Haiti's ex-President Aristide breaks silence
By Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, May 10, 2013
Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide said if Haiti's upcoming local and senatorial elections are free, fair and transparent, there "is a good chance" that his Fanmi Lavalas Political Party would win a good portion of the seats.
"Fanmi Lavalas is evolving, is becoming stronger and more powerful," Aristide said. "I am not doing propaganda for Fanmi Lavalas. We are speaking the truth and for me, this is the truth."
Aristide made the revelation in a press conference Thursday at his home in the Port-au-Prince suburb of Tabarre, where he thanked the Haitian people for transforming an "ordinary day into an extraordinary day," and called for unity among Haitians to help the country get out of its ongoing hunger crisis. The political jab came in the midst of his reflection on the problem of hunger, which he called "one of the biggest problems we have in the country of Haiti today."
"One person alone cannot solve the hunger problem. One political party alone cannot solve the hunger problem. One group in society cannot solve the hunger problem," he said. "We have an indispensable coming together to do in order for us to diminish hunger in our country."
It was Aristide's first public statements since his surprise return to Haiti two years ago after seven years in exile in South Africa. He did not allow questions or cameras, saying the light hurts his eyes, which have undergone several surgeries.
His statements, in which he also addressed his silence, came a day after thousands of Haitians took to the streets to pay homage to him. He made a rare public appearance Wednesday to answer a judge's summons at Port-au-Prince's main courthouse in the ongoing murder investigation of former political ally, agronomist-turned-famed journalist Jean Leópold Dominique.
Aristide's statements, broadcast over several Haitian radio stations, also came as the Haitian government prepares to host senior level representatives of the international community in Port-au-Prince on Friday to discuss how to better coordinate aid to Haiti. The new body, launched by Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe last fall, will be Haitian-led and replaces the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission that was partially led by former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Three years after the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake, billions of promised aid dollars remain outstanding as donors express their displeasure with the Haitian government's administering of more than $400 million in no-bid contracts, and lack of transparency. Government officials hope to win back donors' confidence as they lay out their priorities for the next three years and discuss the ongoing needs.
A drought and two storms last year, along with rising food prices, have plunged Haitians deeper into misery in recent months. To help Haitians cope, agencies such as the U.N. World Food Program are using their emergency stocks of food to feed the population.
Aristide said while he has stayed out of the public limelight, he sees what's happening in the country "with my heart's eye." It is time, he said, for Haitians to come together. Haitians don't like to say they are hungry because we are proud," he said.
Aristide, known for speaking in parables, was clear, concise and even apologetic, telling uninvited journalists he will schedule a future press conference with them. He said he had been silent the last two years out of personal choice, and has spent his time working with his medical university that trains doctors and nurses. His re-emergence has sparked speculation in recent days that he may be re-entering Haitian politics.
Ex-Haitian leader criticizes gov't over poverty
By TRENTON DANIEL, Associated Press, published in Miami Herald, Friday, May 10, 2013
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide emerged from months of seclusion for a second straight day and took several swipes at the current government. Speaking to a small group of mostly Haitian reporters and The Associated Press at his home in the capital Thursday, Aristide covered topics ranging from his shock at seeing the devastation caused by the 2010 earthquake to his political party's strength as the country heads to legislative and local elections.
He also thanked the thousands of supporters who cheered his motorcade Wednesday during a rare outing to answer a judge's questions in a closed-door testimony in the case of slain journalist. The crowds comprised one of the biggest demonstrations of its kind in years despite a police ban on all protests.
Aristide then took a few jabs at President Michel Martelly, saying the government has not done enough to address hunger in the impoverished country and called the administration's tax on international calls and money transfers to fund an education program a "problem."
"With all the respect that I have for the authorities in place, they are not able to solve the hunger problem by themselves," Aristide said in the office of his residence, calling it one of Haiti's "biggest problems."
"People know that when a dog is hungry it's doesn't play," Aristide said, quoting a Haitian proverb that roughly means hungry people can be unpredictable and even dangerous.
Aristide began to weep as he recalled watching images of Haiti's 2010 earthquake while in exile in South Africa. He said that before Wednesday he had ventured out of his house only once, on May 1, 2011, since his return earlier that year, but didn't say where he went.
He went before the judge after being summoned to answer questions in the case of a journalist's killing. Instead of returning straight to his home, he toured the capital shantytowns where he is still popular, drawing crowds of supporters as he passed through each neighborhood.
Aristide said the trek also allowed him to see the earthquake's devastation firsthand. "I now know what it's like for you to be unable to leave the suffering caused by goudougoudou," Aristide said, using a common Haitian term for the quake.
Also on Thursday, Haiti's justice ministry said in a statement that three journalists who were covering the Wednesday march were roughed up by demonstrators and condemned the "act of aggression." The reporters worked for Radio-Tele Ginen, a media outlet that's long been seen as pro-government.
Aristide remains popular in Haiti, but was a divisive figure during his two presidential terms. He has kept a low profile since returning from exile in South Africa, showing up in public previously only for a brief television appearance from his home shortly after coming back.
The former leader acknowledged that he had been silent for two years, but said no one ordered him to keep quiet. "I chose not to speak," he said. "I speak when I need to speak, and no one can stop me from speaking."
Aristide said he believed his Lavalas political party will be a contender during still unscheduled elections to fill 10 Senate seats and dozens of local posts. Haitian authorities are under pressure to organize the vote by year's end. "If they have free and transparent elections, there's a good chance that we'll win a big portion of it," he said.
Thousands follow ex-Haiti president after court
By Trenton Daniel, Associated Press, Thursday, May 9, 2013
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide made a rare public appearance Wednesday and thousands of supporters shadowed the ex-leader's motorcade following a court hearing.
The swelling crowd of backers who chanted songs and waved posters of Aristide in Haiti's capital pointed to the level of influence the two-time president still holds among the poor more than two years after his sudden return from exile. It also underscored the strong possibility that his political party could prove a serious contender in legislative elections that are supposed to be held before year's end. "For the people, the wasps have been knocked out of the nest," said Jean Altidor, a 39-year-old motorcycle driver who had a portrait of Aristide taped to his bike. In his metaphor, Aristide is the nest, and the people are the wasps.
With a delegation of longtime allies and former lawmakers at his side, Aristide showed up at a courthouse Wednesday morning in downtown Port-au-Prince to testify before a judge investigating the slaying of one of the Caribbean country's most prominent journalists, Jean Dominique. The hearing was closed to the public.
Aristide left the crowded courthouse through a back exit three hours later. In an apparent ploy to distract journalists and make it easier for the former president to leave, news media were told to assemble in a nearby room for a news conference with Aristide, which was never held.
Aristide's lawyer, Mario Joseph, said he couldn't disclose details of discussions about the case. "What's important is that President Jean-Bertrand Aristide came and answered questions," he said.
Aristide was between terms as president when Dominique, a close friend, was gunned down in April 2000 in the courtyard of the radio station that he ran with his wife. A security guard was also killed.
Several people were arrested in connection with the slaying of the outspoken radio personality, but authorities have never pointed to possible architects of the killing.
Haitian police had banned street protests both supporting and opposing Aristide because it needed its officers to provide security for the former leader's convoy. Despite the police order, thousands of Aristide supporters spilled into downtown Port-au-Prince and followed his silver Toyota Land Cruiser, which sported a pair of Haitian flags in the front.
"The population clearly said it's not a protest - it's a march accompanying President Aristide," Maryse Narcisse, a spokeswoman for his political party, told Radio Kiskeya.
Instead of taking a direct route home, the caravan snaked through the capital's poorer neighborhoods as onlookers tried to get a glimpse of Aristide. The crowds grew, and in the hilltop shantytown of Bel-Air, Aristide stood atop his vehicle and waved to supporters.
The gathering constituted the largest demonstration against President Michel Martelly's government this year, and among the biggest since he took office two years ago this month.
The Dominique case has been largely dormant for years, and Aristide's supporters have wondered if there are political motivations behind the revived case. An open case against Aristide, the official leader of the Lavalas party, could make it difficult for candidates to register under the party in elections that are supposed to be held before year's end.
"We hope this isn't political, that the government isn't using the Jean Dominique case so Lavalas can't qualify for the elections," an Aristide supporter, Jean Cene, said while pressed against a barricade. A few people carried placards that read: "The more you persecute him, the more we love him."
Lavalas leaders say the party plans to run in the legislative and local election that was supposed to have been held in late 2011. The still unscheduled vote seeks to fill 10 Senate seats along with dozens of municipal posts.
There was no immediate comment by the Martelly administration.
Aristide is among Haiti's most popular political figures. The former Roman Catholic priest was a champion of the country's impoverished masses and led a movement to oust dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier. Aristide alienated Haiti's wealthy elite and was forced from power twice, first by a military junta in 1991 and again by a rebellion in 2004.
He returned to Haiti in 2011 following exile in South Africa.