Democracy Comes to the Black Republic

IN the six months since I left Haiti and described the events surrounding the February 7 revolution (“Exorcising Haiti: The Last Days of Baby Doc,” April 25), a surprising turnabout has taken place. In May and June the three-man military junta headed by Lieutenant General Henry Namphy had still to set a date for elections and seemed to have lost control. Demonstrations by armed street gangs were demanding the ouster of Colonel Williams Regala from the junta, asking summary execution of those leaders of the Duvalierist Ton tons Macoutes still unlynched, and leading bloody forays against the priests of the vaudou cult (houngans), with encouragement from fanatical Protestant and Catholic rivals. But in July the threat of “anarchy” suddenly evaporated. A firm date for a presidential election (November 1987) was set, and revolutionary action predicted for July 29 never materialized.

What had happened? Certainly the setting of an election date helped: The rival parties, from the conservatives to the Marxists, did not wish to harm their election prospects by having their causes identified with mob action. But more importantly, it became clear that the junta itself had decided to stop sitting on its hands and take firm control in the streets. The leader in this reversal was the Defense and Interior Minister, Colonel Regala.

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Selden Rodman

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IN the six months since I left Haiti and described the events surrounding the February 7 revolution (“Exorcising Haiti: The Last Days of Baby Doc,” April 25), a surprising turnabout has taken place. In May and June the three-man military junta headed by Lieutenant General Henry Namphy had still to set a date for elections and seemed to have lost control. Demonstrations by armed street gangs were demanding the ouster of Colonel Williams Regala from the junta, asking summary execution of those leaders of the Duvalierist Ton tons Macoutes still unlynched, and leading bloody forays against the priests of the vaudou cult (houngans), with encouragement from fanatical Protestant and Catholic rivals. But in July the threat of “anarchy” suddenly evaporated. A firm date for a presidential election (November 1987) was set, and revolutionary action predicted for July 29 never materialized.

What had happened? Certainly the setting of an election date helped: The rival parties, from the conservatives to the Marxists, did not wish to harm their election prospects by having their causes identified with mob action. But more importantly, it became clear that the junta itself had decided to stop sitting on its hands and take firm control in the streets. The leader in this reversal was the Defense and Interior Minister, Colonel Regala.