THE EDITOR, Sir:AMERICA'S FIRST black Secretary of State, General Colin Powell, and a man with Caribbean heritage, on Monday, heatedly denied the charge that Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was overthrown with help from the White House. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and others reported that Mr. Aristide saw his removal as a 'coup d'etat'.
"Absurd, he was not kidnapped," Mr. Powell snorted. The former Ronald Reagan National Security Adviser said Mr. Aristide had willingly left Haiti and flown into exile on a jet provided by Americans.
ARISTIDE CRY
Mr. Aristide says he was pushed. Mr. Powell said he jumped. Mr. Powell, President George Bush and Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld know the real deal. Mr. Aristide knows the story, but he never really had a voice. He is again in exile after being elected President a second time. American Marines are once more in control of Toussaint L'Ouverture's patrimony.
The truth is that Mr. P.J. Patterson and the CARICOM cavalcade of stars failed to save Aristide. Not only were the West Indians unable to save a threatened neighbour and poverty-stricken brother, the P.J.-led group was duped.
Turns out that the celebrated 'CARICOM Initiative' was not even worth the paper on which it was written. At the very same time the Bush confab was closing the books on Aristide, the West Indian group was walking out the door dreaming that 'progress had been made.'
This sense of weakness was on display in the United States, as well where African-American leaders failed to forge a compromise between Bush and the Haitian leader. Like P.J. and his acolytes, the Congressional Black Caucus turned out to be helpless bystanders.
Amazingly, this moment of weakness could have been a watershed. Had these Aristide defenders trusted in the power of righteousness, they might have failed but avoided ridicule. They ought to have been able to make a stand on the matter of Mr. Aristide being the democratically elected head of state. The righteousness of such a stance would at least have forced the Americans to abandon their zero sum game.
Without pausing to examine Haiti, its tribulations and its regrettable past, some will say, "Haiti was dealt a bad hand." They might also contend that "life's unfair," and that might well be the case, but we are nothing if we don't extend ourselves to make it fair. Haiti, the poorest of the very poor should be the starting point.
I am, etc.,
KARL RODNEY
rodney3@swbell.et
New York
