HAITI—On Friday, June 2, 2023, the United States state department published a press release written by secretary of state Antony J. Blinken announcing the blocking of Laurent Salvador Lamothe, former prime minister of Haiti between 2012-2014, from being able to enter the U.S.
The statement identifies Lamothe as someone directly involved in “significant corruption,” reporting he “misappropriated at least $60 million from the Haitian government’s PetroCaribe infrastructure investment and social welfare fund for private gain” and announcing the designation “renders Lamothe generally ineligible for entry into the United States.”
Before the letter ends, Blinken claims the U.S. will “continue to support the citizens, organizations, and public servants of Haiti who are committed to generating hope and opportunity for a better future in their nation.”
The press release’s tone is one that seeks to bring confidence to anyone who buys into the façade that the United States is a “superhero” country that fights for political integrity and maintains the same standard for countries around the world.
However, Lamothe was a part of the Parti Haitien Tèt Kale (PHTK) [Haitian “Bald-Headed” Party] regime during Michel Martelly’s presidency—an administration installed and heavily backed by the United States in the first place. It was especially supported by the white power imperialists former U.S. president Bill Clinton and miss “super-predator” herself, Hillary Clinton.
U.S. gov’t has long history of election interference
Part of the Hillary Clinton email controversy that took place during the 2016 U.S. election was the revelation that the U.S. government was involved in election interference during Haiti’s 2010 elections.
Election interference is something the U.S. government does all around the world whenever they need to destabilize a country and/or install their puppet leaders into neocolonial power in order to facilitate their capacity to steal wealth.
Yet, “election interference” is a term the U.S. government and its FBI would use in attempts to justify their counterinsurgent attacks on the African Liberation Movement— specifically the Uhuru Movement led by life-long revolutionary Chairman Omali Yeshitela—because of our engagement in the U.S. electoral arena, putting black community interests like reparations on the ballot tor the first time in history.
To that point, we say “Hands off Uhuru, Hands off Africa!”
Hands off the struggle for freedom of African people and out of the political affairs of African people!
It’s African people who these imperialist puppets betrayed
In November 2022, Lamothe and Martelly were sanctioned by Canada for their involvement with the State-operated, so-called “gangs” in Haiti and monetary transactions with “gang” leaders.
There’s nothing to celebrate about the United States, Canada or any other imperialist country “punishing” the neocolonialists they employ to forward their colonial interests at the expense of the people they colonize.
The Unites States and Canada were not the ones betrayed by Lamothe, Martelly, the assassinated Jovenel Moïse and the likes when they were deepening the oppression of African people in Haiti. It was African people ourselves— both in and out of Haiti—who were betrayed by these national traitors!
We are the ones who should be announcing to the world what our punishments are for the crimes they have committed against our people.
That would only be one expression of self-determination, of course.
Self-determination is about us being able to dictate our fate and future, as a people, and eliminating anything that stands in the way of our freedom and historical and societal progression.
Biden administration thinks it’s slick
For some of our people in and out of Haiti, Blinken’s press release provides one answer to the question “Where is the Petro Caribe Money?”
This is a popular question that, although did not arise from the masses, many onthe- ground protestors and social media commentators sloganized–referring to the government’s waste of the Petro Caribe funds. (Kreyol: “Kot Kòb Petwo Karibe a?”)
For those who view the United States as the ideal escape from the dire living conditions imposed on our people in Haiti, Lamothe’s ineligibility to enter the United States is a “great loss,” especially as many are hoping to be approved by the “Joe Biden Program” to make it to the United States from Haiti.
In January 2023, Biden’s Administration announced the Humanitarian Parole program which would allow for up to 30,000 people from four identified countries to enter the United States monthly: Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Those who enter through this program will be able to stay and work for up to two years and/or be the financial responsibility of their “sponsor,” someone who lives in the U.S. with a “legal” status who would apply for them, for that same amount of time.
Uncoincidentally, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Haiti are four countries that have a history of revolutionary struggle against the U.S.-imposed colonialism and whose people continue to resist U.S. colonial oppression.
This is no benevolence from the imperialist Biden regime. Many people understand this program as the Biden regime trying to lull African people and build confidence amongst our people for its 2024 presidential bid.
The African population within the United States has practically been zombified by the Democratic Party, as “the black vote” is loyally given to the Democratic Party with little to no reasoning other than the idea of it being “the lesser of two evils,” which is still evil.
Part of “the black vote” would include votes from Africans from Haiti who have gone through “naturalization” and are now considered U.S. “citizens.”
It may not be a large percentage, but it is an identifiable demographic that can be targeted for increased votes.
The Humanitarian Parole program may possibly provide a temporary “solution” to beneficiaries (at least this one is obviously temporary as compared to the overall immigration process), but it is one that attempts to redirect the struggle of our people from the struggle for revolution and self-determination for the collective to integration and “progress” for individuals.
It is yet another act of counterinsurgency against the struggle of African people to be a free and self-determining people, with political and economic power over our own lives.
When the program was first announced, it became the cause of tension between some family members, neighbors and friends.
While blame cannot be placed on people trying to leave or help someone else leave a country where the cost-of-living increases almost daily; there is no electricity; schools and hospitals are widely shut-down; it is susceptible to major devastation from earthquakes and hurricanes due to lack of infrastructure; and more; we also cannot allow ourselves to see the United States as any place other than the orchestrator of these contradiction in the first place.
The U.S. is not the savior from the conditions that it creates! Our solution is not in fleeing Haiti by droves to our enemies, the United States, Canada, France or anywhere else.
Our solution is in building revolutionary organizations in Haiti, and for those who are out of Haiti, ensuring that “Haitian” community organizations identify African self-determination as our end goal. Haiti must not be allowed to be isolated, but must be part of the International African Revolution!
Build the African People’s Socialist Party in Haiti!
Point 12 of the African People’s Socialist Party’s 14-Point Platform, “What We Want – What We Believe” says:
“We want an end to the vicious, self-serving U.S. and Western European political, economic, and military interference in the affairs of Africa and African people throughout the world.”
It continues:
“We believe that African people in Africa and elsewhere have a right and responsibility to solve our own problems, free from the unwanted, and self-serving interference of the U.S. and Western imperialists…”
The African People’s Socialist Party has recently gained a member in Haiti who we expect to take on the work of building our presence there by engaging in outreach, political education on Chairman Omali Yeshitela’s theory of African Internationalism and on-the-ground recruitment.
We also have newer members in the United States who are connected to Haiti through family who should be taking on the same work in addition to other work that may be assigned.
Our intention as the Party is to connect Haiti with the rest of the African world and the International African Revolution that will free our people from this parasitic capitalist-colonialist world system and the presence of neocolonialism wherever we are.
And while we work to achieve our goal of self-determination, we will not allow anyone to believe any falsities about who the United States is nor mistake it carrying out its own parasitic political interests as benevolence.
Uhuru!
Down with Colonialism and Neocolonialism!
Build African Self-determination!
Hands Off Uhuru! Hands Off Africa! Hands Off Chairman Omali Yeshitela!
Viv Ayiti! (Long Live Haiti!)
Freedom in Our Lifetime!
Join the African People’s Socialist Party at APSPUhuru.org
