T&T: Robbie says Haiti cannot be governed by Aristide

VETERAN Trinidad and Tobago diplomat, Reginald Dumas, is expected to be appointed Special Adviser to United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan on Haiti.

Former president of Trinidad and Tobago, Arthur NR Robinson, yesterday welcomed the move but had some reservations about its timing. According to Robinson, it may have come too late for the "very experienced diplomat".

Robinson said Dumas should have been part of the Caricom team on Haiti.

Dealing with the Haitian crisis itself where rebel forces have been seeking to overthrow the constitutionally elected President Jean Bertrand Aristide, Robinson said he was "pained" by the developments.

"I am pained by the situation that it has come to this (where rebels) , and it is not clear what is their aim, are about to take over the capital city and capture the President. I think it is painful"

Robinson said he was not in favour of a rebel group overthrowing the President. But he also noted that Aristide cannot now govern Haiti. "I don't see how he can rule at all in this situation and quite frankly, my own view is that he should demit office. He can't rule, he can't govern. the country cannot be governed by him. "

Robinson said "some other intervention should take place."

Robinson's statements are significant because when, in 1990, Yasin Abu Bakr attempted a coup to overthrow the Robinson-led government, Robinson, injured and bleeding, refused to negotiate with the rebels even if it meant that he himself would be killed. Thus, when Acting President Clarke caved and allowed Bakr to walk, Robinson felt that a poor precedent had been set and the rule of law undermined. Furthermore, Robinson's words carry an extra weight because his comments are predicated on the difference between Aristide's situation and his. Robinson is distinguished from Aristide because no other groups joined in the coup led by Abu Bakr and his Black Muslims. With Aristide, though, along with Philippe and his band of rebels are a significant percentage of the Haitian population. Were it the rebels only, then Aristide's position would be stronger, as was Robinson's who came out of the attempted coup a hero because he was willing to sacrifice his life to preserve the rule of law. Aristide has no such comfort, for he has been accused of sanctioning murders and turning Haiti into a narco state. In the face of what seems to be the clear discontent of the Haitian people, Robinson thus concludes that Aristide cannot govern. Therefore, his solution is "some other intervention."