Election Time in Haiti

April is election time in Haiti.

One of the few international journalists who covers Haiti is Jacqueline Charles, whose story can be read here. There is not more international coverage of Haiti because there is no one who will cover the expenses of journalists to go there. Except, evidently, the Miami Herald. Ms. Charles has been doing an excellent job at reporting on the ground for years and is to be applauded for her work.

Among those running for office are Guy Phillippe, who led the rebellion which overthrew Aristide. Many have said that he was a US pawn, since he received training in Ecuador via the US. Lavalas supporters, strong on the US left, assert that Aristide was "overthrown" by imperial external forces. and make no mention that there was any opposition to him on the ground, any corruption in his administration, any withdrawal of support from the population.

Others say the Phillippe was just a strong armed drug lord, wanting to depose the head drug lord, making use of the discontent on the ground against the slow progress in Haiti, to lead an armed rebellion.

Armed rebellion is a time honored way to change governments in Haiti. In the entire 200 year history, only the current President, Rene Preval, who is now serving his second term, retired in peace in his own country. All others were either executed or left in exile. Such, at least, is the history that I have read. Of course, there may indeed have been people who served as president for a month or two and retired. It is possible, I don't know.

The US has said that it has tried to "capture" Philippe three times. I assume that the Haitian government has allowed such an intervention.So, if Philippe wins the election, it will presumably be easier to capture him if and when he takes his Senate seat. Hardly a cave in Tora Bora.

The US would have a great deal more credibility in this region if it did not have a history of training and protecting assassins, and leaders of coups. People would be so much more likely to believe that we might, just might, be on the side of the people, if we did not have such a long history of being--- well-- against them.

We have most often in this hemisphere been on the wrong side of the struggle for democracy. Our nation has historically sided with dictators against freedom seekers, and with oligarchs against the peasants.

In our rabid fear against "communism", or "socialism" , we have placed the values of capitalism and "free market economics" above the values of democracy.

Now is the time to change that. Since it is clear that unfettered capitalism was no more a successful system than unfettered communism, and has sunk, has it not, under the weight of its own excesses, let us seek a better way.

Haiti's agriculture must take priority over everything else. The US must do everything that it can to support the agricultural sector in Haiti, lest the 10 million people become even more food aid dependent, and the flood of illegal immigrants to the DR increase, and the narco trafficing become worse and worse, and the entire island, these two nations, descend into chaos.

We are counting on you, President Obama

Lavalas Corrupition under Aristide

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Haiti: New Lavalas Dissident Makes Revelations About Aristide Government> >>> >>> >>LAP20030813000040 Port-au-Prince Radio Vision 2000 in French 1130 GMT 13> >>Aug 03> >>> >>[From the "Info Vision" Newscast]

Defections are multiplying within the Lavalas regime. It is now the turn of Jean Michard Mercier to leave the Lavalas boat. Mercier was the deputy mayor of Port-au-Prince from 1995 to 2000.

He is now making revelations about the regime's practices, notably the various meetings led by Jean-Bertrand Aristide at Tabarre [Aristide's residence] prior to the 2000 elections. He recalls Aristide's words regarding the elections. Aristide said: We do not want the majority of votes, but the totality.

He also reveals the role played by Police Inspector General Jean-Robert Estere in the electoral fraud on the eve of the May 2000 elections. Estere made more than a million voter registration cards disappear. He also affirms that criminal acts have been planned at the home of Annette Auguste [known as So Anne -- Sister Anne; Aristide's voodoo priest. According to Mercier, Sister Anne was apparently involved in the disappearance and murder of Nanoune Myrtile's baby from the General Hospital. He also mentions the names of other personalities, such as Interior Minister Jocelerme Privert, Angelot Bell, police officers, such as Jean-Robert Faveur, and other state bank officials who are apparently involved in criminal acts.

Wendy Richard reports: [Begin Richard Recording] Former Port-au-Prince Lavalas Mayor Jean Michard Mercier wants people to believe him when he says that Haiti is being led by murderers and power-obsessed individuals. The new Lavalas dissident, who is now in exile [in France], says it is unthinkable and unbelievable that Jean Dominique was killed by the people he was defending. While not wanting to accuse anybody, Mercier tends to draw attention to the presence of Harold Severe, who was at the murder scene on 3 April 2000. Mercier says "he personally saw Severe with three other men in a white pickup at the crime scene." Just like those men, people like Estere, of the Haitian National Police [PNH], should be questioned by the court because they are all reputed professional killers of the Lavalas regime.

Mercier underscores that most of the reprehensible acts were planned in conjunction with government officials at the house of Lavalas supporter Annette Auguste who, according to him, is a US citizen.Government personalities such as Interior Minister Privert; Bell, who is> director general of the Interior Ministry; Lavalas Senator [Louis]Gerald Gilles; Jean-Robert Faveur who was then police superintendent; and others, such as Leveque Valbrun, of the National Bank of Credit[BNC], and Reginald Mondesir, of the Bank of the Republic of Haiti[BRH]. With regard to the meetings that took place at Tabarre prior to the May 2000 elections, Mercier affirms having heard Aristide say on several occasions: "We do not want to have the majority of votes, but the totality."

He adds that Estere was fully involved in the election fraud. The current central director of the administrative police apparently made more than a million voter registration cards disappear on the eve of the 21 May elections. Mercier also talks about the disappearance of Nanoune Myrtile's baby from the General Hospital. He says the abduction was planned at the home of Sister Anne for mystical ends and sorcery. With this, Mercier confirms what Johnny Occilius said about that issue. He says that he got that information from current Lavalas Deputy Andre Jeune Joseph, who apparently took part in that meeting. He adds that the baby's remainswere buried by Felix Bien-Aime, a powerful OP [People's Organization) leader who was then the director of the Port-au-Prince cemetery and who was executed a few months later by a commando from the Port-au-Prince police station, led by Police Superintendent Ralph Dominique. Bien-Aime was killed because he threatened to reveal everything.

Mercier also talks about the generosity of the Lavalas regime toward two powerful Lavalas activists. The National Pension Office [ONA] has apparently bought two houses in the Belvil area for $800,000 for Paul Raymond and Rene Civil.

These were the accusations, revelations, and denunciations by the former mayor, who has come to broaden the list of the Lavalas dissidents. Nobody knows who the next dissident will be. [end recording]

[Description of Source: Port-au-Prince Radio Vision 2000 in French --> >>Independent, centrist commercial radio station]