PLAN TO ESTABLISH SECRET POLICE CONJURES UP MEMORIES OF TONTON MACOUTES
(Defend Haiti) -
PORT-AU-PRINCE – Plans to establish a secret security force, localized throughout Haiti, are conjuring up memories of the “Tonton Macoutes” according to Senator Jean-Charles Moïse, who fears the new force could be the return of the reign of terror. Senator Edwin Zenny defended the plans for the force, criticizing his colleague.
The new force, that was officially announced last week by the Superior Council of the National Police, will be called “municipal police” and will be localized, having officers for each of the communal sections of Haiti.
Early reports say the officers of the municipal police will not be easily recognized by wearing uniforms, badges or carrying firearms in plain view, and their duties will mainly consist of gathering information and reporting to higher-ups.
Senator Jean-Charles Moïse (Nord/Inite) believes the idea of establishing a municipal police did not come from the CSPN but from the National Palace, and President Michel Martelly. Senator Moïse says weeks before the announcement by the CSPN, close allies to Martelly had already begun to speak about the new force, namely, Senator Edwin Zenny (Sud-Est/Independent).
”Senator Edo Zenny came with some idea of a surveying and reporting body. With this there is an understanding already at the National Palace, and they are all coming together to establish this body.”
”That is why they are coming with the word municipal police. They are coming with these other words, but I believe it is a corps of Tonton Macoutes that they want to introduce into the county.”
A reporter reminded Senator Moïse that it was the CSPN that announced it, to which he replied:
”I told you, it was since last week that Senator Edo has been coming with this news that there will be a surveying and reporting body in the country, and I believe it is in connection with what the CSPN announced.”
”And the CSPN, who is it directed by? Laurent Lamothe. With Laurent Lamothe you already know this person is Martelly. If Edo talks you must know it is Martelly talking. Automatically you know if these people are talking it is Martelly that is acting.”
”Martelly wants to put a Tonton Macoute body in the country.”
Furthermore, Senator Moïse believes it is unconstitutional and unnecessary to install a new security force. The senator recalled the Constitituion of Haiti only allows for the army and the national police, and believes that rather than investing in creating a new force, increasing the capacity of the national police would be better.
”The Constitution recognizes the police and the army. The army is off the route, it was disbanded, and we cannot speak of it today. And we know there is only one body operating in the country now, and that is the national police.”
”Today, it is MINUSTAH that represents a bunch of armies in the country; that is a danger for us too. We, must consolidate the country, put in political stability, so that everyone can see, and so that we can have MINUSTAH leave the country.”
”What we have now is one force that is the national police, and what we must do is reinforce the national police. If the police are not enough to enforce all the communal sections than we must reinforce it. We don’t need to come in with a parallel force.”
”All the parallel forces that are being introduced in the country, if it is Martelly that is doing it, it is Tonton Macoutes.”
A reporter asked Senator Moïse to consider if having the new force would help the communal sections throughout the country enforce security. The senator replied:
”We don’t have this problem. Rather than have 10,000 police officers, let’s make it 20,000. Instead of establishing a bunch of these forces we have one here that we can’t even take care of…”
”Did you know that with the 21st or the 22nd graduation of the police we don’t even have batons or guns to equip them? Rather than creating a new force why don’t we purchase guns.”
”Rather than pay a police officer 10,000 HTG, 13,000 HTG ($250.00 - $315.00 [US]) why don’t we pay them 25,000 HTG ($600.00 [US])?”
”Then these guys would be more confident, be able to do their jobs… but today we want to establish a bunch of other bodies instead.”
”All these corps that Martelly says he will establish, if you hear Edo announcing it, if you hear Laurent Lamothe announcing it, it is a corps of Tonton Macoutes.”
Senator Edwin Zenny Responds:
The Senator of the South East, Edwin Zenny, is in favor of the establishment of this new municipal force. As the former Mayor of Jacmel he feels that there is a need for such a body.
Senator Zenny also took the opportunity to criticize his colleague Senator Moïse for his “blind” opposition to the idea.
”As the former Mayor of Jacmel, this is one of the better things that I had hoped to see done already, because the people living in the communal sections, anyone who wants to mistreat them can misbehave, because there’s no police, there’s nothing.”
”This is a good thing for the country because the country has never been managed as long as the communal sections did not have their communal police or police.”
”I heard that Senator Moïse, my colleague, speaks of what they call a corps of Macoutes… ‘po dyab’. He just doesn’t understand. It’s not his fault.”
”It’s not his fault because he is lost in what they call Opposition Tet Kale. It hasn’t even occurred to him that the country has taken steps forward, because he cannot see it.”
”Look at how he spoke of the (Venezuelan) ambassador. Moïse is not a mayor and he is not the President of the Republic, and he is declaring people ‘persona non grata’.”
”Understand? ‘Po dyab’. He is lost.”
”For me, as a Senator of the Republic, it has occurred to me that this is what the country needs. This is what they call a secret police, this is what they call intelligence. They are people who are providing information.”
”People that are providing intelligence don’t have to have guns on them. I will give you an example:”
”If I am at the club and I have a gun on me and a badge on me, everyone will see that I am a police officer. I have handcuffs on me, everyone will see that I am a police officer.”
”But if I’m serving, I am one of the people that are serving inside, no one will know that I am a secret police. I can get information.”
”A secret police can sit and clean your shoes and hear everything you are saying.”
The reporter recalled to Senator Zenny that Haiti has a horrid past with secret police.
Senator Zenny said:
”Listen, I am 42-years-old. I read books, I’ve watched everything that has happened in the country. There’s been bad things that have happened in all the governments that have held power.”
”Duvalier used to kill people, he would take them in the night to be killed. He killed 19 officials in the street, we saw it, we read about it.”
”This has given us many problems. We have seen, and we hope this doesn’t happen in the country again.”
”But the others [perhaps Lavalas] come and they kill people in the streets. They killed Mirielle Bertin, they killed Max Bayard, they killed a lot of people. Everyone knew that they killed these people in the streets.”
”Now we must not make the errors that those who came after Duvalier made, and those during Duvalier made.”
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