14116: Karshan: Miami Herald: Aristide says vast majority of Haitians support him (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: MKarshan@aol.com

The Miami Herald
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Posted on Fri, Dec. 13, 2002

Aristide says vast majority of Haitians support him
BY JIM DEFEDE AND MARIKA LYNCH
mlynch@herald.com

PORT-AU-PRINCE -- Appearing calm and confident, Haitian President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Thursday dismissed the notion his government is in
trouble or that he has lost the support of his people.

''Today, I am here at the palace, it is not a gift. The vast majority of the
people are with me,'' Aristide said during a wide-ranging, 90-minute
interview in his office.

Aristide pledged to hold elections next year and said that Haitian immigrants
who reach Florida are economic, not political, refugees -- a designation that
would all but close the door on the possibility of winning political asylum.

He saved his harshest criticism for the United States and the international
community for blocking aid for his government's projects more than two years
ago. He argued that international leaders, and not his government, are
responsible for the turmoil in his nation.

''In 1990, Haiti was the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Twelve
years later, Haiti is still the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere --
not because of what we did, but because of what those [members of the
international community did] -- imposing an economic sanction against us as a
people,'' Aristide said. ``They have the responsibility.''

Recently, Haiti has faced almost daily protests, where opponents demand
Aristide's resignation and alleged supporters become violent in his name.

Aristide acknowledges there is political violence in his country -- among
those who support him and those who don't. Nevertheless, he said, the levels
are exaggerated.

He also questioned why human rights groups and the media often blame his
Lavalas Party for the violence. To make his point, he mentioned an attack on
a police station Tuesday night, where four people were killed in an apparent
attempt to free an opposition member arrested for murdering a Lavalas judge.

As is often the case in Haiti, Aristide says things are not always as they
seem. In recent weeks, political gangs who say they are pro-government have
taken to the streets, even beating anti-government protesters with whips on
Dec. 3 to preempt a march in downtown Port-au-Prince.

While opponents see the groups as Aristide's ''enforcers,'' the president
said it is unclear who is behind them.

''It is not easy to distinguish which one is really supporting us when they
are causing violence,'' Aristide said.

Despite their declarations, some may commit violence to embarrass the
government and try to turn people against him, Aristide said.

To Aristide, the country's political and economic crises are intertwined: The
international community denies aid, people grow desperate, and there are
outbursts in the streets.

TAKING CREDIT

In fact, Aristide said, it is surprising Haiti isn't more unstable, given the
poverty and 70 percent unemployment rate in the nation of eight million. He
credited himself with keeping the country together.

''I would want to see who could sit here in this office and spend the past
two years without economic assistance and keep the country intact, relatively
peaceful and intact,'' Aristide said. ``Tell me, if in Detroit, you could
have such a peaceful environment when there is a blackout. Tell me, if in
Haiti, where you have months of blackouts, not just hours, you can still have
a peaceful environment.''

Haiti's democracy is young and experiencing growing pains, he said. The
country is trying to break the addictive cycle of coups that had gripped the
nation for almost 200 years. He said it would take time to develop strong
democratic institutions.

BIG CHALLENGE

Aristide is facing the biggest test to his leadership since the September
1991 coup that forced him into exile in the United States. A once small,
elite opposition has grown, and recently students, business leaders and human
rights groups have condemned the government, and some have demanded his
resignation.

The country has been locked in a political stalemate since May 2000, when the
Lavalas Party swept parliamentary elections that observers said were flawed.
Afterward, the international community blocked aid, including more than $150
million in loans for roads and health projects.

This summer, the Organization of American States released that aid, but the
government still hasn't received the money. Among the stumbling blocks: the
country still owes money on other loans.

Critics, however, said Haiti's economic problems are more fundamental, and go
beyond the lack of aid.

Financial mismanagement, the recent collapse of local cooperatives, or
investment groups that went broke after devolving into a pyramid scheme, and
a rumor-fueled banking crisis that sent millions of dollars out of the
country also have deepened the economic crisis.

Aristide's opponents and the international community say Aristide also is
slow to impose reforms.

Earlier in the week, the OAS chastised the Haitian government for not doing
enough to provide a secure environment for legislative elections, which
Aristide wants to hold next year.

ELECTION STRIFE

Opposition leaders say they won't participate until the government can ensure
a safe environment in which to campaign and vote. Aristide rejects that
notion. If an election can happen in civil-war torn Colombia, he said, it can
happen in Haiti today.

The opposition is afraid of contesting elections and is stalling, Aristide
said.

''They fear elections. They prefer to choose violence sometimes,'' he said,
adding that elections will take place in the first six months of next year.

The OAS also criticized the Haitian government for not arresting people
implicated in the burning of opposition members' homes and headquarters last
year.

Aristide said he has called for their arrests, but the judiciary is
independent.

''Our judicial system is corrupted, our police [department] is young,''
Aristide said, adding he can't get involved because he would violate the
separation of powers.

In the interview in his office, where he sat beneath a portrait of Haitian
independence hero Toussaint L'Ouverture, Aristide also talked about Haitian
immigration to the United States.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Video footage of more than 200 Haitians scrambling to the shore off Key
Biscayne in October saddened him, he said. Though some said they were fleeing
political persecution and have asked for asylum, Aristide said the exodus is
economic, exacerbated by the international community's blockage of aid to the
government.

''It is clear in my mind that the people left for economic reasons. Haitians
are proud, willing to stay in Haiti and work in Haiti,'' Aristide said.
``Haitians enjoy working. When you see someone leaving the country . . it is
because they are suffering so much.''

The Haitian coast guard, he said, has orders to stop boats leaving the
country.

Aristide puts the onus on the United States to strengthen protection.

Despite the seriousness of the issues he is confronting, Aristide was in
remarkably good spirits during the interview, laughing and joking at times,
and making it clear he enjoys being president.

Asked about his plans for the remainder of his term, Aristide said: ``My
answer may surprise you. What I am looking forward for is a peaceful Haiti, a
democratic Haiti.''

Repairing the economy, attracting investment to the island, and improving the
education system are important to him as well, but a stable democracy is the
first priority.

``For the coming three years I will continue to try my best to try and
protect that peaceful and democratic environment because I know once we have
that, the rest will come.''


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