Arisitide speaks out on Democracy Now!

Printable Version | [eMail this article!] |

I don't know how they did it, but DemocracyNow! had a phone interview this morning with Jean-Bertrand Aristede. For the full transcript ARISTIDE SPEAKS TO DEMOCRACY NOW! IN MOST EXTENSIVE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE INTERVIEW SINCE HIS REMOVAL FROM HAITI.

Aristide still claims that he did not resign as President, but was forcefully removed by the US in a coup. He believes that the international forces (US, France, and Canada) are acting as occupation troops and not working to restore democracy to Haiti.

One of the most interesting parts of the interview was Aristide's response to Amy Goodman's question "What message do you think the United States is sending the people of Haiti and the rest of the world in their actions with you?" Aristide responded:

I think the citizens of the United States supporting democracy in Haiti, the Haitian People, and Haitians in Washington, Brooklyn and Milano, in Boston and elsewhere, calling for my return to Haiti and the constitutional order, I think all the citizens of the United States [inaudible] are a sending a very strong, critical signal to all of the countries in the world willing to work in a peaceful way for democracy. But those who [inaudible] me are sending a very wrong signal because if we don't reach the result of democratic elections and then we cannot be elected and then you do that here and elsewhere, the signal you are sending is "No to democracy," while you are talking about democracy. So, that's why I wish they would connect - they did realize that they are wrong and they have a new approach, which will be protecting the rights of humans in the world. Because in the world, what do we mean, meaning peace. What do we mean, meaning democracy. What do we mean, we need to invest in human beings. Therefore, to go back, we should not send wrong signals as they did. They went to Iraq. We see how is the situation in Iraq. They went to Haiti. We see how is the situation in Haiti. Pretending they are imposing democracy with people killing people. Why don't they change their approach to let democracy and the constitutional order flourish slowly, but surely. After imposing a criminal embargo on us being, from the cultural point of view, very rich from a historic point of view very rich but from an economic point of view, very poor because we are the poorest country in the western hemisphere, after imposing their economic embargo upon us, because the people wanted one man, one vote, so equality among us. Then they use drug dealers, they use people who are already convicted, pretending to lead the rebellion, while they went to Haiti killing people in Gonaives, killing people in Cap Hatian and killing people in Port-au-Prince and elsewhere. And now they continue in the face of the entire world, blessing impunity supporting those killers. My god, I have said it's really ugly that image they project in the face of the world. Now it's time for them to change, to respect them but we will also respect the truth. That's why respectfully, we are telling them the truth. I said, when someone is wrong, the wrong way to behave is to continue to be wrong. The right way to behave is a move from wrong to being right. Now, it's time to move from being wrong on their side to become right by supporting the constitutional order.

The way that I read his response is that he does not see the US supporting democracy in the world, but instead promoting violence. He links the "regime change" in Iraq and the one in Haiti as part of the same US policy. He argues that imposing barriers that create poverty, and encouraging violence, does not promote peaceful constitutional order.

Aristide speaks of the US embargos in Haiti. I believe the intense sanctions in Iraq served exactly the same function. I also believe he is correct in looking at these two actions as part of the same policy - and a truer indicator of US goals than the rhetoric of "democracy."

Posted by rowan at March 8, 2004 12:49 PM | TrackBack | Printable Version | [eMail this article!] |