The Olympian

Letters to the Editor

March 7,  2004

U.S. backed coup against Haiti's Aristide

In Haiti, the U.S. government and corporate media have proven yet again their anti-democratic agenda. While Bush blamed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide for the crisis and pressured him to step down, our government was also providing support and encouragement for the killers who had attacked Haitian cities and murdered police.

The New York Times reported on Feb 29: "The armed men trying to seize power in Haiti are led by death-squad veterans and convicted murderers, according to American officials and human-rights groups." These U.S.-trained and armed thugs were the cause of the crisis, not Aristide.

What motive do U.S. corporations have in thwarting Haitian democracy? It is cheap labor.

At $1.62 per day, Haitian labor is the cheapest in the hemisphere. This compares to $5.13 per day in the Dominican Republic and $12.50 in Mexico.

Its close proximity to the United States also makes Haiti an ideal location for offshore manufacturing. In past years, Haiti has produced items such as softballs, electronic parts and Pocahontas pajamas for the U.S. market.

Representative government in Haiti would inevitably lead to social reforms and improved working conditions for the people, which means less money for big-business interests who profit from sweatshops.

Aristide had long fought to raise the minimum wage in Haiti. To stop this and other social reforms, the U.S. government backed a coup against him, securing Haiti's role in the global economy as a sweatshop-nation ruled by terror.

Jeff Sowers, Olympia