Beautiful Horizons

A Return to a Miserable Past

This article in Sunday's New York Times is disturbing but unsurprising:

Jean-Claude Duvalier, now in exile in France, sought recently to take advantage of the discontent by raising the possibility of a return to Haiti. In a radio address in September, he offered a tentative apology for his acts, saying, “If, during my presidential mandate, the government caused any physical, moral or economic wrongs to others, I solemnly take the historical responsibility.” [ahh yes, the classic subjunctive apology]

Mr. Duvalier’s remarks, in which he also asked for “forgiveness from the people,” together with the nostalgia one hears on the streets of Port-au-Prince, the capital, these days provoke fury among present-day leaders.

They say they cannot believe that Mr. Duvalier’s National Unity Party is attracting followers, and that a giant photograph of the elder Mr. Duvalier hangs from the party’s headquarters.

To begin with, the only thing that Baby Doc Duvalier ever stood for was Baby Doc Duvalier. That being said, I cannot tell you how many times I've heard otherwise sensible Brazilians, in expressing frustration at their government wish that the military was in charge or, as my father-in-law once expressed to me that a leader from the past such as Getulio Vargas was in power.

While this is not unique to anywhere, the problem of Haiti is exacerbated by its reliance on powerful leaders rather than powerful institutions to solve problems or at least give the impression that something is being done. Equally disturbing in the article is this:

The old days come up in Haiti’s debate about whether to recreate the army. Mr. Préval’s commission is leaning against a traditional army, but it is grappling with how to control the rise of drug trafficking and what sort of force is needed to monitor the border that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic.

“I know that the higher level of insecurity has made people nostalgic for the strong hand,” said Mr. Elie, the commission’s leader. “They think the army is going to bring back what they call ‘the good old days.’ We don’t want people to fall for that nostalgic trap.”

Those old days, Mr. Elie said, were a time in which Haiti’s elite lived lives on the backs of the suffering masses. Creating a more equitable society, he said, is a long-term struggle that inevitably makes many uncomfortable.

“The idea of recreating that monster that was the army is preposterous and unacceptable,” he said. “One thing they did well was taking .50-caliber weapons and shooting into shanty towns. They are going to have to step over my dead body if that’s the kind of army they want.”

Haiti doesn't need an army. They need a professional, incorruptible police force that is dedicated to its role in society and not dedicated to themselves. I wish I knew how to achieve that, but one thing I do know is that they will need a great deal of help. I wonder what the commitment of the rest of the world is towards helping them achieve their goals.

When I First Thought Rudy Giuliani Was a Monstrous Man

I have often felt that those who praise Rudolph Giuliani (most of whom, I might add in my experience, are outside New York) know precious little about him.

I first heard of him when I worked for this lecture agency, among whose clients were Bob Leuci, the former NYPD detective and the subject of the book and film, Prince of the City. Rudy Giuliani played a pivotal role in the story as a prosecutor who gained Leuci's confidence.

At the same time in my life I had then as I still do a strong concern about human rights in Haiti. Here's what I remember about Rudy Giuliani and Haiti from 1982:

The third-ranking official of the Justice Department says he is convinced that there is ''no political repression'' in Haiti.

Associate Attorney General Rudolph W. Giuliani, testifying Thursday at a hearing of a class-action lawsuit seeking the release of 2,100 refugees in Government detention camps, said that repression in Haiti ''simply does not exist now'' and that refugees had nothing to fear from the Government of Jean-Claude Duvalier.

Mr. Giuliani said he visited Haiti two weeks ago and met with several officials, including President Duvalier. ''Political repression is not the major reason for leaving Haiti,'' Mr. Giuliani said. He said he reached that conclusion after Mr. Duvalier personally assured him that Haitians returning home from the United States were not persecuted.

The suit charges that the Immigration and Naturalization Service has discriminated against the Haitians by illegally detaining them and denying them access to lawyers.

Giuliani spent one day in Haiti and accepted the "assurances" of a dictator remarkably out of touch with the day-to-day goings on in his country, whose regime was "accused of thousands of political killings and arbitrary detentions" as well as the continued use of the vile Ton Ton Macoutes. Of course, Giuliani's own record with Haitian-Americans while mayor was pretty awful.

I would gladly do the opposition research on Giuliani. He has more skeletons in his closet than the Douaumont Ossuary.

Worse Than I Thought

This article in Saturday's New York Times makes for an effective argument that the situation in Haiti - especially in Cite Soleil - is probably worse than I thought. However, the case to be made is this: improvements in infrastructure, employment, medical care, and getting food and aid to the population cannot be accomplished if people are being kidnapped, murdered and robbed.

The fact that the MINUSTAH forces have had to establish their presence in Cite Soleil is upsetting. I believe that the status quo cannot remain and I also believe that the gangs in Cite Soleil will probably make their neighbors suffer far more than the MINUSTAH forces.

Haiti Now

It's been a while since I've written anything about Haiti, largely as I wanted to give the Preval presidency some time to get oriented, but The Economist has an article in the current issue as to where things stand now. There's good and bad.

Instead of merely entering Cite Soleil, the deperately poor and dangerous slum in Port-au-Prince, only when problems have arisen as was done in the recent past, MINUSTAH, the UN has set up within Cite Soleil and the net effect has been a reduction in kidnappings from December to January. While it is too early to determine whether the trend will continue as the article indicates, the benefit may very well be that aid organizations will now be able to enter the slum and, one hopes, accomplish some good.

Moreover, in Haiti's history, those who have instilled terror at the point of a gun have rarely had to face a weapon pointed back at them. There are numerous other problems as well: infrastructure issues, a justice system that is both overwhelmed and underfunded and high unemployment just to mention a few of the more pressing issues.

Nevertheless, it is a sad fact that any good news out of Haiti is a cause for joy, if not celebration. I long for the day when good news from Haiti is so coomonplace as to not be newsworthy.

A Trade Deal I Can Get Behind

I get a little weary of the "free-trade" mantra that emanates from the right. Much of the trade is not on a level playing field with the US, Japan and the EU supporting their farmers with subsidies while needy countries usually do not. Intellectual property is heavily protected and this also favors the first world.

However, the situation in Haiti is dire. The Washington Post is calling for passage of the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act  and I strongly agree with them:

For the past two years, Congress has turned a deaf ear to pleas that Washington extend trade preferences to Haitian-manufactured T-shirts, hospital scrubs and other apparel. The effect has been devastating for the nation's garment industry, once one of the few bright spots in an otherwise supine economy. Clothing assembly plants, already hit hard by the political violence of recent years, are closing nearly every month as customers move their business to Asia. A sector that once provided 100,000 jobs now employs only 12,000 to 20,000 and stands in peril of disappearing entirely.

A rescue package pending in Congress would allow duty-free access to U.S. markets for garments assembled in Haiti using fabrics from third countries. The legislation, known as the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act, also called the HOPE bill, is a modest measure; it is certainly no panacea for the Haitian economy. But apparel-making plants that close are relatively easy to reopen, and HOPE, if enacted, could help kick-start the Haitian economy by quickly getting 10,000 or more people working again. In a country as poor as Haiti, where a majority of the population survives on less than $2 a day and four out of five adults are jobless or underemployed, those jobs would be a lifeline for thousands of families.

Support is bipartisan with both the outgoing (Bill Thomas) and incoming (Charles Rangel) chairs of the Ways and Means Committee supporting the bill. Opposition is also bipartisan, but this should really be a no-brainer. Unemployment in Haiti is nearly 80%. This would be a good start and it ought to be done.

Some Good News

Amidst all the horrific news coming out of the Middle East, I' glad to note that there is some good news coming out of Haiti: Yvon Neptune was released from jail:

Former Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune was freed on Thursday from the prison where he was held for more than two years on what he called imaginary charges after the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Frail from an on-and-off hunger strike, the 59-year-old walked out of the National Penitentiary annex supported by two U.N. peacekeepers. They helped him into an ambulance that took him to a U.N.-run hospital for a checkup.

Neptune was never tried and has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

"It's not freedom yet," he told Reuters as he left the prison. "The machinery of injustice didn't stop with my release today. The laboratories that invented those kind of imaginary crimes are very strong."

He's absolutely right, and as the Caricom leaders note, he's not alone:

But Neptune's release ``should not obscure the fact that a large number of persons supportive of former President Aristide arrested arbitrarily for what appeared to be political reasons under the interim administration have also been denied justice,'' the 15-member group, known as Caricom, said. It did not disclose further details.

They're absolutely right, but one hopes it's not for long. In any event, the odds for justice being obtained are far better under President Preval than they would have been under Gerard Latortue.

Why I Refer To It As the Interminable Struggle

While the coming to power of Rene Preval is good for Haiti, the lack of attention the nation is getting these days is all too typical, so let's see what has been happening there lately:

Kidnappings are on the rise:

Last year, 43 Americans were kidnapped in Haiti, including three who were killed in attempted abductions, according to the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs.

"We have agents down there almost constantly working kidnappings," said Judy Orihuela, an FBI special agent in Miami. "It's surpassed Colombia."

That's a pretty sad standard by which to compare, but it is disturbing, nonetheless. As the article indicates Preval believes that these are criminal elements doing this for ransom and not political actors who support Aristide and want him back, the argument that the UN is making.

In fact, it appears to me that the MINUSTAH, the UN mission in Haiti is letting its disdain for Aristide get in the way of its judgment. The only demands being made by the kidnappers is for ransom. On what basis does MINUSTAH believe that the kidnappings are for political purposes?

What Haiti needs is more security from MINUSTAH and less posturing.

A Stray Thought

All too often when I talk about Haiti with people, the word "hopeless"  is all too often the response, followed by "why should we bother?"

The  next time I get a response like that, I have two words for them: Middle East.

Part of Gerard Latortue's Legacy

Violence continues in Haiti and it is particularly ugly:

About 20 people died in clashes between rival gangs fighting a turf war in one of the Haitian capital's violent slums, a senior police official said on Friday.

Michael Lucius, director of the judicial police, said the bloodletting occurred Thursday night and early Friday in the Martissant neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince, where the victims died of gunshot wounds or were hacked to death with machetes. [My emphasis]

So, when did Haiti develop gangs that hacked people to death with machetes?

One of the armed groups engaged in the violence, known as"Lame Ti Manchet", Haitian creole for Small Machetes Army, was formed over the past 1-1/2 years under the interim administration that replaced former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was ousted in a 2004 revolt.

The group is widely believed to have cooperated at times with elements of the Haitian police in crackdowns on groups loyal to Aristide in Martissant.

I guess the name Tontons Macoutes must be trademarked. Gerard Latortue's feckless enforcement of the law led to this.

There is one bit of Haiti-related good news:

 An elusive former strongman from Haiti, accused of sanctioning rape to silence dissent there in the early 1990s, has been arrested in a mortgage fraud scheme on Long Island, authorities said.

Emmanuel "Toto" Constant, 49, was scheduled to be arraigned Friday on charges of grand larceny, forgery and falsifying business records, said Robert Clifford, spokesman for the Suffolk County district attorney.

The indictment accuses Constant and five co-defendants of defrauding a bank out of more than $1 million.

The article, however, contains this bit of nonsense:

In 1994, Constant slipped into the United States. He has been living in exile in New York, reportedly sometimes staying at the home of an aunt while working as a mortgage broker.

Despite a 1995 deportation order, he has been allowed to remain because Haiti's judicial system hasn't stabilized enough to ensure a fair trial. [My emphasis]

Pure poppycock. Many Haitians, with legitimate claims of persecution are deported regularly back to Haiti, the sole reason is that apparently they lack Toto Constant's political juice.

I wrote about Constant back in 2003. It's worth quoting again what Human Rights Watch said about Constant at around the same time:

EMMANUEL "TOTO" CONSTANT, the leader of Haiti's "FRAPH" death squad who now lives in New York, is wanted by Haitian prosecutors to face charges of murder, torture and arson carried out during Cedrás' de facto rule. He was also convicted in absentia for the Raboteau massacre. Constant has admitted to receiving regular payments and encouragement from the CIA while he built his terror network. When Aristide was restored to power, Constant was ordered to appear in court, but he fled to the United States where he was arrested in March 1995. U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, calling FRAPH "an illegitimate paramilitary organization whose members were responsible for numerous human rights violations in Haiti," asked for his immediate deportation to Haiti. Constant was instead released from custody pursuant to a secret agreement between the U.S. government and Constant - revealed by the Baltimore Sun - which would allow the death squad leader to "self-deport" at any time to a third country of his choice, effectively allowing him to escape justice in Haiti, which has sought his extradition.

The Clinton administration, yes the Clinton adminstration, should own up as to why Constant was allowed to stay in the US and the Bush administration should answer why he wasn't sent back on their watch. While I'm glad that he was arrested, I find it disturbing that fraud is what got him behind bars here as opposed to rapes and murders that he was accused of in Haiti.

Haitian Parliament Approves Préval Cabinet

I haven't written much about Haiti lately. I'm hoping things will start looking up there and I hope the world will not turn its back as it has in the past,

In any event, some good news has happened: Haiti's parliament has approved President Préval's cabinet.

Haiti's Parliament has overwhelmingly approved a new Cabinet that includes members from six political parties, a strong show of support for President René Préval as he steers the impoverished nation toward peace and stability.

In a vote late Wednesday, 84 of 86 deputies in the lower house voted to approve the 18-member Cabinet, which was unanimously endorsed by the Senate a day earlier.

The new government reflects Préval's need to unite the conflict-torn Caribbean nation after a February 2004 revolt toppled former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and touched off a wave of violence.

I also note this brief comment:

The vote also formally confirms Préval's prime minister, Jacques-Edouard Alexis, who replaces U.S.-backed interim Prime Minister Gérard Latortue. Latortue left the country last month and has not spoken publicly about the new government.

That was probably the wisest course as I'm sure they didn't want him around; not even to clean up the mess he made.