March 2004

Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC.

To Attack Aristide Is To Attack Democracy

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) returned from Haiti on February 10, 2004. She held a press conference the next day in which she made the following statement, excerpted here.

Yesterday, I returned from a trip to Haiti, where I observed the escalation of political violence that occurred over the weekend. This was my second trip to Haiti so far this year. I am deeply concerned about the growing violence organized by the so-called opposition and what now appears to be gangs in the northern part of the country, who are supported in their violent activities by this opposition.

Unfortunately, the opposition, led by Andre Apaid, under the banner of the Group of 184, is not simply a peaceful group trying to correct the problems of the government. Andre Apaid is a Duvalier-supporter, who allegedly holds an American passport and obtained permanent resident status in Haiti through deceptive means. Andre Apaid is ferociously adamant about forcing Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the first democratically elected President in the history of Haiti, out of office.

President Aristide disbanded the military when he returned to office in 1994, and Haiti has a police force of only 5,000 for a country of 8 million people.

Demographic Snapshot of Haiti Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere and one of the poorest in the world, ranking 150 out of 173 countries on the UN's Human Development Index in 2003. In some areas 33 percent of Haitian children under five are chronically malnourished; 50 percent of the population is undernourished. 6.1 percent of the adult population has HIV or AIDS. The gross domestic income per capita is $US 480, a figure that has not changed, in real terms, since the 1970s. Nearly half of the population lives under the poverty line; as do 80 percent of those who live in rural areas, with 30 percent living in extreme poverty, earning less than $1 per day. The unemployment rate is over 50 percent of the active population. In 2001 the illiteracy rate was more than 48 percent. Only 64 percent of children are enrolled in primary schools; and just 15 percent in secondary school. Life expectancy is steadily decreasing, currently down at 53 years, compared to a regional average of 70. The infant mortality rate is 79 per 1,000 births, more than twice the regional average. Source: World Food Program, www.wfp.org

President Aristide has given the United States special authority to interdict drugs in Haitian waters. The government of Haiti does not have the resources needed to wage a tough and consistent war against drugs, and the President of Haiti is begging the United States for assistance to eliminate drug trafficking.

President Aristide is pursuing a progressive economic agenda in Haiti. Under his leadership, the Haitian government has made major investments in agriculture, public transportation and infrastructure. In 2003, the government doubled the minimum wage from 36 to 70 gourdes per day, despite strong opposition from the business community. There have also been a number of reforms to prohibit trafficking in persons and protect the estimated 400,000 children from rural villages who work as domestic servants in households in the cities.

President Aristide has also made health care and education national priorities. More schools were built in Haiti between 1994 and 2000 than between 1804 and 1994. The government expanded school lunch and school bus programs and provides a 70% subsidy for schoolbooks and uniforms. The maternity wards of eight public hospitals have been renovated, and hundreds of Haitians are being trained as physicians. Twenty new HIV testing centers will open around the country during the next two years. All of this is being accomplished despite a continuing embargo by the IMF and the World Bank.

The so-called opposition is supported by many of the same people who were content with the brutal dictators of Haiti's past. These are the same people who enriched themselves on the backs of the poor in Haiti for so many years with the support of the United States government. These people do not want a strong president like Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who will force them to pay their taxes and provide decent wages to their workers.

Last Thursday, armed gangs took control of the Gonaive police station during a five-hour gunfight and set the mayor's house on fire. Since then, these gangs have set fire to the police stations of Gonaive, St. Marc, and Trou du Nord. In St. Marc, they sealed off the city by dragging tires, debris and logs across the main roads and setting them on fire. The armed gangs have seized nearly a dozen towns in the past week, and at least 40 people have been killed.

Unfortunately, these gangs appear to be obtaining support from the so-called opposition in the hope that their attacks will help to fuel other attacks in other parts of the country and eventually a coup d'état in Port au Prince.

The nations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are trying to assist the people of Haiti to end the violence and resolve this crisis peacefully. The CARICOM proposal includes an outright rejection of a coup d'état in any form and requires that any change in Haiti must be in accordance with the Constitution of Haiti. CARICOM calls upon the opposition in Haiti to ensure representation on the Provisional Electoral Council so that the Council can begin to prepare for the holding of elections. CARICOM also calls upon the international community to provide economic support to Haiti. Economic assistance, including assistance from the United States, is essential to alleviate the suffering of the people of Haiti and build a foundation for political stability and economic growth.

The State Department must use its influence to help stabilize Haiti, and provide assistance for health, education, and infrastructure development.

Finally, the international press must discontinue the practice of repeating rumors and innuendos and must begin to spend quality time learning the truth and writing the truth about what is really going on in Haiti.

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