Haiti:
A Presidential Council against the Interests of the Poor Masses

Apr 22, 2024

The dictatorship of the gangs is plunging the country deeper and deeper into barbarism and chaos. All the signs are red. While the mainstream American press is talking about a humanitarian catastrophe, the U.S. government, which describes Haiti as an open-air hell, has just deported dozens of Haitians to this hell and has announced that this series of expulsions will continue.

It is also in this atmosphere that preparations for the installation of the Transitional Presidential Council have been launched, to the great displeasure of the gangs who vow to prevent this installation by setting the capital on fire. They have already taken action, murdering a dozen people in a shoot-out on Thursday, April 18 in Carrefour, south of the capital.

Below is an article translated from the April 20, issue #1326 of Combat Ouvrier (Workers Fight), the paper of the Trotskyist group of that name active in Guadeloupe and Martinique, two islands that are French overseas departments in the Caribbean.

The decree creating the seven-member Presidential Council was published on April 12 in Port-au-Prince.

Behind the scenes at CARICOM and its embassies, there is a lot of hustle and bustle. The French Prime Minister Attal and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau have announced their support for the council and are calling for the rapid deployment of a military force in Haiti. While there are names of personalities, a proposal for a prime minister, and even a timetable for implementation, nothing is concrete regarding this council. And nothing has been accepted by the gangs. The gang leader “Barbecue” is constantly on social media spreading new insults and threats against this presidential council assembly.

At the same time, he claims to be ensuring the population’s safety in the coming period with his “Living together” project. Fine words, but no results. There is no truce in gang attacks on the population of the capital. For example, in Mariani, a gang leader (Tibout Ba) seized the local gas station, his henchmen secured it, and he now sells fuel to vans and motorcycles at high prices.

As for Guy Philippe, his interests are relayed on the radios, which give the microphone to his supporters. They are requesting arbitration by the Cour de Cassation to install him as president. A few dozen of his supporters demonstrated in Port-au-Prince on April 14 under this slogan. In the industrial zone, a number of companies have opened their doors, and workers are forced to return, despite the dangers, to toil for a wage of $4 a day.

State representatives, Haitian politicians, gang leaders, all speak in the name of the people, all speak of defending the interests of the people. These are the same people who have been at the forefront for years with their populist declarations, their promises, their timetables for achievements. For the hard-working population, which remains trapped, there can be no improvement to expect from these men.