Lack of U.S. leadership adds to political turmoil in Haiti

Howard Manly

Given the Bush administration’s zeal for democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan, state Rep. Marie St. Fleur is a little puzzled at the silence on Haiti.

With elections scheduled later this month, the democratic process is already thrown into turmoil by legal challenges and continued violence. Some observers openly doubt whether a democratically elected leader will emerge to replace the ousted Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

A bloody rebellion sent Aristide into exile in February 2004 and since then, violence and political instability have claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people.

“People are frustrated over there and insecurity has peaked,” said the first Haitian-born state representative in the history of Massachusetts. “The United Nations has not put forth a full force to disarm and establish stability. If stability and democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan takes resources and troops on the ground, then why doesn’t the Bush Administration realize that the same premise holds true for Haiti?”

That question has yet to be answered in Washington. But the clock is ticking. Several important election deadlines have come and gone, including a final list of approved candidates. Worse, the November 20th date for the first round of presidential elections remains an open question as the Provisional Electoral Council, plagued by political infighting, has made vague promises that the elections will be held sometime in December and that a president will be sworn in on Feb. 7.

The confusion around the political process comes at a time when registered voters have hit an all-time high at 71 percent. In a country of 8 million people, half of whom can’t read and earn the minimum wage of about $1.70 a day, that voter registration percentage has received praise from international groups such as the Organization of American States.

More troublesome are the legal challenges. They center on the candidacy of Dumarsais Simeus, a wealthy Haitian-born American businessman. Three months ago, Simeus declared his candidacy with 33 others in the race. Critics challenged him, arguing that his candidacy violated Haiti’s constitution that requires candidates to have citizenship. Simeus claimed he never renounced his citizenship after moving to the United States.

The Haitian Supreme Court recently ruled that Simeus could place his name on the ballot but he still faces challenges from the election council and a threat of prosecution for allegedly filing false claims on his election papers.

Simeus is not the usual candidate. He left Haiti when he was 21 years old and attended Howard University where he received a degree in electrical engineering. He went on to earn an MBA from the University of Chicago. While working his way up the corporate ladders with companies such as Atari Inc., Benedix Corp. and Hartz Pet Food, he bought his nine surviving brothers and sisters to the United States and paid for their education.

In 1984, Simeus started working for TLC Beatrice International Holdings, Inc. the $2.1 billion, black-owned food processing and distribution company. He served as president for 2 years before leaving in 1992 to run his own business. With $55 million in financing, Simeus bought Portion-Trol Foods from Flagstar Corp. in 1996 and renamed it Simeus Foods International Inc. The food processing business now generates $155 million a year.

But Simeus’ candidacy has caused the resurfacing of long-standing splits between Haiti’s elite and a segment of the poor that remain fiercely loyal to Aristide. That segment and other grass-roots groups are supporting former President Rene Preval, a protégé of Aristide.

Like many Haitians here in Boston, St. Fleur is worried—and disappointed that the Bush Administration has walked away from U.S. commitment, started by President Bill Clinton, to provide military and police training in order to restore a modicum of stability.

She is particularly concerned that some Haitians are longing for the return of dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier. His ouster in 1986 set off a series of political and military coups. His return would be a disaster, St. Fleur said.

She should know. Her father fled Haiti during the regime of Duvalier’s notorious father “Papa Doc.” Several of her relatives were killed and others were tortured.

“It’s understandable that people are fed up,” St. Fleur said. “The people have been left to fend for themselves. There’s no lights or water and even if you have money, there’s no food. The hospitals are barely functioning and the courts are still perceived as less than neutral.”

St. Fleur said she believes restoring democracy would be a good first step. “I think a man like Simeus might do the country some good,” she said. “He understands democracy and he has run a major organization – skills that would serve Haiti well. But the reality is that most Haitians are living without security and it’s a country that’s living right on the tip of America. If we can go around the world to establish democracy, then we should be able to help in Haiti.”