Letter to President Aristide from a son of Haiti

Haiti’s self-appointed international “friends” masterminded, financed and executed a bloody bicentennial coup d’etat on 29 February 2004 which killed several thousands and severely derailed the nation’s pro-democracy struggle. Many voices, mine among them, raised the alarm early on in a desperate attempt to derail the macabre plan designed by the worse enemies of the long-suffering but still struggling Haitian People. Thus, 21 years ago, I wrote to President Aristide.

Open Letter to President Aristide from a Son of Haiti:
Ottawa, Canada, December 16, 2002

Brother President,

Outraged by the nonsensical and very dangerous political situation our people has been pushed into over the last decade, I write this urgent letter to you with the hope that it will contribute positively to our people’s righteous struggle for uncompromising freedom, true justice and sustainable peace.

Brother president, as you so aptly mentioned in your latest speeches, the negative forces that are allowed to act out in our country aren’t doing so against yourself but against the Haitian people. Therefore, as the duly elected chief representative of the Haitian people, you are presented the following questions for your thoughts and answer and the following recommendations for your analysis  – with the ultimate aim of aiding our people’s noble struggle.

First the questions:

1)      Why have you not conducted a referendum (consulting the Haitian people – the ultimate authority!) to decide whether or not to redo the contested legislative and local elections – but instead caved in to the pressures of foreign forces (U.S., E.U., Canada etc…) and took this path of endless bargaining with obviously ill-intentioned foreigners and the opposition they are illegally – yet so openly sponsoring? Has this “bargaining” path not proven itself to be more dangerous and indeed detrimental to our people’ noble aspirations?

2)      When will you finally decide to stop paying interest on the IDB $150M loan that is still being illegally retained from the Haitian State? Is it not your obligation, as Head of State, to launch legal actions against this out-of-compliance organization?

{N.B.: once the coup took place IDB began disbursement of the loans long denied to Haiti under the legitimate government led by President Aristide}

3)      When will your government finally release for the Haitian People’s benefit, the FRAPH documents which the U.S. Forces stole and confiscated for over 6 years (1994-2000) in order to remove the names of American CIA agents alleged to have been involved in the coup-related massacres of 1991-1994? Is it not your responsibility, as Chief of State, to ensure the launch of formal legal actions against all criminals and organizations against which the Haitian State holds such seriously incriminating evidence?

4)      Under what constitutional authority have you recently taken $ 2.4 M (U.S.) of the people’s money to give to the foreign-sponsored opposition parties and the French Institute as per OAS Resolution 822? – Aren’t you by these actions facilitating more injustice against the Haitian people? How different is this from the 60 million Franc ransom Jean-Pierre Boyer, our former president, accepted to pay to France’s zenglendo King Charles X as indemnity to the barbaric French slave-makers whom Dessalines (peace be unto him!) righteously kicked out of our land?

{N.B.: a few months later, on April 7, 2003, President Aristide courageously issued the first ever official demand for Restitution of the Charles X Ransom to Haiti}

Now the recommendations:

1)      Please act on the questions raised above brother President and inform the Haitian People of your actions so we may decide whether and how to support them.

2)      Forget about the false promises of AID from the traditional enemies of our people. It is high time we wake up and realize that Santa Clauss is not only a mythical being but a cleverly conceived cover up for smiling thieves. If you need funds to run Haiti, brother President, turn to your People for help. We are not as poor as they say. We have a whole continent full of gold and diamonds. We are all over the globe. We only need to get our act together. Instead of wasting your time with the deceivingly-named World Bank, do call elder Mandela, brother Bill Cosby and sister Maya Angelou. Trust again in your global People’s resourcefulness dear brother as you once did.

3)      Never accept to negotiate this basic principle: there shall be no foreign occupation troops in the land of Jean-Jacques Dessalines (peace be unto him!) on January 1, 2004. This is not negotiable. We realize the “diplomatic skinheads” are working hard to render this inevitable. They are busy financing violent unrest in the country as they did on the eve of 1915. But you brother President, as Chief of State, must accept to lay your life for your people if necessary but not to let this sacrilege take place.  NOT NEGOTIABLE !

Beyond these recommendations dear brother, I can only wish upon you the blessings of our 100 million “beloved” ancestors whose heritage we carry proudly and courageously. I wish upon you the blessings of our Creator, the true God of Imhotep, Malik Shabazz el Shabazz, Albert Einstein, Boukmann, Toussaint Louverture, Dessalines, Sanite Belair, Marijann, Paul Farmer, Kendall Clark, and of the newly born child in Site Solèy, Soweto or Wachington D.C… so that Her wisdom may help you convince our brothers and sisters to come together, as we once did at the sacred site of Bwa Kayiman. Yes, all our brothers and sisters from all political parties, all social classes, all walks of life to come together and solemnly pledge to live or die to defeat this ill-masqueraded neo-colonial slavery once and for all.

Haiti’s “Vertières” is indeed, brother President, the cornerstone of worldwide African liberation. See you at home on January 1, 2004 !

Ase!

Your brother who loves you and forever stands with our People in the struggle,

Jafrikayiti

“Uncompromising Freedom, True Justice and Sustainable Peace – we demand no more, we shall accept no less!”