[News] Haiti: Fanmi Lavalas Declaration

[Anti-Imperialist News]

/Haiti Action Committee is honored to share this recent statement from 
Fanmi Lavalas, the people’s party of Haiti.  The statement commemorates 
the anniversary of Haiti’s first democratic election, on December 16th, 
1990, which resulted in the victory of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide 
and the Lavalas movement. Seven months later, President Aristide was 
overthrown in a U.S.-organized coup d’etat. Reelected overwhelmingly in 
2000, Aristide was again ousted by yet another U.S.-sponsored coup in 
2004. /
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/In the wake of these coups, Haitians have faced years of repression, 
insecurity, economic misery and corruption inflicted by U.S.-imposed 
governments selected through stolen elections. These are the conditions 
that have forced so many thousands of Haitians to flee the country./
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/Over thirty years after December 16, 1990, the people of Haiti are 
still mobilizing to end dictatorship and build a new popular democratic 
government. This statement highlights the continuity and determination 
of that struggle.//We invite you to read it and share it widely./


*Fanmi Lavalas  Declaration
(unofficial translation from Kreyol by Haiti Action Committee) *
*December 16, 2021 *

December 16, 1990 will never be erased in the memory of the people of 
Haiti. It is a symbol of victory, a symbol of hope. The victory of 
December 16, 1990 was about democracy developing roots in the country, 
it was about improving the lives of all the people in the country. Fanmi 
Lavalas presents its warmest greetings to the activists, sympathizers, 
everyone who understands what December 16, 1990 represents in the 
political history of Haiti.

After consulting with members of the organization in the 10 departments 
of the country, Fanmi Lavalas decided to commemorate the day through 
various Ti Fanmi activities all over the country. In the west department 
on December 15, we organized a mass meeting at the Dr. Aristide 
Foundation with hundreds of members of the organization in attendance. 
We decided to provide healthcare to the population beginning on December 
16 in the school "Union College" in Maren. We will be announcing other 
locations where we will be providing healthcare services.

On December 16, 1990, the population made clear its demands to implement 
these three pillars of democracy: Justice, Participation and 
Transparency. With ballots in hand, people voted President Jean-Bertrand 
Aristide into office to move their demands forward: food for all, 
healthcare for all, schools for all, housing for all, employment for 
all, justice for all. This was the first free, honest and democratic 
election that the country had known, where more than 2 million Haitians 
had chosen President Aristide to govern the country. As the Haitian 
people started to breathe the air of democracy, seeing the light of 
justice, the 1991 coup d'etat produced a huge setback to implementing 
the people's program.

Since that time, coup d'etat after coup d'etat have caused more misery, 
more hunger, more exclusion, more insecurity, more banditry, corruption, 
violence, repression, massacres, and impunity. These are the trademarks 
of the dreadful foreign “democracy” that the anti-change forces and 
their international allies want to impose on the country.  The will of 
the people is not respected when it is foreigners who pick individuals 
to govern the country. As all of us can attest, GNBists* and PHTKists* 
have condemned the population to be under the table, not at the table.

Today, while the minimum wage has remained unchanged with no respect for 
the dignity of working men and women, the price of gasoline has 
skyrocketed on the backs of a population already dealing with 
unemployment and misery. No consideration is given for the high cost of 
living that will increase steadily for fathers and mothers who are 
already struggling to put food on the table.

December 16, 1990 - December 16, 2021: After thirty-one years, the 
struggle to change the system of corruption has seen many betrayals, but 
it will not be stopped. Thirty-one years later, even though the de facto 
authorities are using gangsters to terrorize the population and prevent 
people from exercising their rights, this righteous struggle must give 
birth to Justice, Transparency and Participation.

December 16, 2021 is a reminder to all of us that it was conviction and 
unity that brought about December 16, 1990. These times demand that we 
again create the unity that brought us to victory.

The Montana Accord that we, Fanmi Lavalas, have signed and support, must 
lead us to a transition that completely breaks with this system of 
exploitation, as demanded by the Haitian population. The people hunger 
for a government of "Sali Piblik" or public safety, and they must have 
it in order to be on the road to progress and security, with fair and 
free elections.
Every human being is somebody. Everyone's vote must be counted. This is 
the road to liberation and democracy. We did it on December 16, 1990, we 
must do it again for all to have peace in our minds and peace in our 
stomachs.

*Alone we are weak, Together we are strong, Altogether we are LAVALAS*
*
*
*Fanmi Lavalas Executive Committee *
Dr. Maryse Narcisse
M. Joël Edouard Vorbe
Dr. Jean Myrto Julien
Agr. Anthony Dessources

* GNB refers to a right-wing coalition that helped organize the 2004 coup.
* PHTK refers to the ruling dictatorial PHTK party

-- 
Haiti Action Committee
PO Box 2040
Berkeley,CA 94702
https://haitisolidarity.net

<https://haitisolidarity.net/donate/>
/Please direct your donation for Haiti earthquake relief to the Haiti 
Emergency Relief Fund www.haitiemergencyrelief.org 
<http://www.haitiemergencyrelief.org>.Thank you.
/

/Contributions to Haiti Action Committee are not tax deductible for IRS 
purposes/
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