The World and Democracy
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Published: January 6, 2009
18 Years Later, Haitians Still Manifest
Strong Show of Support for Aristide
By Smith Georges
Split Opposition Joins Chorus Calling for Aristide Return
New York - The coup/kidnapping supporters are split sensing the day of Aristide’s return to Haiti is near. On November 4th, when Barack Obama was declared the winner of the U.S. general presidential election, most of the tiny group of Haitians in the so-called opposition were nervous to say the least, knowing Aristide will soon return to Haiti. Aristide’s foes and former presidential candidates such as Gerard Gourgue and Evans Paul seem to break free from the rest of the opposition gang. Gourgue attended the impressive and successful December 16, 2008 rally calling for the immediate return of President Aristide to Haiti, and Evan Paul, aka K-Plim, said few days ago that no Haitians should be forced to live in exile.
There are unconfirmed reports that Mildred Trouillot Aristide, President Aristide’s wife, will travel to Haiti very soon to undertake renovation in their home and to pave the way for President Aristide’s return in March 2009 or prior. President Aristide, his wife and two daughters are currently living in exile in Johannesburg, South Africa.
According to our source, about 150,000 Haitians took part in a demonstration yesterday to mark the 18th anniversary of the ascension of president Aristide to power on December 16, 1990 as the first democratically and constitutionally elected president of Haiti. The demonstration was also a strong signal to the tiny minority that opposes the return of president Aristide to Haiti. The demonstrators demanded the return of Aristide, and they denounced the total disconnect of the current Haitian president Rene Preval with the Haitian people, whereby inflation, the living condition and insecurity make the country a living hell. Most Haitian people see Preval as a phantom. In the past 18 years Haiti has been hit by both man-made and natural disasters.
It is estimated that more than 80% of the Haitian population are nostalgic of the time that Aristide was in power before his kidnapping that was allegedly approved by President George W. Bush (aka Baby Bush) on February 29, 2004. American Senator and presidential candidate John Kerry didn’t hide his feeling when he said that President Georges W. Bush empowered the insurgents to overthrow Aristide. Kerry also added that Bush hates Aristide because of their theoretical differences.
Just seven months after he was elected, Aristide was overthrown the first time and sent in exile in a coup orchestrated by Haitian General Raoul Cedras with the alleged involvement of President George H. Bush (aka Papa Bush). Aristide was restored to power under President Bill Clinton on October 15, 1994.
Had Aristide not been interrupted twice in the pursuit of implementing his progressive social agenda, in order to alleviate the living condition of the Haitian people, Haiti would have been much better off. In his absence, the Haitians have known humiliation in the hands of the United Nations troops (MINUSTAH). The slum of Cite Soleil, an enclave of Aristide’s supporters, was bombed where innocent women, men and children were killed .
The Haitian puppet government installed by Bush and led by the puppet Haitian prime Minister Gerard Latortue invited the French troops to Haiti. It was a major blow to the Haitians’ pride because it was the first time that French troops had stepped on Haitian soil since the defeat of the Napoleonic troops in the early 1800s.
Some in the opposition are saying if Aritide is allowd to go back to Haiti, then Baby Doc (Jean-Calude Duvalier) and Cedras should also be allowed to return to their native country Haiti.
A few Haitians made a grave error when they voted for Bush just because of their hatred for Aristide, the democratically and constitutionally elected president of Haiti. Haiti has been turned into hell with raping kidnapping, poverty, murder since the absence of Aristide. Even the Haitians who backed up the kidnapping of Aristide have fled the country because of insecurity. These same Haitians turned Republicans have now voted for Obama. Bush has grounded his own country and the world. Bush's globalization and privatization folly has crashed to the point that the U.S. private sector is begging the goverment for handout and bailout. The private sector is partnering with the government in everything hoping for a rescue.
Aristide's only sin was his refusal to privatize Haiti's public assests. Obama has the same philosphy with Aristide, which is to lift up a country from the bottom up, but not from the top down like Bush.
Bush opposed the return of president Aristide to Haiti as a private citizen despite the unanimous consensus of all the Caribbean countries (CARICOM) and all the African countries (The African Union) that Aristide should go back to Haiti. CARICOM and The African Union see President Bush’s opposition to Aristide’s return as a racist act; as if to say Aristide belongs to Africa and should stay there. Aristide is currently living in South Africa with his wife and two daughters.
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