[News] Haiti: Where Will the Poor Go?

[Anti-Imperialist News]

August 21, 2014
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/


*Bulldozing Democracy*


  Haiti: Where Will the Poor Go?

by SETH DONNELLY

During my last trip to Haiti this June with a delegation of students and 
human rights observers, we were exposed to the raw violence of the 
ongoing forced dispersal of the poor. On May 31st, the Martelly regime 
intensified a process---in the name of "eminent domain"---of violently 
evicting the poor from their homes in downtown Port-au-Prince and then 
physically destroying their homes and businesses. We met with a group of 
men and women who had been subjected to this violence and we filmed 
their extensive testimony. They spoke of SWAT police and bulldozers 
coming at night, of having only 10 minutes to flee their homes, then 
witnessing the destruction of everything they had.

These survivors came to us with tears, anger, and backpacks full of the 
only possessions they had left. They spoke of having to sleep in parks 
or on roofs, of children being put out on the street, of vulnerability 
to infection and ongoing harassment by the government.

One man, speaking on behalf of the Representatives of the Citizens of 
Centre-Ville Against Forced Displacement, stated that more than 62,000 
people had lost their homes in downtown Port-au-Prince since May 31st. 
The Martelly regime has not provided compensation and humane, 
alternative housing---in clear violation of the Haitian Constitution. 
Indeed, official sources acknowledge that 400 properties have been 
destroyed, but only 17 people compensated.[i] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn1> 
Clearly, this grossly underestimates the numbers of people rendered 
homeless since legally registered pieces of property may actually 
consist of multiple dwellings of the poor with dozens of people living 
within them.

Secretary of State Planning Michel Presume stated earlier in the spring 
that the Martelly regime had taken all the necessary steps to compensate 
"the owners ." "We deposited this money in a deposit account, owners 
have just to appear with their original titles, so they can receive from 
the expropriation Committee the value of their land or their homes in 
accordance with the evaluation criteria for buildings."[ii] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn2> 
Undoubtedly, the problem with this compensation formula is that it does 
not take into account the thousands of people dispossessed of their 
homes who were tenants, not owners.

Accompanied by a Haitian human rights journalist, we visited the areas 
of downtown that had been subjected to these demolitions; we saw massive 
destruction spanning blocks and blocks, including half of the General 
Hospital. We saw a bulldozer still at work and Haitians standing around 
the rubble, perhaps some still in shock, as if another earthquake had hit.

The initial eminent domain decree for the downtown was issued by 
President Preval in 2010, then repealed and re-issued (with some 
modifications) by Martelly. Ostensibly, the goal is to rebuild the 
administrative center of the city, but Martelly has also stated that he 
welcomes the involvement of "entrepreneurs" and the private sector. 
Secretary of State Planning Presume stated that "the State has a budget 
of about 150 million U.S. dollars [for the construction of the 
administrative city] from several sources: Petrocaribe, treasury and 
fund of the cancellation of Haiti's debt..".[iii] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn3>

The people who shared their testimony with us blamed Martelly for their 
dispossession and current misery. According to these Haitians, the 
eminent domain project involves not just the reconstruction of the 
administrative center, but the transformation of the downtown into an 
upscale, commercial zone. Further investigation is required to determine 
other facets of this plan and sources of funding/ investment involved, 
particularly those by the "private sector" welcomed by Martelly.

Where will the poor go? Where have so many tent city dwellers already 
gone? The Martelly regime has dismantled most of the tent cities through 
stick-and-carrot methods: many families have received a once-time 
payment of $500 to relocate while others have been violently evicted 
from the camps. The $500 payment is notoriously inadequate given the 
spike in land and housing prices/ rents, a "market reaction" in large 
part to so many rich foreigners now living in Port-au-Prince as part of 
the NGO/ UN network. Moreover, the price of rice (now "Made in the USA") 
has increased dramatically in recent years, perhaps as much as 500%, 
further rendering this $500 aid package paltry.

We gained a sense of where so many desperate people are relocating when 
we visited Canara, a "city" of approximately 200,000 people seeking to 
eke out an existence in the arid, "dust bowl" hills in the outskirts of 
Port-au-Prince. Out of sight, out of mind---that is for the foreign 
tourists and Haitian bourgeoisie who stay at the new Oasis hotel or who 
perhaps will shop soon in downtown Port-au-Prince. The people of Canara 
do not have any meaningful access to water, electricity, education, 
healthcare, food, and employment, let alone even the cement and cinder 
blocks to complete many of their houses. People are forced to walk or 
travel considerable distances just to pay for water, food, and other 
supplies, if they have the money. And, yet, while we were meeting with 
an older Haitian woman about a water cistern project our team is funding 
in her community of Canara, we heard machinery- a bulldozer and 
truck---at work. After the meeting, we walked about 50 feet behind her 
dwelling and discovered that they were digging out a vast canyon, 
extracting truck-loads upon truckloads of rock and sand to be sold 
elsewhere, reportedly for the profits of a private company. She came to 
the edge of the canyon and yelled down to the workers not to dig any 
closer to her home. While she lacked the sand, rock, and cement to build 
a simple water cistern for her community, an apparently private company 
poached these resources for free in order to sell to those who could 
better afford the "market rate".

On June 19th, perhaps as the bulldozers were still clearing the rubble 
of people's homes in downtown Port-au-Prince, Bill Clinton received the 
"Lifetime Achievement Award" for his work in Haiti from the Happy Hearts 
Fund in the NYC Cipriani Restaurant. The award ceremony was led by Petra 
Nemcova, a super model who runs the foundation and who is the girlfriend 
of the current Haitian Prime Minister, Laurent Lamothe. Also in the 
audience was Haitian President Michel Martelly who received an award for 
his "leadership in education". Outside of the lavish restaurant, a group 
of Haitian activists and their allies protested the ceremony, chanting 
"Clinton, where is the money for reconstruction?".[iv] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn4>

The timing of these awards is particularly absurd. According to the news 
website "Tout Haiti", earlier this April, two prominent lawyers have 
petitioned Haiti's Superior Court of Auditors and Administrative 
Disputes to demand an audit of Bill Clinton's management of the Interim 
Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC). A federal audit, conducted by the US 
Government Accountability Office and released on October 9^th , 2013, 
raised major concerns about the USAID's recent work in Haiti, 
particularly on Clinton-backed projects.[v] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn5>

But there is a deeper issue than alleged missing funds, mismanagement, 
and shoddy, incomplete aid projects. The deeper issue is Clinton's 
agenda for "development" in Haiti: a strategy that is not really healthy 
development at all, but rather mal-development in the service of 
corporate exploitation of the country's resources and people. Expanding 
this corporate-driven mal-development was a central agenda for Clinton 
in the 1990s, just as it is for the Obama Administration today.

As President, Clinton pushed this strategy when he pressured the Haitian 
government to open up its economy to US-subsidized, big business rice 
exports, thereby driving many Haitian rice farmers out of business and 
crippling Haiti's domestic rice industry.[vi] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn6> 
Though Clinton publicly apologized for this "trade policy", he has been 
pursuing a similar corporate strategy through his handling of "aid" as 
head of the Clinton Foundation and the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission 
(IHRC) since the 2010 earthquake.[vii] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn7> 
He has been a vigorous supporter of the new Caracol Industrial Park, 
funded in large part by USAID. The "park" consists of garment 
sweatshops, offering substandard, unlivable wages. This has been a boon 
to companies that can have clothing assembled in Haiti by workers 
receiving near-slave wages, then sold in the US without having to pay 
any customs.[viii] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn8> 
However, as investigative reporter Jonathan Katz notes, the "park" has 
not been such a boon to the local Haitians:

    "But less than a year after Caracol Industrial Park's gala opening
    --- with Bill and Hillary Clinton, Sean Penn, designer Donna Karan
    and Haiti's current and former presidents among the guests --- the
    feeling these days is disappointment. Hundreds of smallholder
    farmers were coaxed into giving up more than 600 acres of land for
    the complex, yet nearly 95 percent of that land remains unused. A
    much-needed power plant was completed on the site, supplying the
    town with more electricity than ever, but locals say surges of
    wastewater have caused floods and spoiled crops.

    "Most critically, fewer than 1,500 jobs have been created --- paying
    too little, the locals say, and offering no job security. "We
    thought there was going to be some benefit for us," says Ludwidge
    Fountain, 34... He worked for two months at the park as a guard,
    taking home about $3.40 a day, until his contract ran out. "Maybe
    it's good for some of the people inside the park. Everyone else got
    nothing."[ix]
    <http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn9>

Likewise, Bill Clinton has funneled aid money to establish a business 
venture between Coca-Cola and local mango farmers, using existing mango 
groves and using land for new groves to produce exports for Coca-Cola 
and its "Haiti Hope" project (an Odwalla drink). About the project, 
Clinton stated:

    "The Coca-Cola Company responded to Haiti's urgent immediate needs
    with financial support and beverages. The Haiti Hope Project goes a
    step further and exemplifies the innovative role that partnerships
    with the private sector can play in the reconstruction of Haiti."[x]
    <http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn10>

According to Coca-Cola's website, $9.5 million has been raised since 
2010 to launch this project tin a public-private partnership. Coca-Cola 
claims to have 19,000 mango farmers "enrolled" in the project, 
frequently organized into co-ops, and that half of these farmers are 
women. Moreover, Coca-Cola claims that 10 cents on every bottle of 
"Odwalla Mango Tango Smoothie" purchased will go back to "Haiti Hope". 
[xi] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn11> 
The Clinton-Bush Fund gave a grant of more than $500,000 to the 
project.[xii] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn12> 
Projects such as this do not advance Haiti's vital need for food 
security, but instead tether the well-being of Haitian farmers to the 
fickle tastes of more affluent, primarily "First World", consumers.

The Clinton Foundation is also funding similar agricultural, "supply 
chain" projects involving peanut and coffee farmers. The Foundation 
claims to be assisting these farmers by funding the construction of 
regional depots, providing marketing and technical assistance, as well 
as linking the farmers to buyers elsewhere, such as the Four Season 
Restaurant chain.[xiii] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn13>As 
with the Coca-Cola Project, this "market-driven" and export-led approach 
to agricultural development fails to directly address Haiti's vital need 
for domestic food production and security. While Haitians produce more 
coffee, peanuts, and mangos for export, they remain dependent upon 
overpriced, US corporate food imports while growing tracts of their land 
are being leased off to "foreign investors" for "industrial parks" and 
tourist sites.

Then there is the infamous Oasis Hotel in Port-au-Prince, a huge, elite 
structure built to court rich tourists and foreign investors. It is 
"awkwardly" close to the houses and shacks of the poor that lack decent 
sanitation, plumbing, and electricity. The Clinton-Bush fund allocated 
$2 million in "aid" to construct this hotel.[xiv] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn14> 
Clinton is likewise allocating more Foundation aid into the construction 
of new Marriott Hotel.

Tourism, sweatshops, and export-agriculture: these are integral 
components of Clinton's vision for Haiti. Undoubtedly, some of this 
"development" will require the coercive dispersal of the rural poor who 
occupy land that will be turned into "free trade zones" and of the urban 
poor who occupy space---either in tent cities or popular 
neighborhoods---slated for tourist projects and up-scale commercial zones.

And what of Martelly, the other award recipient? Has he doubled the rate 
of Haitian children going to school, as claimed in the Happy Heart Fund 
ceremony? This claim is patently false, according to Haitian grassroots 
educators who we interviewed. Martelly pledged to provide payments to 
schools on a per pupil basis, but this funding reportedly only covers a 
fraction of all pupils and, to date, has not even been received by 
schools for this past school year. Many teachers have not been paid in 
months, resulting in the recent, widespread teacher and student 
protests. Apparently, super model Petra Nemcova was unaware of these 
basic, easily verifiable realities on the ground in Haiti when she 
awarded Martelly.

Martelly came to power in 2011 through sham elections---what many 
Haitians call "selections"---because the largest political and most 
popular political party, Fanmi Lavalas, the party of the poor majority, 
was excluded from participation. Only 22% (or less) of the electorate 
bothered to vote and, of that fraction, Martelly received the winning 
fraction. This was reportedly the worst voter turnout in the Americas 
since 1947.[xv] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn15> 
The Obama Administration financed the selections (including legislative 
positions) to the tune of at least $14 million.[xvi] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn16> 
Moreover, the Administration exerted considerable pressured, including 
threats to cut off aid to Haiti, in order to insure that Martelly was 
included in the run-off elections, even though he technically placed 
third in the first round. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton flew to 
Haiti and personally intervened to help push Martelly into power.[xvii] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn17> 
Martelly, himself a very wealthy entertainer, spent considerable sums of 
his own fortune to leverage his "victory" (the equivalent of $15 billion 
in the US). Martelly's Duvalierist ties in Haiti and his far rights 
connections abroad have been well-documented by reporter and historian 
Greg Grandin, among others.[xviii] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn18>

Predictably, since coming to power, Martelly has been rebuilding the 
Duvalierist system in which elite gets rich in ventures with foreign 
interests (e.g. Clinton) while the poor majority is further 
marginalized, immiserated, and increasingly subjected to selective 
repression. Martelly has attempted to rebuild the dreaded Haitian 
army[xix] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn19>, 
he has integrated Duvalierist elements into his regime, and he has 
established a supportive, friendly environment for "Baby Doc" Duvalier 
now back in Haiti.[xx] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn20> 
Grassroots activists of the poor reported to our team that they are 
experiencing threats on their lives by a growing network of repressive 
agents. The Martelly regime has postponed legislative elective and 
Mayoral elections, with Martelly instead selecting many Mayors across 
the country, including in Port-au-Prince. A high-level judge who was 
calling for an investigation into Martelly and his family for corruption 
mysteriously died several days after meeting with and reportedly being 
verbally attacked by Martelly and his Prime Minister (Lamothe). Many 
Haitians suspect death by poisoning.[xxi] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_edn21> 
In ostentatious displays of their wealth, Martelly and his family are 
well-known for their extensive travels abroad and lavish life styles. He 
is an excellent junior partner for Bill Clinton and the Obama 
Administration.

The people in downtown Port-au-Prince whose homes and businesses have 
been destroyed are demanding justice and reparations.  They have just 
experienced another earthquake and they are clear that this one is 
human-made, in the service of "economic development" that discards the 
poor. Now is the time to join our voices with them in demanding justice 
and reparations. Now is the time to join our voices with those of 
Haitian grassroots activists in the Lavalas movement struggling 
courageously for the restoration of democracy in Haiti.

/*Seth Donnelly* is a member of the Haiti Action Committee and a Bay 
Area high school teacher. He regularly travels to and works in Haiti. /

*/Notes./*
------------------------------------------------------------------------

/[i] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref1> 
Personal communication./

/*[ii]* 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref2> 
Haiti Libre, "Haiti-Reconstruction: the Demolition of the Area of Public 
Utility." 
http://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-8090-haiti-reconstruction-expropriation-no-title-no-compensation.html./

/[iii] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref3> 
Haiti Libre, "Haiti-Reconstruction: Expropriation, No Title, No 
Compensation." 
http://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-11287-haiti-reconstruction-the-demolition-of-the-area-of-public-utility-began-in-port-au-prince.html./

/Also, for a 2012 projected breakdown of funding for the particular 
components of the "administrative center" project, see 
www.skyscrapercity.co <http://www.skyscrapercity.co>, 
"Haiti-Reconstruction: the New Haiti Is Emerging."/

/[iv] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref4> 
For a more in-depth discussion of this event and the protest, see 
Dunkel, "Haiti: Bill Clinton Receives 'Lifetime Achievement Award' But 
Where Is the Money for Reconstruction?" 
http://www.globalresearch.ca/haiti-bill-clinton-receives-lifetime-achievement-award-but-where-is-the-money-for-reconstruction/5388737./

/[v] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref5> 
The GAO's report is available at http://www.gao.gov/products/gao-14-47t./

/[vi] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref6> 
See Katz, "With Cheap Food Imports, Haiti Can't Feed Itself". 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/20/with-cheap-food-imports-h_n_507228.html./

/[vii] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref7> 
See his filmed apology on "Democracy Now", April 1, 2010. 
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/1/clinton_rice./

/[viii] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref8> 
For excellent coverage, see Edmonds, "Sweatshops Over Homes". 
http://nacla.org/news/sweatshops-over-homes-haiti./

/[ix] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref9> 
Katz, "A Glittering Industrial Park in Haiti Falls Short". 
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/9/10/a-glittering-industrialparkfallsshortinhaiti.html./

/[x] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref10> 
"Coca Cola Scheme Brings Hope to Haiti" on www.coca-cola.co.uk./

/[xi] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref11> 
See Moye, "Hope in Haiti: Why Job Creation and Economic Development Will 
Drive Nation's Recovery". 
http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/hope-in-haiti-why-job-creation-and-economic-development-will-drive-nations-recovery./

/[xii] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref12> 
See the "Haiti Hope Project" fact sheet on Clinton Bush Fund website./

/[xiii] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref13> 
See official website for the Clinton Foundation./

/[xiv] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref14> 
For a detailed examination of this "aid" project, see Wilentz, "Letter 
from Haiti: Life in the Ruins." 
http://www.thenation.com/article/172101/letter-haiti-life-ruins./

/[xv] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref15> 
For a summary of the many problems with these "selections", see 
Weisbrot, "Haiti Election: a Travesty of Democracy" and IJDH, "The 
United States Should Support Fair and Inclusive Elections in Haiti." 
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jan/10/haiti-oas-election-runoff./

/[xvi] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref16> 
Beeton, "Haiti's Elections: Parties Banned, Media Yawns." 
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/op-eds-&-columns/op-eds-&-columns/haitis-elections-parties-banned-media-yawns. 
The $14 million figure refers to US funding of the initial round of 
Presidential and Legislative elections in November, 2010. Undoubtedly, 
the US pumped in more money to finance the run-off elections in the 
spring of 2011 since the US was vigorously pushing for Martelly's 
inclusion in the run-offs./

/[xvii] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref17> 
Grandin, "Martelly: Haiti's Second Great Disaster." 
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/05/20115413435816393.html./

/[xviii] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref18> 
Ibid./

/[xix] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref19> 
The Economist, "Haiti's Army: Who Needs Them?" 
http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21588085-michel-martelly-pushes-ahead-reviving-army-who-needs-them./

/[xx] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref20> 
CEPRI, "Former Dictator Lives the Good Life." 
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/relief-and-reconstruction-watch/former-dictator-lives-the-good-life-as-haitian-government-has-deliberately-stalled-investigation./

/[xxi] 
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/21/haiti-where-will-the-poor-go/#_ednref21> 
Geffrard, "Haiti: Political Assassination?" 
http://www.globalresearch.ca/haiti-political-assassination-suspicious-death-of-judge-who-called-for-prosecution-of-presidential-family/5343313./

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