Edition: U.S. / Global

Haiti Turmoil Seen as Threat to Vote

By HOWARD W. FRENCH, Special to The New York Times
Published: May 15, 1990

Hopes for democratic change and stability that rose when Ertha Pascal-Trouillot was named President of a provisional Government two months ago have faded. A breakdown of authority and a growing sense of international isolation have left Haitians deeply apprehensive about the future.

Mrs. Pascal-Trouillot came to power after a popular rising and international pressures forced out the military dictator, Lieut. Gen. Prosper Avril. She was a reluctant political novice, but this impoverished country looked to her hopefully.

Now many Haitians are troubled as respect for authority has disintegrated. Bandits at makeshift roadblocks kill or rob people. Major airlines have suspended service because of a hijacking attempt by a member of the airport security brigade and a suspected case of arson aboard another aircraft.

As a result, Haitians doubt whether the fifth Government since the fall of President Jean-Claude Duvalier in 1986 will be able to fulfill its mandate, which is to organize democratic elections quickly.

'All of the Coffers Empty'

Short of resources and widely regarded as weak and uncertain of her power, Mrs. Pascal-Trouillot, a 46-year-old legal scholar and the first woman on Haiti's Supreme Court, makes few pronouncements or appearances. She is virtually silent even as work stoppages and protest meetings cripple economic life and public services, from the state electric company and international telephone service to flour mills and fishing.

''I was very surprised to find all of the coffers empty,'' Mrs. Pascal-Trouillot said in an interview in her large home, which stands out in a populous, hilly neighborhood near the center of this capital and is protected by iron bars. ''Economically, the country is paralyzed. The state can't honor its debts or pay many of its employees.''

Because foreign aid donors have been disappointed by the failure of earlier ''transitional'' governments to use assistance productively or carry out democratic elections, Mrs. Pascal-Trouillot said international aid ''remains zero except for conditional promises.''

Questions were submitted to the President in writing as a condition for the interview, and she adhered closely to the written responses. The only time her measured tone changed in the 35 minutes of conversation was when she was asked about her plans.

Determination edging into her voice, Mrs. Pascal-Trouillot insisted, as she has since taking office, that she intended to give up the presidency by September. Few believe that this deadline leaves enough time to organize successful elections.

Two previous attempts in the last three years at establishing democratic government ended in electoral bloodshed and vast vote fraud. Since the last election failure, in 1988, rivals in the armed forces have been battling over the spoils to be won from control over traffic, contraband , customs receipts and revenues from state corporations.

Troops Cheer a Hijacker

The breakdown in authority has increased a sense of insecurity. When a 20-year-old private in the airport security brigade commandeered a New York-bound American Airlines plane and held it captive without passengers for three days last month, other security guards cheered him every time he appeared at the plane door.

The soldier was officially reported to have escaped undetected and he has not been found. But diplomats said that a decision had been made at a high level of Government to let him escape because an order to arrest him risked not being obeyed. Such fears are based on experience. When the head of the armed forces recently appointed commanders for the towns of Hinche and Gonaives, diplomats reported, the troops there refused to accept them. Many had taken part in a failed coup last year.

As unruliness has spread in the armed forces, a spirit of ''anything goes'' has taken over in the streets and workplaces.

A Killing Brings Revulsion

A woman who had just returned from a prolonged stay in New York had her car stopped recently as she was driving her son and three friends from a birthday party. Forced out of the car by the assailants, she was shot and left to die.

The incident, along with a spate of other violent deaths within a few days, filled Port-au-Prince, which sometimes seems hardened by abuse of authority and privation, with revulsion.

''This is ridiculous,'' said Jean Dutord, an employee at a dry cleaners. ''You see them out in the street stopping cars and interrogating businessmen in their shops, yet this must be the only country in the world where the police never catch any criminals. If they are not one and the same, it seems as if the crooks and the police are working toward common ends.''

Mrs. Pascal-Trouillot and others have noted that the rise of violence coincides with the naming of an electoral panel. Some blamed the army, which is accused of earlier efforts to derail elections.

Soldiers, unpaid for lack of funds, are accused of earning their living through armed robbery. The climate of violence that is thus created prevents elections, which might threaten the soldiers' seeming franchise to terrorize, smuggle and steal.

Army 'in a State of Shock'