Duvalier brings out nostalgia in parts of Haiti (Feature)

By Silvia Ayuso Jan 21, 2011, 1:40 GMT

Port-au-Prince - The unexpected return of former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier prompted surprise both in and out of the country, coupled in many cases with horror - but in other cases it unleashed a wave of nostalgia.

Duvalier, also known as 'Baby Doc,' remains 'the president' for his supporters. The man who ruled Haiti with an iron fist 1971-86 amid accusations of human rights abuses and corruption arrived Sunday and was arrested, interrogated and released again Tuesday.

Since then, he has kept to himself in the luxury hotel Karibe in the Petionville neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince. The hotel has become a magnet for friends, supporters, and people in search of advice or favours from Duvalier.

The former strongman is again the man of the hour in troubled Haiti, a country that is having trouble just electing a successor to unpopular outgoing President Rene Preval.

Duvalier has barely addressed the public - upon his arrival late Sunday, he laconically said only that he sought to help Haitians. But his very presence has shaken Haiti's already unstable politics, and the country is speculating as to what exactly may be the motive behind his return.

Eddy Montrose waits patiently outside the Karibe. He has travelled from Leogane, some 30 kilometres from Port-au-Prince, just to meet with Duvalier. He says he hopes 'the president' can help him or advise him on the 'civic education project' he leads in Leogane.

Montrose has to wait. There are many friends, supporters and former government officials who have come over to the heavily-guarded hotel, along with Baby Doc's lawyers. They want to pay their respects to their former leader, to chat, perhaps to make plans for the future with the former dictator.

Duvalier himself occasionally steps out onto the balcony to wave at the crowd and give photographers a glimpse of him.

When one Duvalier aide finally calls out his name, Montrose jumps to his feet and rushes into the hotel. He comes back out an hour later, with a smile on his face.

Montrose says he could not tell Baby Doc of his plans, because 'the president was extremely tired.' He did, however, shake Duvalier's hand and pass on brief greetings from 'common friends' in Leogane. He says he is happy about the meeting.

Montrose is one of more than a handful of Haitians who believe that Duvalier really only wants to help the country at a time of unusually intense crisis. Haiti is seeking to rebuild itself from a quake that killed more than 220,000 people on January 12, 2010 and to recover from an ongoing bout of cholera that has killed thousands.

Montrose says he hopes Baby Doc can help create jobs, get officials to work or give his opinion on the things that need to be done to get the country out of poverty.

Duvalier has not spoken in public since Sunday, and he has not given any concrete details on how exactly he hopes to 'help' Haiti right now. But it looks like at least some Haitians were receptive to his message.

Luckner, a young man who earns a living using his motorcycle as a taxi, is also convinced that Duvalier has returned to assist reconstruction efforts in Haiti.

'And to celebrate his 60th birthday,' he says.

Luckner has no clear opinions on Duvalier.

'He left power in 1986 and I was born in 1988, I did not live through that,' he says, shrugging his shoulders.

In a country with a large proportion of young people, there are many who, like Luckner, barely remember the days of Baby Doc and the reign of terror under the paramilitary Tontons Macoutes that were active during his regime and that of his father, Francois Duvalier (1957-71).

And yet allegations are rife of human rights abuses in the Duvalier era, and organizations like Amnesty International demand that Baby Doc be tried for his alleged crimes.

Montrose has an explanation for the relative calm and lack of concern in Haiti over Duvalier's return from a 25-year exile in France, for all the international outrage.

'We're a sentimental country,' he says.

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