Yesterday’s editorial provided a vivid snapshot of the brutal and kleptocratic excesses inflicted upon Haiti from 1957 to 1986 by the dictatorial duo, Dr François ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier and his venal and bumbling son, Jean-Claude ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier. It also aptly captured the general outrage aroused in Haiti and beyond by the surprise return of Baby Doc.
But even as speculation mounts as to what might have prompted Mr Duvalier’s second coming, one is still left perplexed by this latest twist in the Haitian saga. As has been suggested by Robert Fatton, a Haitian-born history professor at the University of Virginia, “There is something going on behind this, but we don’t know what it is yet.”
Haiti, however, does not need this latest distraction. The country, still reeling from the political and emotional aftershocks of last year’s devastating earthquake, compounded by the continuing delays in the delivery of international assistance for reconstruction and the cholera epidemic, now finds itself at another political impasse following the November 28 presidential election and the dispute over which candidates should contest the second round.
Haitian politics, with its numerous factions, infighting and shifting alliances, inherent paranoia and endless rounds of Chinese whispers, is Byzantine at the best of times and sometimes near incomprehensible to most of us in the English-speaking Caribbean. As such, there is no shortage of explanations and theories.
On his sudden reappearance, Baby Doc himself, looking older than his 59 years and as bewildered as most Haitians and international observers, stated simply that he had “come to help” following the earthquake.
How exactly the former playboy dictator thinks he can help in a country that moves seamlessly from one soul-destroying crisis to another is anyone’s guess. Was he answering the call of die-hard duvalieristes who, faced with Haiti’s desperate situation, perhaps entertained a yearning for the ‘good old days’ of the ancien régime? Or was he there to give support somehow to presidential candidate, popular singer Michel ‘Sweet Micky’ Martelly, who counts on the backing of known Duvalier sympathisers.
True, some 2,000 supporters were reportedly at Port-au-Prince airport to welcome Baby Doc back, but not everyone in Haiti is pleased to see him.
The judicial system, after a couple of days of stunned inaction, has reacted to calls by local and international human rights groups to bring Mr Duvalier to justice. He has been formally charged by state prosecutors with corruption and embezzlement and a judge will have to consider whether there is enough evidence for him to stand trial, a process that could take several months, given the time elapsed and the weakness of state institutions. In addition, four Haitian citizens have filed criminal complaints against the ex-despot, accusing him of crimes against humanity, including torture.
Mr Duvalier had originally said that he intended to visit Haiti for three days but he could well be in for a longer stay than anticipated. If indeed he returned at the behest of nostalgic supporters sensing an opportunity in the latest political crisis, Baby Doc and his advisers would appear to have badly misread the tea leaves.
The enigmatic President René Préval, for his part, appears to be resisting the conclusion of the Organization of American States verification report that the November election was compromised. Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council has also rejected the OAS’s calculations which suggest that the two run-off candidates should be former first lady, Mirlande Manigat, and Mr Martelly, who would replace Mr Préval’s hand-picked successor, Jude Célestin. As such, there are conspiracy theorists inclined to believe that the president might have quietly encouraged or, at least, not discouraged, Mr Duvalier’s return in order to divert attention from the electoral controversy and even justify the decision of the PEC.
Now, Mr Duvalier’s ill-considered homecoming has moved another exiled former president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide – Haiti’s first democratically elected leader who still commands huge popularity in the country and whose party, Fanmi Lavalas, was excluded from the recent elections for “technical reasons” – to say that he is also ready to return from exile in South Africa. The Haitian government is however refusing to issue him with a new passport.
Thus is confusion added to confusion in Haiti. One thing is certain however: Haiti does not need a resurrection of duvalierisme. One therefore hopes that the truth behind Baby Doc’s return will emerge and that he will face the courts. But it may all take a long time.
