Violence Cancels Haiti’s Election

I am an American citizen, born in Haiti. My uncle is the Rev. Alain Rocourt, chairman of the Methodist Church in Haiti, treasurer of the Electoral Council installed, pursuant to the Haitian Constitution, to assure free and democratic elections. This Electoral Council has been disbanded by the National Government Council, the provisional government, put in place with the help of the United States after dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier was forced to flee Haiti in an airplane provided by the American government.

Recently, I went to Washington because of my deep concerns for the freedom of the Haitian people and, more specifically because of the dangers to my uncle. Through the good offices of Rep. Howard Berman (D-Panorama City), I was received by, among others, Richard N. Holwill, deputy assistant secretary of state for Caribbean affairs. Holwill listened to me at length and was very courteous, but again and again reassured me that the American ambassador to Haiti was informing the State Department that there would be no trouble in Haiti and that the election would proceed. When a congressional hearing on Haiti was held , no representative of the State Department appeared.

The United States somehow ignored the fact that the security forces of Haiti, both the army and the police, deserted the streets to allow well-armed bands to kill, burn and terrorize to prevent the election (Part I, Nov. 30). Only when the Haitian people took matters into their own hands and formed spontaneous self-defense groups did the armed forces reappear to attack these groups. This did not seem to shake the faith of the United States in the desire of the provisional regime to supervise free and democratic elections.

Every Haitian knows that stronger representations from the U.S. government could have assured democracy in Haiti. Every Haitian knows that stronger representations from the United States could have prevented the massacres that occurred Nov. 29, causing the elections to be cancelled. Every Haitian, including members of the provisional government, knows that the U.S. government did not fully support open, free and democratic elections in Haiti.

Undoubtedly, elections will be held in Haiti. They will now be supervised by the regime which prevented the Haitian people from voting in elections supervised by the council created by the Haitian Constitution. The votes will be counted by that regime. The terrorist regime will continue to control Haiti. Will the United States government applaud the results and support the “freely elected” Haitian government? The people of Haiti, and the people of all Latin America and the American people will be watching.

What can the United States government still do? We can begin by insisting on the reinstatement of the legally constituted Electoral Council. And we can help organize a multinational peacekeeping force from hemisphere countries to guarantee safe and orderly process and the transition to a democratic government.

As a postscript, let me add that the house of my uncle was attacked with machine guns and grenades provided by the United States government through its military aid program (now discontinued, for the time being at least), and my uncle is in hiding. He is at least alive, but numerous Haitians are dead.

JACQUELINE B. MONASH

Beverly Hills