'The economic situation is catastrophic'

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SOCIALIST ACTION DECEMBER 1989 15 François Pierre-Louis, a leader of the Assemblée Populaire Nationale (National Popular Assembly), described the state of the Haitian economy in an interview with Socialist Action reporter Mya Shone. The interview was conducted on Sept. 23 at the International Tribunal Against the Debt in Lima, Peru.

Socialist Action: Could you describe the economic situation in Haiti today?

Francois Pierre-Louis: Since 1986, Haiti has had a new economic situation imposed on it by the United States. The U.S. objective is to open up our market, to free-up duties imposed on U.S. goods when they come into Haiti.

Based on the U.S. government's Santa Fe Report, a strategy of agro-industrial development is being pursued to the detriment of self-sufficient and autonomous agriculture. Certain products that Haiti used to export prior to 1986 must now be imported.

Most of our basic necessities such as flour, cooking oil, rice, and cor have to be imported. But the government has little hard currency to import these items. Hence, flour and sugar are in great shortage now.

The real wages of the Haitian workers have fallen considerably. The annual inflation rate is approximately 30 percent. Given the pitiful earnings in Haiti, the situation is catastrophic.

Haiti has 200 millionaires even though it is considered the poorest country in the hemisphere. This minority holds more than 46 percent of the national revenue, while 80 percent of the population live in misery, with an annual income of about $200.

Haitian life expectancy is only 54 years. The infant-mortality rate is one of the highest in the world: 123 per 1000 births. The maternal mortality rate is 432 per 100,000 live births. Only 37 percent of the population are literate.

The government of Jean-Claude Duvalier was lent about $800 million by the IMF, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Bank in order to foster so-called development in Haiti. But Duvalier and his accomplices simply stole these funds.

The annual budget of Haiti is $230 million, of which $35 million must be paid to the IMF for debt service every year. The September accord between the Avril government and the IMF commits Haiti to pay back the $800 million that Duvalier stole.

The austerity program enacted to meet the debt payment has meant thousands of François Pierre-Louis lay-offs of state employees. Schools and health clinics have been closed. There is no cement, so that all construction has had to be halted.

These new austerity measures have created an enormous panic in the country, resulting in the creation of a black market and even more shortages everywhere. The economy is in terrible shape.

After their arrest these three leaders were shown on television in Haiti. As we can observe on the video and from photographs, the arrestees were tortured while in military custody. Major Clerjeune of the "anti-gang" unit, in Port-au-Prince announced that the military are looking for 15 more members of Rassemblement National.

In a report issued on Sept. 17, 1989, the first anniversary of the military coup that brought Avril to power, the National Coalition for Haitian Refugees and America's Watch criticized the Avril regime for failing to stop widespread po litical violence and for slow progress toward democratic elections. It also faulted the Bush administration for restoring aid to the Haitian government despite the ongoing violence.

Similarly, it condemned the administration's failure to speak out on human rights abuses, noting that U.S. Ambassador to Haiti, Brunson McKinley, has "not issued a single protest over human rights abuses since General Avril assumed power."

We can no longer ignore the serious human rights abuses which are occurring in Haiti on a regular basis. It is now clear that despite Avril's vow to implement irreversible democracy in Haiti, irreversible dictatorship is his aim.

-Haitian Refugee Center, Miami, Fla., Nov. 10, 1989.