'Haiti like apartheid SA'

2004-12-12 22:48

Sebokeng, South Africa - Deposed Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Sunday likened the political situation in his home country to apartheid South Africa, saying a small minority was oppressing his "huge" support base.

"In my country, what we have is exactly what you had before 1994," said the ousted leader of the impoverished Caribbean nation, referring to the end of apartheid in 1994 when the first multi-racial elections were held.

"In my country, people want to vote, but a small minority refuses that," Aristide told a special prayer service held for Haitian people at Sebokeng about 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Johannesburg.

Aristide, 50, fled a popular revolt in Haiti in late February and is currently living in exile in South Africa.

He said "the huge majority" of Haitians wanted him back and he hoped that Haiti would one day again experience "free and fair democratic elections".

"I was the first democratically elected president of Haiti. Today, they don't want free and fair democratic elections.

"(But) you did it in 1994, we are convinced it will happen in Haiti," he added.

Aristide is being treated as a guest of the South African government which is sympathetic to the deposed Haitian leader's view that the United States and France forced him to leave the country.

jca-fgb/wdb

AFP

- AFP