BY JACQUELINE CHARLES
Marc Bazin, former World Bank economist, one-time Haitian prime minister and unsuccessful presidential candidate, has died, family members confirmed.
Bazin, 78, died early Wednesday after a lengthy illness.
“He was smart, had a great sense of humor and was one of the most undervalued citizens of Haiti,” said Jocelyn McCalla, a former head of the National Coalition for Haitian Rights in New York who knew Bazin personally.
Bazin ran a distant second to former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in the December 1990 presidential election. He’s a mentor and longtime friend of current Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, who most recently visited Bazin with President René Préval at his home above the mountains of Petionville.
Bellerive is scheduled to meet with The Miami Herald’s Editorial Board from 3:30 – 4:40 p.m. Wednesday. The gathering will be streamed live on MiamiHerald.com/Haiti.
Bazin, a moderate, was among dozens of candidates who lost to Préval in the 2006 Haitian presidential elections. He got .01 percent of the vote.
Even in failing health he worried about the future of the country, rebuilding education, the neglect of the middle class, the 1.5 million living in tent cities and the opposition’s ongoing push to remove Préval from office.
“All of the guys have one preoccupation, how to get to power without an election,” he told a Miami Herald reporter in one of his last interviews.
Most recently, he was among several former prime ministers who came together to reflect and advise on the reconstruction of the country.
“What the country needs now is for us to go forward. Let’s sit together; let’s see what we can do,” he said.
Bazin first made a reputation for himself during a brief stint in the early 1980s as finance minister under Jean-Claude Duvalier. His attempts to crack down on corruption earned him the nickname “Mr. Clean,” but also got him dismissed after six months in office.
In 1992, he was installed as defacto prime minister by the 7,000-strong military that forced Aristide into exile. He resigned in June 1993 after the military failed to support his attempt to fire four Cabinet ministers.
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COMMENT: HAITIAN-TRUTH.ORG
There is an old saying that one should not speak ill of the dead.
However, when a man like Bazin was a pivotal element in the Nation’s situation, one must speak the truth.
Bazin was a man of limited capabilities and little or no integrity.
He accepted millions of dollars from the Americans, for two political campaigns, and then put this into banks accounts and did not use the funds as promised, for Haiti’s benefit. He accepted a continued envelope delivery service, from the American Embassy….gaining a fortune for his efforts on their behalf……not on Haiti’s behalf.
Bazin was the type of man who would take paintings from local artists, promising one price…Then, when the poor people came for their money he would offer them a fraction of the agreed price, using his stature as a weapon. A take it or leave it situation. When you are starving, you take it.
On a diplomatic level, he would sell his soul to the highest bidder.
The man would have smothered his mother to be Prime Minister again and pursued this goal with all the shame of a street walker.
Let us hope that the new generation of Haitian politician has more integrity, much more integrity than the former Parisian ball room dancer, and World Bank functionary.
Remember the young girl who committed suicide after Bazin and his brother, who operated a porn show in Petionville, forced her to have sex with a dog?
That was the Marc Bazin I will remember.
They should bury this pig face down with no coffin. Preferably, in the Dominican Republic
Associated Press reports: “Patrick Michel, the leader of Bazin’s political party, said the former premier died of cancer.”
This is a comfortable way to say AIDS for this is the enemy that devoured our Marc Bazin. He existed in two lives, or perhaps more. One was a pious public persona the others in the shadows with preferences for very young boys.
The perfect vehicle for the American Capitalists’ value system as they subordinate the Haitian people.
Where will our northern friends place their crown now?
Marc Bazin was a mirror of our political class in Haiti. This unfortunately consists of individuals with little to contribute to the Nation’s survivability. They are politicians in order to make money, and little else. They could not make a living elsewhere.
They represent few yet are the persons who speak to the media as representatives of all.
The people really have no voice.
Marc Bazin was a giant amongst men.
You are unworthy to comment upon his life.
“Bazin first made a reputation for himself during a brief stint in the early 1980s as finance minister under Jean-Claude Duvalier. His attempts to crack down on corruption earned him the nickname “Mr. Clean,” but also got him dismissed after six months in office.”
Once again, misdirection by the media.
I was in Haiti when Bazin was named Finance Minister. Duvalier appointed him in an effort to control the excesses of Ernest Bennett’s family. His daughter – Michele Bennett – married Jean-Claude.
Bazin was given a great deal of authority, but he resigned, seemingly without any concrete reason. Duvalier was flabbergasted, to say the least.
In fact, he was already America’s Man and resigned, as he did later under Cedras, to put pressure on Haitian government leaders in order to impose American wishes.
As a puppet of my American government Bazin did nothing positive for either Haitians or America…since his actions were coordinated by fools. Bazin is largely responsible for what trouble now exists in Haiti because of his flawed loyalty.
Bazin was given the opportunity to lead, but lacked the ability.
Many years ago I was employed as an economist with the World Bank. I was on McNamara’s personal staff.
It was internally held joke that Bazin was Robert McNamara’s lover. Via this channel, America had unusual influence upon Haitian leader Marc Bazin.
Whatever the case might be, Marc Bazin never had a really important position with the World Bank. He was counted amongst thousands of other functionaries as a no more than average qualification.
When the time come we paid the dog to bark and he barked.
Shame on all of you who speak badly of Prime Minister Marc Bazin.
You should respect the dead.
Even if he is guilty of the things you mention, that is passed and God forgives these transgressions.
Let him rest in peace.
Please, no more tasteless comments.
I was trying to recollect the name of the Bazin club in Petion-Ville
Was it called Aphrodisia?
I can recall a night when they had a donkey and a lady which was very spectacular for those tourists who paid to view. We had tourists then.
Refresh my recall please
A QUOTE: “In 1992, he was installed as defacto prime minister by the 7,000-strong military that forced Aristide into exile. He resigned in June 1993 after the military failed to support his attempt to fire four Cabinet ministers.”
I think that this misstatement must be corrected.
Bazin was challenged, by a guy in the American embassy, to do something to show he was independent of the Cedras….like “fire a couple of cabinet ministers.”
Bazin tried to fire four ministers, and named their replacements. However, he hadn’t bothered to contact those he was firing, or those he appointed as ministerial replacements, and the whole event became a farce.
Those fired, refused to go.
The named replacements said they were not consulted by Bazin and declined the offer.
The Haitian Constitution of 1987 is such that Bazin could not have replaced the ministers without a president in place, and Nerette had resigned. It was all a game to force Aristide back upon the nation. By firing the ministers Bazin played into the hands of others with a different agenda.
Bazin had effectively committed political suicide and decided to step down.
I watched this mess from the State Department.
The girl that committed suicide as a result of the Bazin brothers actions should have her death considered as a murder.
Who would think of such a thing? It is the ugliest thing that I have heard come from anyone that is supposed to be respectable.
Jesse Jackson was accused of sex with a 14 year old girl while in Haiti during the embargo. Prime Minister is filmed having sex with children.
Are all of them sick? I thought they were just greedy, but they should be controlled
the Mr. Clean title is not really fitting.
I can remember working with Marc Bazin, during his time as Prime Minister. He demanded the right to lower tariffs on rice so starving children would receive more food. The tariffs were lowered. Bazin and his brother pocketed something like $2,500,000 and the children got nothing.
This, plus his attempt to fire a few cabinet ministers and his overall inability to make decisions led to his resignation.
He was given the opportunity to help Haiti but unfortunately, a leopard cannot change his spots.
Perhaps we will learn something from this.
I think not.
At least Marc Bazin will be remembered.
Where is this devil buried? Tell me so I can go there to spit on his grave. He forced young girls and boys to do wrong things alone with him, and he should be remembered for being a sick person with no care for feelings in his victims.
This is a guy who Bazin would love…….an ex-California police officer with strange tastes….
Sianez allegedly said he would use his contacts as a former police officer to file false police reports against them, and he allegedly threatened to burn down the home of a private investigator who posted Internet comments alerting people to Sianez’s fraudulent activities, authorities said.
Investigators also discovered that Sianez posted ads on Craigslist seeking women to engage in bestiality with his dog, prosecutors said, and he tried to set up the meetings through e-mail.
If convicted of all the charges, Sianez faces a maximum of 38 years in prison.