Elections in Haiti

No to Imperialism's Sham Elections!

YCL Statement-reprint from Oct 2005

In early October, the International Mission for Monitoring Haitian Elections (IMMHE) held its first meetings in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. While the mission is composed of representatives from Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, Panama and…of course…the United States; it is headed by Canada.

Canadian elections official and IMMHE chair, Jean-Pierre Kingsley, states that “the ultimate goal of the mission is to accompany and support the Haitian people in their path toward democracy.” Yet it was Canada who was one of the main forces at the lead of an imperialist coup which overthrew and kidnapped democratically elected President Jean Bertrand Aristide from Haiti in February 2004 and have since brutally occupied the country and installed a puppet government.

Under such conditions no democratic election could possibly take place. Hence the YCL rejects the legitimacy of the “elections” in Haiti and supports demands for the return of Haiti’s democratically elected President.

History has shown that imperialism can not be expected to provide democracy, especially not to its occupied territories. Recent history has seen sham elections held in Iraq and Afghanistan after vicious invasion and occupation by imperialist forces. Furthermore, not unlike imperialism in Iraq and Afghanistan, imperialism in Haiti is there for one purpose…to serve and protect its own interests. Canadian companies like SNC Lavalin and Gilden have been getting rich off of the suffering and exploitation of the Haitian people for years and continue to under the occupation. There is no doubt that with Canada monitoring the Haitian elections to ensure that their chosen puppets are elected, nothing will change through electoral means. One way or another, imperialism must be forced to leave Haiti. As much as imperialism may claim it is spreading democracy, one must ask what democracy there is with no sovereignty. At the same time, we should question what democracy we have in our own country when our electoral officials are involved in “monitoring” the elections of a country that our country is occupying and will undoubtedly be involved in all sorts of fraud in the name of “democracy”. What democracy do we have when our government on the one hand deprives the people of other countries of their sovereignty, while on the other hand selling out our own sovereignty to U.S. imperialism? This is democracy for the capitalist ruling class, not for the majority of the people, the workers.

The YCL continues to condemn the occupation of Haiti. We fight against Canadian imperialism and for socialism not only for ourselves and for the Canadian working class and people, but for the people of Haiti and other countries where Canadian imperialism continues to exploit, oppress and meddle. We point out to those who are justly enraged at the monstrous actions of U.S. imperialism in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and so on that Canadian imperialism has been no different in its actions and rhetoric in the case of Haiti. Furthermore, their actions are in all cases carried out for the same purpose, to further the interests of the ruling class. This fight is one for the whole world; we are all connected by our class interests in the struggle against imperialism. Hence, we stand with our Haitian sisters and brothers against the occupation. We demand Haiti’s sovereignty be restored and that Canadian troops be removed from all occupied territories.

Canada Out of Haiti!
Down with Imperialism!
Workers of the World, Unite!