#480: About 1991 Coup and article by Stan Goff (Saint-Vil responds to Barnett) (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Jean Saint-Vil <jafrikayiti@hotmail.com>

J. Don Barnett <jdonb@juno.com>
wrote:
>However, Aristide, in my opinion helped himself out of office
>by targeting the upper class for 'declassification'.  As I remember, in a
>speech he made in 91 upon returning from a visit abroad, he declared that
>'the rocks that have suffered in the sun will know the comfort of the
>rocks in the water, and the rocks in the water will know the suffering of
>the rocks in the sun', an obvious referral to the displacement of the
>upper class and the elevation of the lower class, by force if necessary. 
>Definitely not a very democratic means of moving a country forwarded.
>If I am not recalling this event properly, I would love to hear from
>other Corbeteers who can straighten me out.  Mesi davans.
>Don Barnett
----------------
Dear Don,

I don't know if I will straighten you out but, as an eye witness to the 
events of September 27th 1991 of which ou speak, I would like to offer the 
following clarification.

1) No matter what Aristide may have said as President of Ayiti, it could 
never justify the direct intervention of the U.S.A (A foreign entity!) 
through violent actions of its Central Intelligence Agency's Emmanuel 
Constant, Raoul Cedras, Michel François, Lynn Garrison et.al.  The blood of 
the 5000 Ayitians murdered by CIA-FRAPH-FadH cannot be so easily washed by 
saying "Aristide's speech was not democratic to the eyes of George Bushes' 
friends up in the hills of Petion-Ville.
2) Upon his return from the United Nations, Aristide was greeted at the 
airport by a group of jubilant youth who took great pride in  	his 
performance at the UN in New-York. His first homereturn speech delivered in 
front of the airport (which you never hear about in the U.S. Press) actually 
called for peace and cooperation. Aristide in fact offered an olive branch 
to the "so-called" elite and proposed a new start for the nation.

I remember standing in that crowd dancing among the youth to the beat of 
Manno Charlemagne and a choir of beautiful Ayitian women dressed in African 
boubous. We joked with the soldiers who grinned back at us thinking perhaps 
how naïve we were dancing foolishly in the very face of death (apparently 
the coup was supposed to have started right there at the airport. But word 
came from (who knows who?) to hold off 'til later (which happened to be two 
days later Sunday, September 29th).

After  Aristide's gentle "konbit" speech, the soldiers asked the crowd of 
jubilant youth to make way for the presidential cortage. My cousin and I 
climbed atop of a structure on the side walk and we watched and filmed with 
an 8 mm camera as the official cars went by.

Manno Charlemagne's music helped keep a few of us in front of the airport 
while another group followed the officials to the presidential palace.

Acording to what was reported afterwards, Aristide was by that time aware 
that a coup was in the making. So having a sizeable crowd with him in front 
of the National Palace ( I went home after the airport welcome) he made a 
desperate attempt to intimidate the CIA agents (whom he likely have not 
identified at the time) with his only weapons of self-defense "words" and 
"public demonstration of support". And so there he delivered the infamous 
"violent" speech you are all familiar with, thanks to CNN and company.

So, to understand the events of that faithfull day one must read watch and 
listen to both speeches and ask what happened during the ride frrom the 
airport to the national palace. How do you explain the obvious contrast 
between the two speeches?

In other words pointing to Aristide last speech as a justification for the 
coup is  indecent because the coup was not conducted against Aristide but 
against the very people of Ayiti and the planning of this coup certainly 
occured way before the so-called "violent" speech.
Demokrasi wi, ipokrizi non!.

Jafrikayiti
«Depi nan Ginen bon nèg ap ede nèg!»
http://www.i-port.net/sd-in-j/

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