Jean-Claud Duvalier’s return is an insult to all Haitians

Feb 11, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
There can be no other fitting expression than the one used in your Editorial of Thursday January 20th, 2011 to describe the actions of former Haitian dictator Jean-Claud Duvalier’s return to his home land – a country woefully shrouded and weight down in unending and untold sufferings.
The caption “Unmitigated Gall – to me – struck the nail smack on the head, that one instantly, along with raw disgust was in full agreement, as a voice within utters silently – “this is real eye pass fuh true.” I cannot say why, but this caption generated a certain vibration within me; for without even casting my eyes on the very first line I knew it had to be about that little despot – Baby Doc. Then as it was reported earlier, he said he came back to help!
Now now, wouldn’t last year January 7.0 earthquake have been a bit more decent, not that he would have been absolved anyway of his crimes, but this at this time is so crazy and such an insult to all Haitians.
Surely some men have a big heart, a thick hide or more precisely as you coined it unmitigated gall. One would have thought that 25 years in exile would have allowed for sober reflection, sound analysis, self critique and to stretch the imagination somewhat, even some remorse for the misrule corruption, misery and destruction brought upon the people of Haiti by both himself and father.
Hell no! The years as we can now see have only served to make him more brazen, pompous and contemptuous of the people.
After 25 years this pompous oppressor with head held high, strolls back like a colossus amidst a weary and struggling people grown tired of incessant battles and disaster of one sort or another –both man-made and by nature.
Shirley Bassy comes to mind when she sings “how can people he so cruel, how can they he so heartless…… have no feelings”.
But what can we say of his toadies and sycophants and the bigoted band of followers who lay down the red carpet for him – a hero’s welcome! What must we make of this sick, dumbfounded, tomfoolery displayed by this motley gang in spite of the prevailing life threatening conditions, they know so very well to be, to a great extent, conditioned by both father/son despotic rule.
This to my mind is nothing less and nothing more than share hokum. Mr. Editor, I go to the thoughts of D. H. Lawrence in an effort to make some sense of this: “The more I live, the more I realise what strange creatures human beings are, some might very well have a hundred legs, like a centipede, or six like a lobster. The human consistency and dignity one has been led to expect from one’s fellow men seem actually non existent. One doubts if they exist to any startling degree even in oneself.
Frank Fyffe

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Jean-Claud Duvalier’s return is an insult to all Haitians

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