David Rudder 'not shocked' by Moise's assassination

VETERAN calypsonian David Rudder, who sang the 1988 hit Haiti, said he was not shocked by the news that Haiti's president Jovenel Moise had been assassinated.

He said in keeping up with what has been happening in the country in recent months, "some drastic thing happening" was inevitable.

Moise was killed by gunmen around 1 am on Wednesday at his home. His wife Martine was injured and taken to hospital.

This has been condemned by several individual Caricom leaders as well as the US and the United Nations.

Haiti's borders were subsequently closed and a state of siege – one tier above a state of emergency – was declared.

There had been several protests in the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, calling on Moise to step down as president, as the Opposition said his term should have ended on February 7.

Many of these protests resulted in clashes with the police there, as barricades, tyres and debris were burnt in the roads. Police had fired tear gas and fired rubber bullets to disperse some of the crowds over the past few months.

But still, Moise dismissed the claims about his tenure and said it was set to end in 2022.

He was elected in 2016, but took office in early 2017 "after a chaotic election that forced the appointment of a provisional president to serve during a year-long gap," an AP report said.

It said Moise ruled by decree for over two years after the country failed to hold elections.

Rudder's tune discussed the challenges faced by Haiti, with the timeless chorus, "Haiti, I'm sorry, we misunderstood you/But one day we'll turn our heads and look inside you/One day we'll turn our heads and restore your glory."

Speaking with Newsday on Wednesday afternoon, Rudder said the situation in Haiti had continued to worsen.

"There's always this cycle of attention of Haiti and lots of money has been provided. But where is the money going to? So once that vicious cycle continues, I think we'll keep seeing more and more of this.

"Every time there is an improvement, it's like one step forward, two steps backwards. Because at the end of the day, the money does not trickle down to the man on the ground."

Rudder has another song, Man on the Hill, referring to those in Haiti who "look over the capital and control all the money," he told Newsday.

The 2011 song includes lyrics like: "It seems that almost every third-world leader hates the term 'trickle-down,'" and "This Haitian ground needs some protection."

Asked his reaction when he learnt of the assassination, he said, "I felt that the way things were going, some drastic thing had to happen (eventually). I didn't want it to be that, but when it happened, I said, 'That is where it was leading to anyway.' I wasn't shocked."

When told Caricom leaders have collectively said they were shocked by the act, Rudder said, "Look at it this way: the place is actually run by gangs now. And you know, we have our own little problem with gangs, so this should be a warning to us (of) where our future could be, too."

He said other Caribbean countries ought not to turn a blind eye to what is and has been happening in Haiti.

"We have done a lot, but we need to do much more. Haiti points us in a direction where this could be our future. And that's the scary part."

But he added, "It's difficult to make certain judgements when you're not in the situation.

"The last set of leaders were holding on for dear life...This is a man who has no political background. He's a businessman. So I don't know if he knew what had to be done.

"It's easy to say we know what the problem is and how to solve the problem, but it's the political will to solve the problem."