a974: Side with Haiti on principle, not skin color (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>


Posted on Thu, Feb. 28, 2002

RAY KILLICK
Side with Haiti on principle, not skin color

In its darkest hour ever, Haiti is about to celebrate the bicentennial of
one of the greatest moments in black history and the only successful slave
uprising of all time.

Driven by the cause of freedom and emboldened by their slogan of war --
Freedom, or death -- the slaves of Hispaniola took on the greatest army of
the time, the army of Napoleon the Great. Those phenomenal victories of 1803
against Napoleonic France culminated on Jan. 1, 1804, with the creation of
the first independent black nation of the world. Haiti's birth could not
have been possible without the precursory work of Touissant L'Ouverture, the
great Haitian general entrusted by France in 1797 to be commander-in-chief
of the island. L'ouverture often has been called the black Napoleon.

L'ouverture dreamed of a society based on rights and justice for all. He
fiercely believed in the promise of the French Revolution and the
''Declaration of Human Rights and of the Citizen'' of 1789. He rose against
the slave trade carried out by former slaves against their own kinship. He
allied himself not on kinship but on grounds of justice and fairness for
all. He listened to everyone before going with or against anyone. He fought
injustice whether committed against whites, mulattoes or blacks, without
ever wavering in his fight against slavery.

Two centuries ago, in an epic uprising, Haiti was drumming up its way to a
triumphant quest for freedom. Once the standard bearer of slave freedom,
Haiti has lost its own freedom to a succession of thugs over the course of
its history. Yesterday called Tonton Macoutes or Chimeres today, those thugs
are a disgrace to the black race.

Illiteracy, subhuman living conditions and senseless killings have crept up
to buttress neo-slavery, characterized by domination by way of terror of a
population of blacks by a handful of black masters.

A SINISTER CAUSE

Black masters now are at the helm of a dictatorial government engineered to
be dysfunctional to funnel the people's money and foreign aid to overseas
banks for personal benefit. Those new masters terrorize eight million
defenseless Haitians, who seemingly have lost their only champion, President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, to some sinister cause. Corruption, anarchy and
divisive rhetoric on the part of those in power have further paralyzed the
nation's economic, social and political life.

Police officers allegedly have kidnapped people for ransom and continued to
live with impunity. A couple of years ago, the country's most revered
journalist, Jean Dominique, was gunned down in front of his radio station.
He had warned against what was shaping up to be the bogus parliamentary
elections that eventually yielded a 100 percent majority to the current
rule. His alleged killers have refused to testify and continue to move
freely.

BOGUS ELECTIONS

Against this backdrop of terror, lawlessness and lack of civil rights,
Aristide has been lobbying the Congressional Black Caucus and the
14-Caribbean-nation CARICOM to get Washington to lift the economic sanctions
imposed on his government after the bogus elections. The Black Caucus and
CARICOM seem to have no second thoughts in echoing Aristide's call for
money. The call seems noble. Haitians are in dire straits and need help
indeed.

To the Black Caucus and the Caribbean nations, I repeat the Russian proverb:
''Trust, but verify.'' The record must be put on the table as a political
marker of good will. Everyone stands to gain by exerting good judgment
instead of making a hasty decision based on a black solidarity of sort. Get
the facts before rallying behind those who currently hold power in Haiti. Is
the support for Aristide solely based on solidarity by kinship -- that is,
by way of skin color?

POWELL IS RIGHT

What then of the alleged corruption and assaults on human and civil rights
by the Aristide government perpetrated mostly against poor black Haitians?

In this quagmire, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has come across as
the one whose words and deeds seem to reflect concern for the Haitian
people. He has enjoined Aristide to demonstrate his commitment to give
democracy a chance in Haiti before $200 million in conditional U.S. loans
can be released.

The Black Caucus and other prominent black leaders who were instrumental in
restoring constitutional order in Haiti (following the military coup of Gen.
Raoul Cedras) must uphold the same principles now. They must apply the
necessary pressure to thwart an attempt at reestablishing a despotic
government in the Caribbean. It's unfair to give away millions to enrich
Haitian politicians and expect the Haitian people to pick up the tab.

MLK'S DREAM

The Black Caucus has the moral obligation to ensure that Martin Luther
King's dream lives on -- beyond America's borders, too. What better time to
further King's dream than Black History Month! It would be ironic if, in the
name of black solidarity, a black coalition stood in the way of the civil
rights of a black people.

I hope that, transcending all partisan cleavages, the black leaders of the
Western Hemisphere will echo in unison Powell's fair stand toward the
Haitian government: Govern responsibly, and we'll lift our sanctions.

In its darkest hour ever, Haiti -- led by one of the most retrograde and
inept governments in the world -- is about to commemorate the bicentennial
of the founding of the first black republic in the world. By serendipity,
such an honor falls in the hands of a government distrusted by the Haitian
people. All the Aristide government will be able to celebrate is its
contribution to 200 years of mismanagement and irresponsible governance.

ENEMIES AT HOME

L'Ouverture fell by high treason at the hands of enemies disguised as
allies. Today is no different, but more than one life is at stake. The eight
million people of Haiti are in the hands of enemies none other than their
very own -- the black rulers.

The Black Caucus and CARICOM should not allow themselves to be giving
legitimacy to a regime whose raison d'tre is its perpetuation in power and
corruption. Continue isolating the Haitian government until it shows respect
for human lives and human rights. Make it a moral tenet that Haiti's people
come first this time -- first after 200 years of neo-slavery.

Ray Killick, a software engineer in Atlanta, writes on topics ranging from
high technology to political leadership and democracy in his native country,
Haiti.



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