Senator Antonio Cheramy aka Don Kato, may have recently begun talking about the coup but when it mattered most in #Haiti in 2004 he was, along with his political patron Rene Preval, conspicuously silent. The political parties, LESPWA, INITE & VERITE represent 3 waves of
Preval's project to marginalize Lavalas & co-opt their base through the formation of political franchises. Don Kato began his political trajectory as part of the VERITE wave in 2015 when Preval saw an opportunity to capitalize on the performer's celebrity as a member
of one of Haiti's most popular bands, Brother's Posse. Preval presented him as his choice for Senator of the West Department. Other members of VERITE included disaffected Lavalas cultivated as part of Preval's strategy for containing the popularity of
Aristide such as Rene Momplaisir. Cheramy's relationship with Preval goes back to 2002 when he funded their Kanaval video (Mete Pye w Kote w Jwen), Kanaval stand and Kanaval truck. Don Kato took annual pilgrimages to Marmelade where Preval was building the "ideal community"
project experimenting with aqua plantations while biding his time until the first elections were announced following the 2004 coup. Don Kato used his celebrity to campaign for Preval in the 2006 elections while Lavalas was banned from participation. Part of Preval's manipulation
of the Lavalas base during the election campaign was to use Cheramy and others to give the message that he would do everything he could to bring Aristide home from exile and end the violent repression against the Lavalas movement. It soon became apparent these were false
promises after Preval signed off on several were false promises after Preval signed off on several high profile military raids into Lavalas strongholds of Cite Soleil and Bel Air and consistently delayed any initiative on the part of his govt to negotiate for Aristide's return.
It is in this context that Don Kato learned political craft and Preval's stratagems. In many ways he was being groomed by Preval as a possible successor after the failure and implosion of INITE/Celestine in the 2011 elections and the rise of Martelly and the PHTK.
Having since left VERITE, Cheramy has shown he is a consummate performer who understands how to play the press and the crowd. His stunts in parliament have raised his popularity but his recent decision to work in coalition with the Alternative Consensual
has already begun to take its toll on his reputation. He is now seen regularly with Senator Youri Latortue, a former military officer who has been fingered for corruption, drug trafficking and the 1994 murder of a popular priest and
Aristide supporter, Father Jean-Marie Vincent. He was also the Chief of Security for his uncle Gerard Latortue who was parachuted in by the US as Prime Minister to consolidate the 2004 coup. Also in the coalition is businessman and prominent supporter of the 2004 coup
Dr. Reginald Boulos who was instrumental is pressuring the UN into several military raids against strongholds of Lavalas support. Than there's other infamous personalities in the coalition like former army colonel Himmler Rebu whose links to Duvalier and
the Ton Ton Macoutes are well-known. It's for this reason Lavalas will not join the chorus of faux unity now being touted by Cheramy and his supporters. If Cheramy has begun to condemn the 2004 coup publicly it is with intention and it's not hard to read who is his
target audience for the message. Certainly it's not his partners in the Alternative Consensual as most of its representatives on a so-called commission to negotiate a transfer of power from Jovenel Moise, were supporters of the 2004 coup. Although its been 19 years
since the coup, the carnage, brutality and betrayal of democracy still stings all these years later. Is it any wonder that a movement that has suffered attempt after attempt to destroy it through political violence and innumerable Machiavellian attacks
on its ranks would trust ANYONE in the Alternative Consensual?
As for Cheramy, time will tell how deep his celebrity and popularity actually runs as he continues to calculate his moves towards a run for the presidency of Haiti.
As for Cheramy, time will tell how deep his celebrity and popularity actually runs as he continues to calculate his moves towards a run for the presidency of Haiti.
Given this, whether any real change occurs as a result of recent protests is looking more and more like an afterthought as the players in the Alternative Consensual prepare to divide up the political pie.
And as usual Lavalas is left to go it alone, armed only with its principals.
