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09 December 2010 By Stephen
Lendman Washington's imperial boot
flaunts Lavalas' slogan: "All people are people (Tout
moun se moun)." The sham elections are one of many
abuses. As a result, Haitians continue protesting for
rights they've been long denied, including leaders
serving them, not monied interests. On December 3, Al Jazeera's
Sebastian Walker said street protests continued for
the fourth consecutive day after the November 28 sham
elections. "Tensions reached a level not
seen in Haiti's capital in many weeks. UN troops were
powerless to keep the crowds back. At times the city
center looked more like a war zone." Litter bins were toppled, then
used to block roads. "Frustrations over fraudulent
elections were taking on a new turn." UN officials
told several angry candidates they were ahead in the
popular vote, lying to enlist their support for a
rigged process. "For Haitians, this is business
as usual with election politics. Everyone knew this
would happen, and that Washington was aware that (Rene
Preval) would try to orchestrate votes in favor of his
candidates." People also rage about "foreign powers
adding legitimacy to a fraudulent vote. The anger on
the streets is palpable. The crisis continues." On December 2, reporting from
Port-au-Prince, independent journalist Ansel Herz
said: "Furious demonstrations continued
across Haiti (days after) the Nov. 28 highly contested
election in which thousands (were) unable to vote."
They reacted by rock-throwing, barricading roads, and
protesting angrily in Port-au-Prince, Cap Haitien, Les
Cayes, Hinche, Petit Goave, Archaie, and elsewhere. On November 30, "demonstrators
clashed with United Nations peacekeeping troops in St.
Marc and Gonaives." Most presidential candidates
denounced the process in favor of Preval's hand-picked
candidate, Jude Celestin, demanding new elections. Presidential hopefuls, observers,
and journalists witnessed brazen fraud, Canada's CBC
reporting "massive fraud, blatant ballot-box
stuffing." Reporting from Port-au-Prince, Paul Hunter
called it "unbelievable," saying he'd previously
witnessed electoral fraud, but "never" anything like
this. "We saw ballot stuffing. We heard
voters who were intimidated into voting for a
candidate. And we saw thugs, gangs of thugs, going
into polling stations, grabbing stacks of ballots,
marking them with the candidate of their choice,"
INITE party's Jude Celestin. He was the only major
candidate not signing a statement calling for the
election's annulment. On December 5, the Philadelphia
Inquirer gave Lamp for Haiti.org's Regine Theodat and
Ted Oswald op-ed space headlining, "Annul Haiti's
elections and have free, fair vote," saying: "The elections were fraught with
disorganization, corruption, and human rights abuses."
In one Cite Soleil location, "An angry mob (protested)
because voting monitors supporting the INITE party
refused them entry to the poll because they (wouldn't)
support Preval's party." Many other locations had
similar problems. "Disenfranchised and ignored,
many voters resisted the illegitimacy of the elections
and found ways around" the Provisional Electoral
Council's (CEP) "failures and apparent malfeasance.
Some voted without permission; others organized street
boycotts....chanting 'Arrest Preval and CEP.' Others
sang Haitian freedom songs..." Haitians were again
defrauded. On December 3, Reuters reported
about "2,000 protesters marched in Haiti's capital
demanding a rerun of Sunday's elections....skewed by
fraud." They waved red cards calling for Preval's
removal and disqualification of Celestin. "Arrest
Preval," and "No to the first round," they shouted.
"The march swelled as it passed poor city slums and
finished" at the CEP's downtown offices. On December 4, Miami Herald
writers Jacqueline Charles and Trenton Daniel
headlined, "Ballot inspections under intense scrutiny
in Haiti," saying: "....if the results are not
considered valid, this already quake-battered country
could plunge even deeper into crisis....Amid
accusations that widespread fraud was engineered by (Preval's
INITE) coalition, diplomats are scrambling to prevent
major violence that could cause Haiti to lose billions
in reconstruction aid." Whatever happens, concerns are
'"that Haiti's next president could lack
legitimacy...." Miami Herald staff found numerous
"elections failings, which began well before polls
opened...." Among them: -- "many people could not get
through to a call center to learn their polling
site;" -- "the Office of National
Identification ignored OAS requests to use text
messaging to nofify 416,631 people that their new or
replaced voter (ID) cards were ready;" -- residents with ID cards were
told they were invalid; -- others found no address listed
for their assigned voting center; -- the January earthquake
destroyed nearly half of 1,500 sites; -- people staffing them were
functionally illiterate or instructed to tell voters
they were ineligible; -- unlike previous elections,
residents couldn't vote where they chose; nor could
they with only a receipt signifying they applied, but
hadn't received an ID card; and -- a campaign to let camp
residents vote where they were failed; most were
denied, sparking violent clashes. According to longtime Haitian
establishment observer Mark Schneider, it amounted to
a "nefarious plan to steal the election." Kinder
critics cited bureaucratic glitches. Honest ones
denounced massive fraud. The entire process was bogus,
an election in name only. As a result, "People were
frustrated - you saw thousands in the streets,
screaming." Anger continues and may explode if Preval
declares Celestin the winner. On December 4, Haitian Truth.org
headlined, "Ultimatum for Preval," saying: Washington gave him until Sunday
night, December 5, for resolution, "or further steps
will be taken. The American embassy sent a team to Cap
Haitien, Grande Anse and the Artibonite to see what
the reaction would be to" a Celestin victory. They
"discovered (he) has no support and the population's
reaction would be immediate and violent." Suggestions are "that Preval
should step down, (citing) ill health, leaving
(Jean-Max) Bellerive as Prime Minister. A new CEP
(could) be created, probably with political groups
having some say in the choice. Preval is always
unpredictable and may dare the Americans by choosing
Celestin. The situation is explosive!!!" As of early December 6, no
results have been announced. However, on December 5,
protests continued, Al Jazeera headlining, "Haiti
protesters clash with police," saying: "Hundreds of protesters,
demanding the annulment of Haiti's elections, have
clashed with riot police in (Port-au-Prince)," stoking
tensions ahead of preliminary results expected on
December 7. A likely mid-January run-off is expected
unless Preval declares his man the winner with a
majority of electoral votes. Police fired tear gas at over
2,000 when they tried breaking through a barrier
accessing the presidential palace, still largely in
rubble from January's quake. Sebastian Walker said "protests,
rock-throwing and popular anger boil over" daily in
Port-au-Prince, demanding fair elections. After
preliminary results are announced, "they'll likely
continue over the course of the coming week." Nonetheless, UN and international
observers endorsed the fraud, urging Haitians accept
the outcome. They haven't, nor should they ever, given
how unfairly they've again been denied. Presidential hopeful Jean-Henry
Ceant, the only
candidate most Haitians support, condemned the
"electoral masquerade," saying protests will continue
"as long as necessary" for justice. Charles Henri
Baker, another presidential aspirant agreed, saying:
"We will conduct the battle as long as is necessary.
(Initial) results announced on December 7 will not not
stop the movement....any president from this process
will suffer from a legitimacy deficit." Besides oppressive centuries under Spanish and French rule, neocolonialism cursed Haiti after revolutionary leader's Jean-Jacques Dessalines' 1806 assassination. Presidents drafted and abolished constitutions at will. From 1949 - 1859, "Emperor" Faustin I suspended Haiti's republic. Debt to France hamstrung the country. Governments controlled agricultural lands. Elites held power directly or through puppet presidents, serving their interests. Coups and assassination were commonplace. Once the presidential palace was blown up, killing the incumbent. An angry mob hacked another to death. A third was poisoned. Relative stability was rare. America withheld recognition until 1962, during the Civil War under Lincoln. After President Vilbrun Guillaume Sam's assassination, US marines occupied Haiti oppressively from 1915 - 1934 to secure America's business and imperial interests. Washington's man was made president, Phillippie Sudre Dartiguenave (1915 - 1922). Stenio Vencent succeeded him in 1930, ruling until 1941, solidifying dictatorial leadership. Elie Lescot continued it until 1945. Elitist rule maintained relative stability until Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier established despotism in 1957. His son, Jean-Claude, "Baby Doc" continued it until unseated in 1986. An interim National Council of Government replaced him, governing repressively, including under General Prosper Avril, a period of violence and assassinations. After his departure, landmark elections were held in December 1990, Jean-Betrand Aristide winning a 67% majority, only to be deposed by a September military coup. General Raoul Cedras seized power, holding it until Aristide's October 1994 return. In 1996, unable to succeed himself under Haitian law, he ran again in 2000, winning with a 92% majority. No matter. On February 29, 2004, US marines forcibly deposed him at gunpoint, exiling him to the Central African Republic, then South Africa where he now resides, eager to return. Haitians want him, rallying publicly to no avail. Washington prevents it, assuring sham elections, puppet leaders, and despotic rule unless Haitians en masse refuse, demanding fair elections and democratic governments serving everyone, not solely oligarchs, elites, and imperial Washington. The coming weeks may decide whether or not that's possible. Given Haiti's troubled history, at best the odds are long.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening. http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/. |
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