Comparing dictatorship and democracy

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47 National economy

It was mentioned in all interviews that the national economy has worsened since the arrival of democracy. Participants said Duvalier had been better at securing the economy, because he managed to keep the living cost lower and did not let foreigners own Haiti’s economical assets like the following democratic governments. Teacher 2 explained how Duvalier stabilized the prices of foods:

The Minister of the Economy was doing his job. He did it out of fear. For example, traders could not price products anyhow. Now we are seeing what? We are witnessing anarchy in commerce. Anyone can raise the price of these products without the decision of the state. But Duvalier sent his soldiers to go to the market and observe how much sugar is being sold. He fixes the price of the bag of sugar and we must obey. If someone was selling it at an exorbitant price, the soldiers take the bags of sugar, throw them in the street, waste them and plunder them. It was really frustrating! This is why the dictatorship has its good and bad sides. (T2) Quote 14

First, this quote demonstrates Duvalier’s capacity to enforce rules using threats and violence. The interviewee does not say it was good or bad, but acknowledges that it worked to keep prices of products low. This quote also reveals the perception that Papa Doc managed to make functionaries efficient which contributed to the well-functioning of the economy and ultimately society.

According to informants the omnipresent fear of the leader also reduced chances of state workers stealing public money. Even though participants acknowledged that the Duvaliers were corrupted, they still believed the two dictators were the lesser of two evils, as this male student from group 1 expressed:

With dictatorship you are the only master. He [the dictator] can take a quarter of the income and give the rest to the people. But when there are dozens or even twenty people, you have to divide between them. Then there is nothing left for the people. In this case I prefer a dictator who takes a very small part and gives the rest to the people. (Student G1)

Quote 15

As mentioned, not all participants had positive perceptions of Duvalier’s governance, as some gave more value to political rights and believed a ‘’good life’’ was not possible under the Duvaliers because of the constant tensions and fears. This female student from group 1 explains:

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Indeed, one American dollar was worth 5 Gourdes. It was good because it was almost equal to the United States in terms of money. If a person gives you money, he gives you everything you need to live in life. But you live with frustration, you have a fear of that person. When you hear his voice, you are afraid. There is no life. For a person who lives better, he needs peace inside that person. In a country, there can be work, money and food, but the people must live in peace. Because peace is the first thing we need. Since there was no peace it was not a good government. (Student G1) ^{Quote 16}

However, the majority of interviewees agreed that having a decent economy was essential for the well-being of their people and that the Duvaliers secured the economy better. A narrative was recurrent to stress this point; ‘’during this time one could by a piece of bread or a little bit of rice for much cheaper.’’ Four teachers made such a reference to their childhood under Duvalier and this narrative was also brought up by students who had heard it from teachers or family. They did not only say that the national economy was better but linked this idea to foods. Referring to people’s capacity for meeting their basic needs echoes Freire’s idea that the oppressed tend to analyze oppression only in relation to their needs without linking them to macro-political oppressive patterns (Freire, 1996). The effect of these practical issues on informants’ perception of democracy also shows that, as Biesta would argue, students learn democracy through its effect on their lived experiences (Biesta, 2011).

Dictatorship and the respect of rules

Another aspect of Duvalier’s dictatorship that influenced how participants saw democracy in Haiti is his capacity to make rules respected. Interviewees agreed upon the idea that Duvalier was hard on people but it led to the respect of social norms and laws which are no longer respected in democracy today. An example often used to demonstrate the positive effects of this rigor was waste management. Nowadays in Haiti, trash is visible everywhere, and people usually throw garbage on the ground in both public places and private properties. Participants saw this as a proof of how people disrespect rules today while they did respect the same rules under the dictatorship.

Teacher 13, a female French teacher, explained how it worked in practice:

At the time of the Duvaliers, my father always tells me, that we should not throw trash in the streets. There was always a team cleaning the streets, people were much more respectful. Because there was a militia, they were called platoon leaders, commanders

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who were in all neighborhoods, section chiefs. In each section, there was a leader, militants, militias who were there to ensure the safety of the section, the smooth running of the section. People were forced to bend, respect the principles and it was better. I see that too. (T13) ^{Quote 17}

Interpreting the words of this participant, one might think she believes dictatorship is better for the country, but she claimed the opposite when I directly asked her:

No, because we did not have freedom of speech. Everything was controlled, measured.

Me, I never said dictatorship was favorable, was better. Me, I prefer democracy, but we should control this democracy. (T13) ^{Quote 18}

Informants defended the idea that Duvalier was able to keep order in the country and, even though there was violence, at least people respected the rules and did their job. Since then, the government’s institutions have been too weak to ensure the wellbeing of its citizens. Most interviewees would not go back to dictatorship but want more ‘’rigor’’ in democracy. Overall, they like the freedoms that came with democracy but want the population to still respect the rules for the good functioning of society.

Contradiction between the general conception of democracy and its application in Haiti

Teachers’ and students’ general conceptions of democracy are very different from how they perceive its application in Haiti. As exposed in this section, participants see democracy as the representation of the people through elections, but think Haitian politicians represent mainly their own interest. While rights and duties held by citizens were at the core of informants' conception of democracy, they clearly stated that these rights and duties are not respected in Haiti. Participants deplored that their fellow citizens misconceive democracy to be freedom without boundaries, which leads to chaos and violation of laws. Some even argued that it was their inherent identity as former slaves to ignore rules when there was no strong enforcement. This partly explained why some informants argued Haitians need strong rulers and dictatorship might be more suited for their people. While they expressed that democracy in itself was a good system, the majority of informants thought its application in Haiti had mainly negative effects, especially for the economy and the respect of law. The possible explanations for these contradictions will be explored further in the discussion chapter.

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