Junot knows what he is doing and people (read most Dominicans) can see that. Its precisely what produces the disgust. The reaction from the Dominicans has nothing to do with the Haitians or the issue surrounding them, it has everything to do with the way Junot has chosen to do his criticisms. That is simply not the way a Dominican should act, even if he is a pro-Haitian.
I see it in a far more nuanced light.
He left.
He barely speaks Dominican any more.
He's made a big fancy life as a Pulitzer-winner, in Nueva York and at MIT, even if most Dominicans don't know what any of those things are. They probably think Harvard. Close enough. Same side of the Charles. They just know that he got out, and as it looks to them, Fifth Avenue.
IMHO: the DR is a very classist society. Not necessarily racist, although there is that, but name me a society that is not racist, in some way, shape, or form. Skin tone is not really an impediment to advancement. Unless you're Haitian. Or if you want to be on TV: then you'd better be light. In my experience, it is middle-class Dominicans who are the most threatened by the Haitian issue.
When he speaks out, in a way that is different from what most middle-class Dominicans believe, it pi**es them off, bc they are EXQUISITELY class conscious. And if he sounds smarter, or has better media outlets, or his grandfather worked as a gardener at their house back in the day: well. That's just not OK.
By me, he deserves free speech. In the same way that Oswald Mosley did in the 30s. In the same way that MLK did in the 60s. In the same way that Nelson Mandela did in the 70s. We may not agree: but he is entitled to his right to speak---passionately---about the direction his homeland is taking.