they
have done to try and improve the lives of the population
because, as well as the abuses, there has been a constant
fall in production levels (-1.2%), a permanently high level
of unemployment (50% according to the UN) an increase in
the cost of living along with currency devaluation (from 26
gourdes to the dollar in Aug 2002 to 45 gourdes to the
dollar in Feb 2003)
From the beginning of October to date, over 200
intellectuals signed a petition condemning the position of
the government as it tries to "find legitimacy" through the
bicentennial celebrations. Non-governmental organisations
and groups from the popular movement have set up a platform
for an alternative celebration. The objective is to
"relaunch popular struggles to achieve a real independence"
without "domination, exploitation, impunity or freedom
violations".
Gotson Pierre. AlterPresse/Puerto Principe.
https://www.alainet.org/fr/node/108920
Del mismo autor
- Nouvelle mission de l’Onu, grave crise multidimensionnelle et l’avenir incertain de Jovenel Moïse 17/10/2019
- Calme précaire et marge de manoeuvre de plus en plus réduite du pouvoir 18/09/2019
- De dialogue en dialogue 27/02/2019
- Haïti, « Pays-lock » acte VI 13/02/2019
- Volatilité, incertitude et silence 12/02/2019
- Le feu couve sous la cendre chaude des dernières mobilisations 28/11/2018
- Dos au mûr, le pouvoir opte pour le « dialogue » 21/11/2018
- Haïti-Crise : Le café brûlant, mais non fumant, de grand’mère 01/08/2018
- Haïti, le scandale sexuel d’Oxfam, un tournant pour l’humanitaire 23/02/2018
- Attitude inexplicable du gouvernement haïtien face aux propos racistes de Trump contre Haïti 23/01/2018
Clasificado en
Clasificado en:
![S'abonner à America Latina en Movimiento - RSS](https://www.alainet.org/misc/feed.png)