23 YEARS LATER ROGER LAFONTANT

ROGER LAFONTANT 

" Je ne peux pas reommencer l'histoire"..disait un R. Lafontant piege au palais. Il  aurait repousse l'offre de se faire evacuer par un commando dominicain. " Je reste au palais" devait -il conclure. C'etait dans la nuit du 6 au 7 janvier 1991.

IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO
BY FRANTZ BATAILLE, MD

This title would have perfectly fit the late  politician in the  Haiti of the 50s, Louis Dejoie. He had been remembered for his glamorous dancing while tango in the exclusive Cercle Bellevue. But, on the opposite side, Roger Lafontant, a political leader murdered in jail  on the 30 September of  1991, 22 years ago, had given his tango an eerie hue.

Jailed alongside with a lot of friends, le Dr Roger lafontant , according to captain Stines Doura, then in charge of the Penitiencier National, had been sentenced to death by the then  incumbent president, Jean B. Aristide.  Other high ranking officers  have been said to  have participated  in the killing. This event ended up among  other  to the removing  of M. Aristide from office.In the early hours of that 30 September 1991, le Dr Roger Lafontant jailed for having attempted to seize power from the elected president , met his fate when a caporal  had him shouted down three times in the heart and  lower back. Dr Lafontant fell He  was latter dragged by the feet in the yard of the main Haitian jail. His body had remained there until authorities had decided to bring him at the Hospital general morgue.

Roger Lafontant , however, continue to mean a lot for his followers. Up to this point, he remains a charismatic figure who has tried to stop Haiti from slipping into chaos and anarchy. The former minister has been recognized for having helped the needy, in the lower class in Haiti .

To keep the flame alive, some of his friends and fans have gathered by the end of September, in North Miami , Fl,  to launch a week of souvenir. Many still regret that for  the past 20 years, Rl had been the only one to  dance the tango. Considering the fallen and  forgotten, a close friend of RL whispered : Roger L. is still alone. A way to call for a better understanding of the man who had sacrificed his live, so that  others  can  live and succeed in the path of the Haitian life.