We are assaulted by the promise of another Congressional Committee, made up of people who know little or nothing about Haiti. Haiti – yet again – is being used as a vehicle for personal agendas.

These people mean no harm, however,  by aligning themselves with certain minority, but vocal Haitian elements,   they perpetuate a generations’ long trail of events that are responsible for the disastrous situation in which Haiti now finds itself.

“Perceived Reality” rarely equals “Reality.”

Unfortunately, the current ongoing “Perceived Reality,” was created by people like Aristide who have effectively destroyed the cultural foundations upon which Haiti was built.

One of these flawed “Perceived Realities,” sees our old Forces Armees d’Haiti seen as a human rights violating team of criminals.

The Americans have forgotten that the FAdH was expected to control Aristide’s predicted grab for dictatorial power, upon his 1994 return to Haiti. The Governors Island Accord. General Cedras was to step down, being replaced as Commander in Chief by an “existing General Officer.”  This limited the selection of Generals Duperval and Mayard.

The FAdH would be re-equipped and retrained.

A new police force would be created.

Elections were to be held in December, 1994 and Aristide would be defeated.

Haiti would live happily ever-after.

Wrong!

Aristide returned.

He delayed the elections.

He promoted Lieutenant  Colonel Poisson to Brigadier General, then made him Commander in Chief. Aristide then ordered Poison to disband the FAdH, which he did.

Aristide then threatened to stay “three more years,” to make up for the time he was stuck in Washington, unless the International Community accepted Rene Preval as President.

Insofar as the police – the PNH – was concerned, hundreds of officers were trained by Canada and the United States. Aristide fired all of these foreign trained men and women. He demanded total loyalty to him, personally, by all PNH officers.

This damage remains today. Aristide probably controls at least 30% of the PNH. 

As an interesting side issue, no copy of the completed Governors Island Accord has the signatures of both signatories: Aristide and Cedras. Aristide refused to sign the same document, as the General, fearing some Voodoo magic would damage him.

Aristide signed one copy, with Dante Caputo witnessing the signature.

General Cedras signed another, his signature also witnessed by Caputo.

Aristide’s immediate violations, initiated as his foot hit the ground, in 1994, could have been blocked, had the United States kept its word. Instead, backed by the American General, in charge of the 23,000 occupying troops, walked roughshod over the guarantees, and returned Haiti to the Lavalas criminality.

As a coup de grace, to the FAdH, Aristide generated a non-existent crime, from a minor Lavalas assault on the FAdH Caserne in Gonaives. This saw one person injured but would soon morph into the RABOTEAU MASSACRE which saw the FAdH and FRAPH attack the slum, killing dozens and would many more.

It didn’t happen.

The American Embassy sent its Military Attaché, Colonel Steve Lovasc to investigate and he reported the entire situation as a non-event.

Aristide took the non-event and generated a human rights trial that saw all of the FAdH General Staff convicted of murder and other assorted crimes. This effectively neutralized the entire military for the future.

Even today, May 20, 2021, discussion with the American Embassy regarding the revived Forces Armees d’Haiti all start with their staffers referring to human rights violations that never happened.

Aristide was/is a master of propaganda, creating his own “Reality,” a reality that is accepted today.

State Department videon on Haiti’s May 18 Flag Day.

Working Toward a Democratic and Prosperous Haiti: U.S. Views 

Now, the American State Department’s Chung starts her video message, on Haiti’s Flag Day, with reference to an  Aristide-favored Creole Proverb, to the effect that, “MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK,”

Is Julie Chung familiar with this proverb’s association with Aristide?

I hope not.

Unfortunately, Haitians will read this as a subtle support of the Lavalas team, and its ongoing desire to regain power.

The rest of the video is filled with well-meaning, baseless platitudes, and veral expectations of impossible solutions, under the present set of local circumstances, all of these finding their original roots in America’s failure to follow through in its original commitments.

Yet again, the American government is seeding the ground with more potential problems when we already have enough landmines scattered across our political scene.

Jovenel Moise is Haiti’s Democratically Elected President (twice with 58% of the first round vote) and must see his term through to its February, 2022 conclusion, with the legal transition to his replacement.

During his term in office, Jovenel has accomplished many things including substantial additions to the road networks, solar panel farms, a large GE Eletrical generating plant at Thor and the massive Baraj Maryon hydrolelectric project, officially dedicated on May 1, 2021.

And what has the Opposition offered in Jovenel’s place??

Unless the American government steps up, and finally takes some responsibility, there will be no hope.

Haiti will continue its slide into the abyss. 

Adelina Dayiti