13970L Simidor, re Du Tuyau Re: Simidor's Declaratory Declaration (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: karioka9@arczip.com

Dear and esteemed du Tuyau,

I am disappointed that you will not allow yourself to look beyond the formal
requirements of a system that doesn’t work.  Some say that what exists under
Aristide today is a democracy, albeit an imperfect one. I say it is not (read my
response to Stephen Ewen, #13847).  Others, including your esteemed self,
argue that it’s a beginning -- why not give it a chance?  But I say why start
with something that is so obviously rotten.  One step backward sometimes
leads to two steps forward in the right direction.

Lavalas may have started as a democratic project, but it has turned very
quickly into a proto-fascist nightmare (I hope the term is not too cryptic for
your liking).  In any democratic society, the opposition protests of the past
two weeks would be considered normal and par for the course.  The ruling
party would be free to organize larger and more formal counter-
demonstrations of the type that was attempted on Nov. 24.  This would
usually go on for years, even with a little piggish provocation/confrontation,
now and then, to heighten the tension.  It happens in the best of “western
democracies.”  But in Haiti, the primary response from the ruling party is the
type of thuggish reaction that Amiot Metayer in Gonaives and Sò Anne in
Port-au-Prince are so apt at organizing. Their shock troops may not wear
brown shirts, but that’s just a fashion preference.  Lavalas’ “give them rigwaz
and bullets” is the Macoutes’ equivalent of “kale yo sou dwèt” (beat them on
their fingers, aka their rights).  Fascism in any guise, tropical or otherwise, is
still fascism, and it must be opposed.

You quite rightly noted my principled opposition to Convergence.
Unfortunately Convergence is not much of an alternative to Lavalas.
Convergence is too much of an IRI “Marie, couche-toi là.”  To give one
example: I have no assurance that, should the US decide to invade and
reoccupy Haiti, Gerard “the turn-coat” Pierre-Charles will not be hustling
again between Port-au-Prince and Washington to provide an intellectual,
well-articulated social-democratic, rational for Ti Bush’s agression.  Contrary
to most, I don’t think that the traditional opposition is leading the current
uprising against Lavalas.  I think the people just got fed up and are now
holding Lavalas responsible for the whole mess.  And it’s just as well -- this
is the price of charisma.  Again, the traditional opposition has no leadership
to offer that the people would identify with.   At the same time, Pierre-
Charles and his cohort are part of the democratic opposition to Lavalas
fascism.  The main task right now, as I see it, is to oppose Lavalas fascism
and the threatened US invasion that’s lurking in the shadow.  I said it before:
Aristide’s early resignation can kill those two monsters with one stone.

Lastly, allow me to quote from the recent declaration from Karl Leveque
Institute, et al. (Patrick Slavin’s post, #13942), issued on the day of my “Plea
to President Aristide,” (Dec. 2) to clarify exactly where I stand:

“At the same time as everyone stands up to reject Lavalas and Aristide, not
everyone has the same reason. Because, since 1986, the popular movement
has always struggled against any government which is subservient to the
imperialists, any government which sells off the country, which takes people's
money, which borrows money on the people's back to enrich itself and the
families of those in power, and to buy weapons which are used to crush the
people.  The struggle of the popular and democratic movement is one for a
sovereign government, which does not answer to any foreign country, a
government which carries out a real, national land reform without demagogy,
which judges all criminals and thieves of the state, a government which
builds schools and hospitals of the same quality all over the country, a
government which respects the rights of workers.”

Not much of a translation, but there you have it.

Daniel Simidor