24629: Haiti Progres (news) This Week in Haiti 23 # 3 3/30/05

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Haïti Progrès" <editor@haiti-progres.com>


"This Week in Haiti" is the English section of HAITI PROGRES
newsweekly. For the complete edition with other news in French
and Creole, please contact the paper at (tel) 718-434-8100,
(fax) 718-434-5551 or e-mail at editor@haitiprogres.com.
Also visit our website at <www.haitiprogres.com>.

                           HAITI PROGRES
                "Le journal qui offre une alternative"

                       * THIS WEEK IN HAITI *

                      March 30 - April 5, 2005
                          Vol. 23, No. 3



U.N. CHOKES OFF PRO-DEMOCRACY DEMONSTRATION

Using razor wire, tanks and tear-gas, soldiers of the United Nations
Mission to Stabilize Haiti (MINUSTAH) blocked thousands of pro-democracy
demonstrators from marching to the Place of the Constitution in front of
the National Palace on March 29, the 18th anniversary of the Haitian
constitution's ratification by popular referendum.

The bitter confrontation between the MINUSTAH and Haitian demonstrators
from the hillside slum of Belair marked the end of a one-month honeymoon
during which U.N. troops were seen by some pro-democracy leaders as
allies against murderous rampages by the Haitian National Police (PNH)
and former soldiers.

On Feb. 25, PNH riot police opened fire on a peaceful demonstration in
Belair, killing three demonstrators (see HaVti ProgrPs, Vol. 22, No. 51,
3/2/2005). Over the next month, MINUSTAH troops provided security to
pro-democracy demonstrations, often theatrically preventing PNH riot
police from approaching the protests.

However, on Mar. 29, many thousands of demonstrators found themselves
penned into the streets of Belair and unable to rally as they had
planned on the Champ de Mars, the capital's central square, because
MINUSTAH's commander thought it would somehow displease Haiti's
unconstitutional authorities.

"We told them they had to stay inside the community [Belair] so [as] not
to provoke a confrontation with police," said Brazilian Lt. Gen. Augusto
Heleno Ribeiro, the MINUSTAH's commander.

Many thousands of demonstrators jammed into Belair's warren-like streets
and waved small Haitian flags and photos of President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide, chanting "No Aristide, no peace" and "Down with the coup d'
état." They also set ablaze a life-sized effigy of de facto Prime
Minister Gerard Latortue.

Leaders of the National Reflection Cell of Popular Organizations of the
Lavalas Family Base had called the demonstration weeks ago and duly
notified authorities of the march. But the MINUSTAH commander displayed
his ignorance of Haiti's constitution by saying that demonstrators did
not have authorization to go in front of the Palace. Under the charter,
demonstrators need no such authorization; they only need to notify the
police at least three days prior to their action, as they did.

In addition to firing tear-gas, MINUSTAH troops also fired in the air to
prevent demonstrators from marching down to the Palace. To express their
anger, demonstrators burned a Brazilian flag and a Brazilian soccer
jersey.

The sentiments of the crowd were articulated by an older man who began
to harangue the U.N. troops as they dispersed the demonstrators. "They
have sent the MINUSTAH, which hides behind our brave policemen," the old
man said. "The MINUSTAH asks the police to do the dirty work of firing
on the people, while at the same time provoking the people as they are
doing now so as to push us to violent acts, after which they will say
that Haiti is ungovernable... Let me tell you: I am Haitian. I will die
Haitian. There is nobody who can insult me... Go back in history and ask
the Americans what happened here in 1915. They will tell you why
Americans are afraid to come here. So if you do not go home, you will
pay a very dear price. We no longer love Brazil."

Another demonstrator lambasted pro-coup radio stations and the
bourgeoisie's "civic front" for their role in creating Haiti's
repressive climate today."It is precisely Radio CaraVbes, Radio Kiskeya,
Radio Vision 2000 and the Group of 184 who have put the country in this
situation," the angry man said on the airwaves of Radio Signal FM. "The
de facto government colluded with the foreigners to disperse the
demonstration."

The National Popular Party (PPN) held a press conference on Mar. 28 to
express its full support for the Mar. 29 demonstration and to reiterate
its rejection of the occupation elections de facto authorities want to
organize later this year (see statement below).



PPN ANALYSIS:
THE HISTORY OF HAITI'S CONSTITUTION

On March 28, 2005, the National Popular Party issued an analysis of
Haiti's Constitution and the political struggle around it over the past
18 years. We have translated it from the original Creole.

March 29, 2005 marks 18 years since most Haitians voted for the
Constitution of March 29, 1987. The people were so thirst for justice,
political liberty, better times, transparency and participation that
they came out massively to vote for the constitution without it ever
really being debated among the people.

Although "Baby Doc" Duvalier had left, it was still "Duvalierism without
Duvalier" in the country. The monkey's tail was still holding on strong.
The infamous team of Generals Henri Namphy and Williams Regala handed us
a Constituent Assembly to write the constitution.

Given that the Macoutes were on the defensive, they had to compromise
with the bourgeois sector to make the Constituent Assembly. So you found
representatives of the Macoute sector like Emile Jonassaint, Nil
Calixte, and Julio LarosiliPre,. You also found many representatives of
the bourgeois sector such as Dr. Louis Roy, Serges Villard, and Reginald
Riboul.

The Macoute sector had to make some concessions. They accepted the
bourgeoisie's proposition to take a so-called reprieve from politics for
10 years. There was an agreement made between the bourgeois sector and
the Macoute sector on the basis of Article 291 [which banned from
holding office any Duvalierists known for corruption, "excess zeal" or
"having inflicted torture on political prisoners in connection with
arrests and investigations or for having committed political
assassinations."]

So it was this Macouto/bourgeois alliance which gave us the 1987
Constitution. Since then, the alliance has pushed the people aside. They
organized a referendum to approve the Constitution and in the same
constitution took away the people's right to express their will in any
other referendum.

But as always, the two ruling class sectors (...) continued to fight
between each other for political power, and that's when they would put
the Constitution they had just drawn up aside. Everybody remembers the
massacres which were carried out around the country [in November 1987],
particularly in Port-au-Prince at Ruelle Vaillant. The Macoutes allied
themselves with the army and the "laboratory" [CIA/Pentagon], which saw
that the people's vote would not be good for them. They drowned the
voting in blood.

Afterwards [in January 1988], they organized a "selection" and Mr.
[Leslie] Manigat stepped over the people's bodies to become a puppet
president. But the army overthrew him four months later. Coup d'état
after coup d'état occurred, and they carried out the St. Jean Bosco
massacre because they never accepted Father Aristide, who was
championing the demands of the people.

That is how we arrived at the elections of 1990, when the Americans sent
their candidate Marc Bazin into the election to become president and to
apply the death plan of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and
USAID. And to sell Bazin, they had a big Macoute, Roger Lafontant, come
back into the country to participate in the elections, as a kind of
trap. At that time, the bourgeoisie had a problem with the Americans and
didn't want to return to a Duvalierist hardliner, so they decided to
hitch a ride on the popularity of Father Aristide and to try to use him
as a kind of puppet. Father Aristide became president. But after seven
months, the Macoute sector and the army on the orders of the CIA
overthrew President Aristide and killed more than 5000 people. They
trampled the Constitution.

As everyone remembers, President Aristide returned, but they cut short
his mandate. René Préval became president and served for five years with
great difficulty. Elections were held in 2000, and President Aristide
returned to power. Since then, the Macoutes and the bourgeoisie joined
forces to overthrow Aristide. With money from the European Union, NDI
[National Democratic Institute] and IRI [International Republican
Institute], they made all kinds of disorder. On Feb. 29, 2004, the
United States, France and Canada mounted a plot, and U.S. Special Forces
kidnapped President Aristide and sent him into exile in Africa.

Today, the forces of darkness and the former soldiers are carrying out
massacres all over the country. The grandon [big landowners] are back in
force, killing peasants to steal their land. Faced with a high cost of
living which is killing the people, bandits are back in force kidnapping
people right and left. State coffers are being pilfered. They are
marginalizing political parties which represent the people like the
National Popular Party (PPN) and the Lavalas Family. No matter what,
they want to organize an election/selection.

We in the National Popular Party (PPN) say that elections are not
possible, and we will not go into any baloney election if there is not a
return to constitutional order which entails the physical return of
President Aristide to finish his mandate and organize elections. That is
why we support the big demonstration that the National Reflection Cell
of the Lavalas Family Base is organizing tomorrow on the 18th
anniversary of the Constitution. We call on all the people to take to
the streets peacefully to denounce the de factos and a return to
Constitutional order.

Down with the occupation orchestrated by the U.S., France and Canada!

Down with the de facto government!

Long live the return to constitutional order!

Liberty or death!

For the Political Bureau of the National Popular Party (PPN)
Georges Honorat

All articles copyrighted Haiti Progres, Inc. REPRINTS ENCOURAGED.
Please credit Haiti Progres.

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