Does the Lavalas Movement Have a Future in Haiti?

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Part II

The Lavalas movement of the early 1990's really was like a flood.

It brought great hopes to all Haitians, especially those who had been deprived the chance to hope. Jean Bertrand Aristide was an inspirational leader, and possessed great charisma.

The poor did not see him just as a leader, but more so as one of them. He was devoted to change the status quo, which existed at the class level in the country.

Haiti, unlike any other country in the Caribbean, is a place where class division plays an integral role at keeping the country in the abyss of misery.

From the first days of its creation, the hallmark of division was well-established.

The mulattoes always thought they were superior to their dark-skinned counterparts.

Hence, the struggle of Haiti has always been about the amelioration between its two classes: The bourgeoisie, and the poor. The Lavalas movement took the fight of the poor as its main political agenda.

From liberation theology, which was being preached at the small churches, to a mass populist movement in all corners of the country, the Lavalas party reached one of its goals by winning the elections of December 16, 1990.

Aristide was elected President, and sworn into office on February 7, 1991. One of his first acts was to show that the national palace was the home of the people.

For his inauguration, he had people from all walks of life joined him at the festivities.

It was evident that a new beginning was taking place.

The Lavalas party had a mandate from the Haitian people to bring change, but the Haitian elite and its imperial friends had other ideas.

The Haitian elite have played a pivotal role at destabilizing the country all throughout its history.

In the early years of the republic, the elite composed mainly of mulattoes, and few blacks who were themselves free long before independence.

The elites at the beginning could not come to term with the idea of being governed by former slaves; therefore they tried everything they could to minimize the influence of the government as far as establishing equitable policies for all. Although the composition of the elite class has changed a little, their main ideology remained the same: No government interference in their affairs, and no sharing of the country's wealth.

The Lavalas party thought their mandate was to regulate the country's wealth, and to give equal access to all at attaining prosperity.

From September 1991 coup d'état to the second coup against Aristide in February 2004, the Lavalas party has sled from being omnipotent to powerless.

They became weak not because the Haitian people have lost faith in the movement, but simply because the elite class, along with its partners, have orchestrated the ways to undermine the popular movement.

The Lavalas party, which at a time had a great majority in the Haitian parliament, now only has one representative in the Senate.

If this is not a sign of the end of the populist movement, the ousted of Jacques Eduard Alexis by the Haitian parliament on

April 12, 2008, should have definitely made it clear that "Lavalas pa ladann."
Rene Preval's term will end in 2011, which is a lifetime in Haitian politics, and I am having a hard time seeing anyone close to the Lavalas movement of the early 90's playing a pivotal role in the future of Haiti.

With all that said, Charles Baker, the Boulos family, Youri Latortue, and any other prominent name in the elite and controlling class are getting the field ready to make sure another Aristide-like leader doesn't come close to the Presidency in 2011 and beyond.

The Lavalas party still has the people behind it, so its remnants need to think of an alternative game plan if they want to remain relevant in Haitian politics.

Ilio Durandis can be contacted at ilio at zanmi.com

Fremzolove2be, May 17 2008, 12:07 PM

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