Hti: Interview with Guy Philippe

But Guy, this movement did not last thirty minutes or forty-eight hours. It took several weeks. You had with you many soldiers, former soldiers whom I saw. Some people were coming to register at the Mont-Joli Hotel where you stayed in Cap-Haitien. Unfortunately, we were not yet prepared to let the listeners hear, live, the first impressions of Philippe when he arrived in Gonaives.

In fact, how did you manage to maintain these soldiers? You had vehicles in your hands, you had fuel and so on. How did you do it? What means did you have?

You were in Cap-Haitien. They can go to the hotels where we stayed or to the people who fed us. You can go to Saint-Michel de l'Attalaye, Hinche, Plateau Central and Gonaives and you will see that the movement is kept alive by the people. You will realize the men sleep in places given to them by the people. They are fed by the people. In Cap-Haitien, they are fed by the people of Cap-Haitien. This is an investigation that they can carry out.

It is an entire people who were struggling. It is a pity that, today, for political reasons, some people are trying to discredit a movement that has freed a country, a movement that has got rid of one of the biggest dictators the country ever had. Now they want to discredit it.

Because I stand as the military leader, they want to attack me because they think I am their rival. As for me, I am telling them that I am not their rival, that I am not a crooked dealer like them. I have not come here to do crooked deals and make people happy. Nobody can buy me. If the fact that they cannot buy me prompts them to believe that it is because I already have money and that I made this money thanks to drugs, that is their problem. I am not Aristide. I shall come here and then let these corrupt people buy me and do whatever they want with the country and thus plunge it into an abyss worse than the one in which it is.
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Guy, the information also says that you used to do the deal so well that you even said once that your boss is Aristide, your boss is Aristide. By the way, has the United States in fact canceled your visa for involvement in drug trafficking?

Let me tell you, I believe that the question that people say that I used to say that my boss is Aristide is a joke, because Aristide is not somebody I know well. I have always said that I met him only twice in my life. It is a pity. Actually, I do not yet know why people say that I was close to Aristide. I was never close to Aristide. By the way, when I entered the country, Aristide did not want to allow me to join his police.

I entered the country in 1995. I do not know if they are confusing me with someone else. How could I have so many ties with Aristide? When I came as a police officer, both Aristide and Fourel Celestin, who was the director of the police at that time, did not accept me in the police. I joined the police under President Preval, with Denize as director-general and Bob Manuel as secretary of state for public security.

I met Aristide only twice. Once, he invited me to his home with all of the officers on December 26 . The second time was before the May 2000 elections. I have already told the press about the latter invitation.

The information that is circulating today is that Philippe is one of the people who are involved -

As I said, I am not going to defend myself. I am not going to defend -

Is it true, as it is said here, that the United States has canceled your visa for involvement in drug trafficking? When did the United States make this decision?

Well, I think that the people who are saying these things do not know what they are talking about. The embassy is there. The United States is there. Everybody is there. They can go to the embassy, ask questions and look for evidence.

As I told you, I did not come here to defend myself against a meaningless accusation. I came here just to give my opinions on what is going on, on what is being said. I do not need to defend myself. The men must understand that what I have done for the country was not done for political interests. I am not like a number of people who are fighting for jobs.

By the way, I do not accept jobs and, as I always promise, this is not the purpose of our presence here. We have done a job and we want to do it to the end so that the living conditions can change. We came to do a job. These little mulattos or shootings near my neighborhood or at my car will not intimidate me.

I understand the men. Many of them have been bluffing the people for a long time, negotiating to the detriment of a people for their personal interests. All of them--many of them were not doing anything serious. They do not have any legitimacy among the people. Nobody sides with them. Nobody likes them. So, the only consideration is that they should eliminate Philippe.
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298-4372 and 298-4373 are the telephone numbers that listeners can dial to ask you any questions on the battle that was fought and the fact that accusations are being brought against you. Guy, you were in Ecuador. You went there to study. Undoubtedly, you learnt many things. What were you specifically studying in Ecuador?

I attended the Police Academy and then a law school that is part of the academy. As I say, the article speaks of Guy and the Ecuadoran clique. They have the right to say whatever they want; they can do whatever they want.

His evasions are quite interestting. Read the rest of the interview here.