Duvalier and Haiti

Press, 8 February 1986, Page 18

Duvalier and Haiti

After a referendum on reforms in Haiti in the middle of last year, the Minister for the Interior and National Defence, Mr Roger Lafontant, was quoted as saying that the result was a . "resounding lesson to all those who have not grasped that Haiti belongs to Duvalier and Duvalier belongs to Haiti.” Recent events may have shaken such confidence. The widespread protests against Mr Duvalier’s continued rule belie the view that Haiti belongs to Duvalier; and the reports that Mr Duvalier has been seeking asylum in European countries suggest that Duvalier no longer belongs to Haiti. The fact that he has been unsuccessful in obtaining asylum so far makes it appear that other countries are unwilling to have Duvalier belong to them.

This is a sorry state of affairs for someone who rejoiced in the title, “President for life,” a presidency “Baby Doc” inherited from his father, “Papa Doc.” It was announced in 1971 that Jean-Claude Duvalier, the present President, was supported by 2,391,916 people to nil to inherit the position. If the voting figures are anything to go by, then politics became more relaxed in Haiti because in the latest referendum 440 negative votes were cast, compared with the 2,275,011 in favour. Newspaper reports at the time described the turn-out as low. Governmment supporters were ferried from one place to another to cast multiple votes. The ballot papers were in French, which, although the official language, is not one known to most Haitians, who speak mostly Creole, and 80 per cent are illiterate in any case.

Jean-Claude Duvalier ran Haiti in a way that he inherited from his father: newspapers which criticised the Government were suppressed, journalists and priests were imprisoned without trial and beaten, and people disappeared, or were held for long periods without their families being told. Amnesty International persisted in trying to discover who was being held where and under what circumstances. It made limited headway. The tonton macoutes, a security force, harassed those who made any show of opposing the Government. Graham Greene drew a frightening picture of the tonton macoutes in his novel “The Comedians,” set in the time of Jean-Claude Duvalier’s father. Subsequent reports from Haiti have not improved the image of the tonton macoutes. The present disorder on the island has caused many Americans to leave. Some of those still on the island and many Haitians who oppose the Government appear to be hoping for a Grenada-style action from the United States which would help in the overthrow of Mr Duvalier. The United States is reluctant, partly because it has given aid to Haiti under Mr Duvalier. If it sent troops at all it would want to be seen as restoring order, which would mean bringing Haiti more firmly under the rule of President Duvalier. To say the least, this would not be popular with the many who oppose Mr Duvalier and are sympathetic to the United States. The United States has not received a request for asylum from Mr Duvalier. If he makes it and the request is accepted, that might be the quickest and most humane way to bring to an end the killing on Haiti.