This past year marked some of the
most tragic moments in Haitian history. On Jan. 12, 2010, Haiti was struck by a
7.0 earthquake that killed tens of thousands. Since then, Haiti has shown no
significant signs of recovery. The capital, Port au Prince, is now a tent city.
Elections for a new Haitian president were poorly handled in December. Now
there is another political slap in the face: the return of Jean Claude Duvalier,
also known as “Baby Doc,” on Jan. 16.
Duvalier followed the cruel,
savage legacy of his father, François
Duvalier, who proclaimed himself “President for Life” and ruled over Haiti from 1964 until his
death in 1971. Jean-Claude Duvalier was president of Haiti from 1971 until he
was overthrown by the Haitian masses in 1986. Journalist Kim Ives (“A class
analysis of Baby Doc: Mothballed playboy dictator recalled to service”)
describes Duvalier’s removal from Haiti: “The U.S. … flew Duvalier out of Haiti
on Feb. 7, 1986, on a C-130 loaded with his sports cars and motorcycles and his
wife’s furs, while France has hosted his golden exile and protected him from
prosecution ever since.”
Now
Duvalier returns to Haiti claiming he wants to “help” Haiti. This is the same
man who violated international law by murdering thousands of Haitians with his
Ton Ton Macoutes and who also stole $300 million from the country he ruled.
Instead of being arrested upon his arrival to Haiti, Duvalier was escorted to
his luxury hotel by Haitian police and U.N. occupation troops.
Ives quotes journalist Amy
Wilentz, who perfectly described the contradictions in the treatment of
Duvalier: “Usually in Haiti a thief gets unceremoniously dumped into a pickup
and carted off to a stinking cell to await trial in a few years or never.” Yet Duvalier is being treated as a
celebrity.
The real question should be: What
about Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who
was ousted in February 2004? Aristide,
the president of Haiti who has yet to finish his five-year term, who has begged
to return to Haiti after the earthquake, and again very recently, is still
denied the right to return. But Duvalier, a known oppressor of the Haitian
people, is favored by the ruling powers of the world.
Read Ives’ article, “A class analysis of Baby Doc: Mothballed playboy dictator recalled to service.”
