Despot, Jean-Claude Duvalier, flew back into Haiti after living for nearly 25 years in France where he had retreated in 1986 under threat of a revolt by the Haitian people. Strangely, there were mixed reactions to the return of the man nicknamed ‘Baby Doc.’ Some Haitians were surprised and disgusted at his gall; others welcomed him with cheers, waving flags and shouting “long live Duvalier” as if greeting a national hero. But most shocking of all, his arrival seemed to have caught the Haitian authorities off guard and it took two days after he had landed in what could only be described as celebrity style before he was brought up on charges of corruption and embezzlement for allegedly plundering the treasury among others.
Haiti’s current woes might have begun under Mr Duvalier’s father, Francois ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier, unarguably a tyrannical dictator, who though a skilled medical doctor, was more interested in political power. After winning elections which were controlled by the army in 1957, and prevailing in a second flawed process in 1961, he declared himself ‘president for life’ of Haiti. He had already begun his iron-fisted rule including the setting up of a greatly feared secret police force – the tonton macoutes – which used brutality and terrorism to control any opposition. The now dead dictator also openly practised voodoo and many Haitians were convinced that he had supernatural powers. Apparently these powers were not enough to save him and he succumbed in 1971 – having anointed the then 19-year-old ‘Baby Doc’ to take over from him as president for life – after years of suffering from chronic heart disease and diabetes.
While it was rumoured that ‘Papa Doc’ stole millions of dollars granted to Haiti through international aid, evidence of his son’s treasury dipping was more visible. In the 15 years that he ‘ruled’ Haiti, ‘Baby Doc’ – who did not have his father’s education – lived like a king in the presidential palace, which was substantially destroyed in the January 2010 earthquake, while the majority of his subjects lived in increasing squalor.
When ‘Baby Doc’ relocated to France, he reportedly bought a villa near Cannes, a chateau outside Paris and two apartments in Paris. He and his family drove around in a BMW and a Ferrari. It was estimated that he had stolen more than US$300 million and lawyers hired by Haitian authorities traced some of the money to banks in London, the US and Luxembourg. However, because of ongoing political instability, the Haitian government changed hands often and some did not care to pursue the Duvalier investigation. However, finally in 2000 with sufficient evidence before it the then Haitian government issued an indictment against Jean Claude Duvalier and some members of his Cabinet. Under the indictment, ‘Baby Doc’ was to be arrested on sight if he ever set foot inside Haiti.
By 2000, though there were already reports that ‘Baby Doc’ was broke. Checks made by a reporter from the Washington Post who was doing an investigative piece revealed that up to then, 14 years after he had left Haiti, ‘Baby Doc’ had never started a business; never had a job; never written a book; never worked as a consultant; never earned a single dollar or franc. Yet he was able to live lavishly and put his children through school. He denied stealing money from his birth country and claimed he had “an inheritance.”
According to some reports, ‘Baby Doc’s re-entry to Haiti was orchestrated by those who still support him and possibly believed that the existing turmoil wreaked by the January 2010 earthquake and the subsequent outbreak of cholera would have allowed for it. Perhaps they should have arranged for a much quieter entry. Many Haitians also want Duvalier to be charged for crimes against humanity; they say he should be held responsible for thousands of rapes, extra-judicial executions and other human rights abuses committed under his watch. Whether he will in fact be made to face the music remains to be seen, but 2011 is already shaping up to be an interesting year in Caribbean politics.
