Duvalier forced to flee Haiti; now cronies are under fire

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SOCIALIST ACTION MARCH 1986 13 Haitian dictator "Baby Doc" Jean-Claude Duvalier fled from his presidential palace in the same way that he entered —with a little help from his friends in Washington.

Foreign aid, of which more than $50 million was provided yearly by U.S. government grants, financed two-thirds of Haiti's $250 million national budget. Last year, the Duvalier regime earmarked over $30 million in its budget for undefined "special considerations," a large part of which filled the coffers of the dictator and his entourage. As little as $1 million is reportedly left in the central bank's reserves.

When certifying foreign aid to Haiti, the U.S. State Department repeatedly dis -counted the dictatorship's record of terror. Although some 50,000 people have been killed since "Papa Doc" Francois Duvalier-"Baby Doc's" father—came to power in 1957, the State Department reported that human rights practices were "improving" in Haiti.

But the plight of Haitian "boat people," combined with a new wave of anti-Duvalier protests, placed "Baby Doc" in the world spotlight. Duvalier's blatant thievery and terror campaigns began to prove more embarrassing to Washington.

Investment by U.S. corporations had waned. "They liked Haiti," said one of the country's industrialists, "But there was always this residual fear—dictatorship, bribes." Tourism had dropped from 250,000 visitors five years ago to less than 100,000 last year.

The United States was further alarmed by the increasing fury of protests against the dictatorship. Mass mobilizations spread across the country beginning last November when army troops attacked unemployed youths demonstrating in the city of Gonaives. By January, thousands of students had joined a school boycott.

Roadblocks were set up, and police were apprehended and disarmed. A general strike thất began on Feb. 3 shut about 40 percent of assembly plants in the country and 80 percent of all businesses in Port-au-Prince, the capital of 1 million.

Early last month, the U.S. ambassador joined an emissary from Jamaica in secret talks with Duvalier and his advisers. The GAN FRANKIBCO EXAMNER PRESIDENT FOR LIFE United States reportedly told Duvalier that the only way he could stay in power was by means of a "bloodbath." Under the circumstances, this was unacceptable. A State Department official later pointed out, "This would brutalize the population and possibly radicalize it."

On Feb. 7, Duvalier was replaced by a ruling council that was virtually handpicked by the dictator before he fled. The head of the council, Lt. Gen. Henri Namphy, confirmed to reporters during his first news conference, "Duvalier turned to Complete control!

in fact, my peasants .un, people... were just saying how they still want me here for as long as I live... me before he left and said, 'You're the new president.'"

Namphy's first measure was to impose a curfew on the country. Troops were dispatched to keep order. Protests have continued, however.

Thousands of Haitians have signed petitions and joined street demonstrations demanding the removal of the former dictator's cronies from the government. Schools in the capital were forced to close once again. An anti-Duvalier resistance leader in Gonaives told The New York Times: "The majority of people here are very skeptical....For them this means Duvalierism without Duvalier."

But the new government's promise of future elections gained an immediate nod of approval from U.S. officials. Big business is once again hopeful that foreign capital can be attracted. The Manufacturers Association of Haiti emphasizes that the country, "a two-hour flight from Miami, has a large labor pool available for $3 a day."

Nevertheless, CBS television reports that the Pentagon has drawn up contingency plans to land troops if the ruling council is unable to maintain order. U.S. officials have expressed concern that some exiles "radicalized" during their time abroad. Washington is worried, says The Wall Street Journal, that the exiles "could begin vying for power" if they return.

Last month, a group of prominent Haitian political leaders exiled in France put forth a "freedom charter" for a mass "democratic front" in their country. This charter specifically rejects the U.S.-imposed transition rule.

Demands of the charter include the call for a sovereign constituent assembly; freedom to organize trade unions and political parties; the dissolution of the army, police, and all other institutions of the dictatorship; and the repudiation of all financial debts incurred under the Duvalier regime. The freedom charter specifies that the choice of new economic and political forms be left to the Haitian people themselves.