7559: Danny Toussaint's response to the IAPA (it's hot!) (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: patrick sylvain <sylvaipa@hotmail.com>

Hi folks, I heading to a conference and do not have the time to translate 
this "extraordinary" response that Danny Toussaint sent to Arana after her 
critical report on the Jean-Dominique's case. As you are all aware, so far, 
all the roads lead to Rome. And Danny is presumably the Emperor.  In the 
response below, which I may remark is in a perfect French that Mr.. 
Toussaint has never uttered. Matter of fact, when ever he is questioned in 
French he always responded in Haitian. Furthermore, for those of you who are 
familiar with rhetoric and rebuttal technique will notice a close level of 
professionalism in his response. Which means, that there is another author 
behind this text. Those of you who would like to translate it, have fun and 
thanks in advance.

The basic premises of his contentions (beside a systematic rejection of her 
claims) are:
1. As a professional military person, he always held the highest esteem for 
journalists.
2. He questions how such a serious and respectable organization such as the 
IAPA could undermine its professionalism by publishing such vile and 
unfounded report.
3. He also questions her objectivity absent of the fact that she did not 
contact him.
4. He took apart her contentions that he is Machiavelique in his deeds and 
that she had no capacity to read what is on a man’s heart and therefor 
Lavalas had no problem with Domique.  Beside, under Preval, Dominique was 
recognized as major figure to the point they (the Lavalassien) named the 
Darbonne Sugar Mills after Jn-D.
5. He mentions or tries to link Dominique’s death to the American Embassy 
for, apparently, Dominique was extremely critical of the U.S.’s policies as 
well as critical of certain organizations such as the IRI and USAID. He also 
questions her on the fact that Phillipe Mackington could be a professional 
killer.
6. He also refutes her claim that his popularity his link to criminal acts. 
On the contrary, it is his honesty and good deeds that made him so popular 
and unfortunately, that same popularity is being used against him.
7. In light of her accusation and associating with gangsters, she has to 
keep in mind that while he was chief of police, security reigned in the 
country.
8. Her defamation is irreparable and that he expects some form of public 
apology.
9. He is waiting the end of this unfortunate affair, for he wants to live 
with a clear conscience.

I hope those highlights are helping a bit. Have fun deconstructing his 
counter-arguement and perhaps we should go back to Arana's report and 
analyze the major point. The truth is somewhere between the lines.

Have fun and as always, in hope of Democracy and peace

Patrick

___________________________________________
Port-au-Prince, le 27 mars 2001

Madame Ana ARANA

Inter-American Press Association (IAPA)

2911 N.W. 34th Street
Miami, Florida 33142
Fax: (305) 635-2272