Oct 23 2017

My first exposure to Haiti was during the final years of Duvalier’s Presidency. I can remember the complete and total freedom to go anywhere, day or night.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn on the Champs des Mars and one thing that sticks in my mind was the 8 A.M. and 5 P.M moments when the flag in front of the palace was raised/lowered. Everything stopped as people turned towards their Nation’s symbol.

There were no “Red Zones.”  I moved freely through Cite Soleir, and other places that are now off limits,  unless you coordinate the visit with someone,  who knows someone, who knows someone in the district.

There was no crime (or very little) – traversing the streets did not involve fighting off a few dozen aggressive beggars.  And, the streets were clean, no huge piles of smelly, months old garbage.

There was little police/military presence, unlike today when the police look like Special Forces commandos, masked,  aggressive, armed to the teeth with assault rifles and protected with armored vests that will withstand heavy caliber rounds.

I can remember Jean Claude Duvalier driving around in his silver BMW, alone and with his windows rolled down. People were pleased to see him. Everyone waved.

This was the “brutal Duvalier dictatorship!”

People had respect for themselves, the Nation, and others.

Then came the American inflicted Democracy, and the face of Haiti began its radical change for the worse.

Liberation Theology was that period’s fad. Aristide  took advantage of this philosophy. He used psychology to generate a deep resentment among  Haitians  for anyone who had more than they did. It was not resentment against only the wealthy. It was a resentment against everything.  A person with a pair of shoes would be resented by those without.

Aristide destroyed the “Work Ethic” among our people. Today, no one wants to work, in a land that was full of industrious citizens during Duvalier, and before.

America is a “dictatorship of Law” because it has institutions to enforce the laws and control society.

Haiti has no such infrastructure and really no law since a few dollars can circumvent anything, even murder.

What Haiti requires is a “Dictatorship of Force” to put order back in the Nation, law-and-order.

The average Haitian wishes for the return of Duvalier, Father and Son.

Now  we have “legal, but immoral criminals” who rob the Nation with properly signed contracts, documents that would be thrown out in any real society.

Since the Nation’s President – Rene Preval – was father of these deals there was no arbitrator one could turn to. He included his own wife in one major power group, a deal that would have seen him impeached and jailed, had he been an American President.

The POTENTATES OF POWER – Sogenor, Haytrac and E-Power are classic examples of  this shady area, generating a Net Profit of $25,000,000 per month. One can afford to buy a lot of Senators/Deputies with some of this. Murders for a bag of cash will derail opposition. Sometimes a small bag as when the Manager of Air France was murdered for $3,500 American.

Once the Genie escaped from the bottle it has been impossible to reverse the disaster.

Last week, demonstrators menaced George Michel’s wife, in front of Petion-Ville’s luxury OASIS Hotel. This lady who has lived her life through Duvalier till now was violently threatened in Haiti’s upscale center.

The threats were so violent that her fear generated an aneurysm that would take her life within a few hours.

Marie Louise W. Michel

My God, where is the Haiti from my short  memory-span that saw my first visit in the Duvalier era?

These guys are the children and grandchildren of the generation I first met so many years ago. The ones who guaranteed my safety and comfort wherever I went.

What has happened to the old Creole challenge and reply when peasants meet on a mountain trail: “Honor – Respect.”

Anarchy, violent anarchy has been the result of Democracy without responsibility, without control, perhaps firm and drastic control when required.

Jovenel Moise won the election, with an absolute majority (twice) and immediately faced groups – representing no one – trying to destroy his government, the Haitian peoples’ government. Lavalas with 7% of the vote has now taken the road to violence and chaos again.

I am reminded of the old joke about an Irishman arriving in a nation, for the first time. As he walks down the aircraft stairs he looks around and asks – “What is your government? I am against it!”

So it is with the Haitian. A government is elected today and tomorrow someone is against it, paying protesters to take the street. We have Senator Beauplan, Aristide’s man, trying to break our Democracy in company with other Lavalas Senators Pierre, Casssy and Don Kato.

His team, in company with THE POTENTATES OF POWER, will use the October 26th publication of the Senate report from their COMMISION ENQUETE SUR FONDS PETROCARIBE to set the streets on fire to protest things that no one  has read, let alone understood. A bunch of people – who don’t pay taxes – protesting against budgetary tax proposals, is absurd..

UNDERSTAND THE SIMPLE FACT – THERE ARE NO SPONTANEOUS PROTESTS IN HAITI!! ALL PROTESTS ARE PAID EVENTS… NO CASH – NO DEMONSTRATION. SIZE OF DEMO REFLECTS SIZE OF BUDGET!!!

This must stop.

Jovelel Moise, our President, the Nation’s President must take steps to control and eliminate these anarchists, otherwise we are doomed.
The Americans, International Community, World Bank, BID, UN and more, are supportive of his attempt to rehabilitate the Nation. However, their support must be more than lip service. The Friends of Haiti must accept that fact that some eggs must be broken in order to make the Haitian Omelet.

Haitians want and expect a strong leader. They will welcome and accept a government that moves to retrieve our past stability, pride and progress.
Jovenel is the guy to do this.

For the future, our future, our childrens’ future, our grandchildrens’ future, the Nation’s future let us work to see Jovenel Moise succeed.SHE IS THE PAST –
HER CHILD IS THE FUTURE, OUR FUTURE