Using razor wire, tanks and tear-gas, soldiers of the United Nations Mission to Stabilize Haiti (MINUSTAH) blocked thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators from marching to the Place of the Constitution in front of the National Palace on March 29, the 18th anniversary of the Haitian constitution’s ratification by popular referendum.

The bitter confrontation between the MINUSTAH and Haitian demonstrators from the hillside slum of Belair marked the end of a one-month honeymoon during which U.N. troops were seen by some pro-democracy leaders as allies against murderous rampages by the Haitian National Police (PNH) and former soldiers.

On Feb. 25, PNH riot police opened fire on a peaceful demonstration in Belair, killing three demonstrators (see Haïti Progrès, Vol. 22, No. 51, 3/2/2005). Over the next month, MINUSTAH troops provided security to pro-democracy demonstrations, often theatrically preventing PNH riot police from approaching the protests.

However, on Mar. 29, many thousands of demonstrators found themselves penned into the streets of Belair and unable to rally as they had planned on the Champ de Mars, the capital’s central square, because MINUSTAH’s commander thought it would somehow displease Haiti’s unconstitutional authorities.

“We told them they had to stay inside the community [Belair] so [as] not to provoke a confrontation with police,” said Brazilian Lt. Gen. Augusto Heleno Ribeiro, the MINUSTAH’s commander.

Many thousands of demonstrators jammed into Belair’s warren-like streets and waved small Haitian flags and photos of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, chanting “No Aristide, no peace” and “Down with the coup d’état.” They also set ablaze a life-sized effigy of de facto Prime Minister Gerard Latortue.

Leaders of the National Reflection Cell of Popular Organizations of the Lavalas Family Base had called the demonstration weeks ago and duly notified authorities of the march. But the MINUSTAH commander displayed his ignorance of Haiti’s constitution by saying that demonstrators did not have authorization to go in front of the Palace. Under the charter, demonstrators need no such authorization; they only need to notify the police at least three days prior to their action, as they did.

In addition to firing tear-gas, MINUSTAH troops also fired in the air to prevent demonstrators from marching down to the Palace. To express their anger, demonstrators burned a Brazilian flag and a Brazilian soccer jersey.

The sentiments of the crowd were articulated by an older man who began to harangue the U.N. troops as they dispersed the demonstrators. “They have sent the MINUSTAH, which hides behind our brave policemen,” the old man said. “The MINUSTAH asks the police to do the dirty work of firing on the people, while at the same time provoking the people as they are doing now so as to push us to violent acts, after which they will say that Haiti is ungovernable... Let me tell you: I am Haitian. I will die Haitian. There is nobody who can insult me... Go back in history and ask the Americans what happened here in 1915. They will tell you why Americans are afraid to come here. So if you do not go home, you will pay a very dear price. We no longer love Brazil.”

Another demonstrator lambasted pro-coup radio stations and the bourgeoisie’s “civic front” for their role in creating Haiti’s repressive climate today.“It is precisely Radio Caraïbes, Radio Kiskeya, Radio Vision 2000 and the Group of 184 who have put the country in this situation,” the angry man said on the airwaves of Radio Signal FM. “The de facto government colluded with the foreigners to disperse the demonstration.”

The National Popular Party (PPN) held a press conference on Mar. 28 to express its full support for the Mar. 29 demonstration and to reiterate its rejection of the occupation elections de facto authorities want to organize later this year (see statement below).

PPN Analysis:
The History of Haiti’s Constitution

On March 28, 2005, the National Popular Party issued an analysis of Haiti’s Constitution and the political struggle around it over the past 18 years. We have translated it from the original Creole.

March 29, 2005 marks 18 years since most Haitians voted for the Constitution of March 29, 1987. The people were so thirst for justice, political liberty, better times, transparency and participation that they came out massively to vote for the constitution without it ever really being debated among the people.

Although “Baby Doc” Duvalier had left, it was still “Duvalierism without Duvalier” in the country. The monkey’s tail was still holding on strong. The infamous team of Generals Henri Namphy and Williams Regala handed us a Constituent Assembly to write the constitution.

Given that the Macoutes were on the defensive, they had to compromise with the bourgeois sector to make the Constituent Assembly. So you found representatives of the Macoute sector like Emile Jonassaint, Nil Calixte, and Julio Larosilière,. You also found many representatives of the bourgeois sector such as Dr. Louis Roy, Serges Villard, and Reginald Riboul.

The Macoute sector had to make some concessions. They accepted the bourgeoisie’s proposition to take a so-called reprieve from politics for 10 years. There was an agreement made between the bourgeois sector and the Macoute sector on the basis of Article 291 [which banned from holding office any Duvalierists known for corruption, “excess zeal” or “having inflicted torture on political prisoners in connection with arrests and investigations or for having committed political assassinations.”]

So it was this Macouto/bourgeois alliance which gave us the 1987 Constitution. Since then, the alliance has pushed the people aside. They organized a referendum to approve the Constitution and in the same constitution took away the people’s right to express their will in any other referendum.

But as always, the two ruling class sectors (...) continued to fight between each other for political power, and that’s when they would put the Constitution they had just drawn up aside. Everybody remembers the massacres which were carried out around the country [in November 1987], particularly in Port-au-Prince at Ruelle Vaillant. The Macoutes allied themselves with the army and the “laboratory” [CIA/Pentagon], which saw that the people’s vote would not be good for them. They drowned the voting in blood.

Afterwards [in January 1988], they organized a “selection” and Mr. [Leslie] Manigat stepped over the people’s bodies to become a puppet president. But the army overthrew him four months later. Coup d’état after coup d’état occurred, and they carried out the St. Jean Bosco massacre because they never accepted Father Aristide, who was championing the demands of the people.

That is how we arrived at the elections of 1990, when the Americans sent their candidate Marc Bazin into the election to become president and to apply the death plan of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and USAID. And to sell Bazin, they had a big Macoute, Roger Lafontant, come back into the country to participate in the elections, as a kind of trap. At that time, the bourgeoisie had a problem with the Americans and didn’t want to return to a Duvalierist hardliner, so they decided to hitch a ride on the popularity of Father Aristide and to try to use him as a kind of puppet. Father Aristide became president. But after seven months, the Macoute sector and the army on the orders of the CIA overthrew President Aristide and killed more than 5000 people. They trampled the Constitution.

As everyone remembers, President Aristide returned, but they cut short his mandate. René Préval became president and served for five years with great difficulty. Elections were held in 2000, and President Aristide returned to power. Since then, the Macoutes and the bourgeoisie joined forces to overthrow Aristide. With money from the European Union, NDI [National Democratic Institute] and IRI [International Republican Institute], they made all kinds of disorder. On Feb. 29, 2004, the United States, France and Canada mounted a plot, and U.S. Special Forces kidnapped President Aristide and sent him into exile in Africa.

Today, the forces of darkness and the former soldiers are carrying out massacres all over the country. The grandon [big landowners] are back in force, killing peasants to steal their land. Faced with a high cost of living which is killing the people, bandits are back in force kidnapping people right and left. State coffers are being pilfered. They are marginalizing political parties which represent the people like the National Popular Party (PPN) and the Lavalas Family. No matter what, they want to organize an election/selection.

We in the National Popular Party (PPN) say that elections are not possible, and we will not go into any baloney election if there is not a return to constitutional order which entails the physical return of President Aristide to finish his mandate and organize elections. That is why we support the big demonstration that the National Reflection Cell of the Lavalas Family Base is organizing tomorrow on the 18th anniversary of the Constitution. We call on all the people to take to the streets peacefully to denounce the de factos and a return to Constitutional order.

Down with the occupation orchestrated by the U.S., France and Canada!

Down with the de facto government!

Long live the return to constitutional order!

Liberty or death!

For the Political Bureau of the National Popular Party (PPN)
Georges Honorat