5470: Killing the Lavalas dream...(Saint-Vil) - replace previous (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Jean Saint-Vil <jafrikayiti@hotmail.com>

Killing the dream by means of strategic Fraticide

Early last week, news came to us of the violence that broke out in the Plato 
Santral area between  members of two Lavalas factions, those of the Mouvman 
Peyizan Papay and those of  Fanmi Lavalas.

Like most individuals who are truly committed to the wellbeing of my people, 
my initial reaction to this news was outrage towards the leadership of the 
Lavalas movement  who allowed this to happen and great concern that peace 
will be seriously undermined in my country during the coming months.

I raise the issue here and on other fora, in the hope that influencial 
members of the political fractions active in Haitian politics will heed my 
call and take the necessary steps to avoid a replay of the Jean Dominique 
tragedy.

I read an e-mail press release from the OPL people claiming that the life of 
Chavannes Jean-Baptiste is in great danger. His brother is already one of 
the direct victims of last week's violence.  What is going on here? Is Fanmi 
Lavalas really shooting itself in the foot by sponsoring highly visible 
violence against its political rivals - only days before the November 26th 
presidential elections? That would be dangerous, outrageous and foolish. But 
who is to say that the Lavalas leadership has not indeed lost all control of 
the streets?

In any case, one must realise that since the 1991 coup d'état, a number of 
peasant leaders or grassroots organisers have been eliminated , among them 
several key liberation theology activists or sympathisers  (Pè Jean Marie 
Vincent, Pè Ti-Jean, Jean Dominique, Amos Jeanot…) while we have witnessed a 
simultaneous  fractioning of the Lavalas Movement and its leadership.

In almost all these cases, there has somehow been a strategy found to use 
the violence to further weaken the Lavalas Movement and its leadership by 
casting doubt that the murderers might be insiders - children of the LM 
itself.  I can't help but remember how I worried that once, the feud between 
Danny Toussaint and Jean Dominique became a matter of public knowledge, the 
latter became an open and perfect target for ennemies of the movement to 
which they both belonged. Had the Lavalas leadership  promptly quashed the 
qrarrel between these two, who is to say what would have happenned. 
Unfortunately, one cannot turn the clock backwards but we can and should try 
to avoid violent tragedy when it is avoidable.

Chavannes Jean-Baptiste was once a close adviser to Jean-Bertrand Aristide 
and René Péval. Chavannes Jean-Baptiste is a powerful peasant leader. The 
Lavalas movement's power stems from its strong ties with the Haitian masses. 
Both peasant populations and city dwellers. Eliminating Chavannes would be a 
great gain for those who want to keep the Haitian people away from Haitian 
politics and, at the same time, it would be a great opportunity to further 
destroy the Lavalas Movemenr as a whole and, particularly to use strategic 
fraticide to strike a fatal blow to its most powerful fraction today, the 
Fanmi Lavalas of Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

A piece of advice for Fanmi Lavalas and its leadership : Make sure your 
members in the Plato Santral stay as far away as possible from any 
confrontations with their MPP brothers.

A piece of Advice for the Haitian Government and Head of State : Make sure 
you provide the best protection possible to MPP and its leader Chavannes 
Jean-Baptiste, your brother in the struggle.

A piece of advice to Chavannes Jean-Baptiste : Make sure you take evry step 
possible to protect your life and stay away from known self-claimed «chimè» 
or violent agitators that sel-identify with FL, Tonton Makouts and CIA 
agents in Haiti.

Finally, let me say to all my elders whom I have followed in the Lavalas 
movement since 1991. I have watched how you have led the people to a 
glorious victory in December 1990. I have watched and joined your courageous 
and intelligent struggle against the Septembre 1991 Coup d 'État. I have 
celebrated with you the victory of October 15th 1994.  I have felt your pain 
as you witnessed the fractioning of the movement between 1994 and 2000. 
Today many of you are so caught up in that fratricidal battle that you 
cannot step back and look at the big picture. What has happened since 1991? 
Why were there so few voters in the 1995 and 1997 elections? Why are peasant 
leaders falling one after another?
Today, I beg your attention Titid, Chavannes, Préval, Pè Antoine 
Adrien…please realise what is really going on is the destruction of the 1991 
victory. Should you allow this to happen, history will not blame only one 
MPP or one Fanmi Lavalas or one OPL or one Louvri Baryè. It is each and 
every one of you individually that will bear the blame and also as a 
generation.

As the powerfull nations of the world are moving towards more extreme right 
wing leadership, it is not at all the right time for our nation to waste the 
hard earned democratic gains of 1991.  Wake up my brothers and sisters and 
realise who your real foes are and please do the right thing!

Jafrikayiti

«Depi nan Ginen bon nèg ap ede nèg!»


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