Someone notes what he believes to be a contradiction in my interviews with figures from the “international community”.
He noted with precision the number of times I ask the question: “Why aren’t countries claiming to be friends of Haiti doing something to help bring the country out of this unprecedented chaos?”. For him, this question is a direct invitation to the great powers to interfere in Haiti’s internal affairs. He also stressed this leitmotiv: “Haitians must be the only ones to solve Haiti’s problem.”
We understand his remark.
Towards a new transition: the hope of a final “interference” by the international community
Under normal circumstances, the citizens of a fully independent country would be courageous enough to solve the country’s problems themselves, whatever the cost. In reality, the situation is quite different for Haiti as we speak.
I remember President Alexandre Boniface talking about Haiti as an independent state under international supervision. When this idea comes from a President of the Republic, it makes perfect sense.
To better understand the country’s current situation, let’s use what I call the example of the “enlightened kidnapper”, without wishing to awaken the excruciating memories of the victims of the kidnapping industry.
Many years ago, a group of kidnappers entered our house. They tied everyone up and took away anything they considered valuable. Worse still, they moved into the house and tricked the neighbors into thinking they were friends or even family coming to help. What’s more, they developed a strange relationship with some of the house’s residents, who became convinced that the criminals were acting in their own interests.
After taking everything (a ransom estimated today at over 22 billion dollars, theft of our gold reserves, destruction of our national production, to name but a few examples), the kidnappers hermetically lock the doors, keep the keys and set fire to the house.
It’s only then that the residents of the area and some of the residents of the house realize that the “good friends” were in fact thieves and criminals with a very specific agenda: to impoverish a generous, freedom-loving family.
Locked inside the house, the residents have no choice but to seek help from those with the keys: the kidnappers. Unless a neighbor as powerful and armed as the kidnappers can come to help retrieve the key, drive out the thugs and start putting out the fire.
In the event that this powerful neighbor does not yet come forward, we must tactfully solicit the collaboration of the criminals to prevent the irreparable from happening.
This example helps us to understand our approach when we talk about the international community’s contribution to resolving the country’s serious crisis.
Certain countries in this “international community” are at the root of our misfortunes. They plunder our resources and contribute to the rise of incompetent and corrupt leaders.
The election of René Préval against Leslie Manigat, Joseph Michel Martelly against Myrlande Manigat and the appointment of the most recent Prime Minister, Ariel Henri, are all examples of the international community’s involvement in our current distress.
Let’s move on to the country’s current situation.
How long have sectors of national life been proposing the formation of a presidential council to run the country after the assassination of Jovenel Moïse?
Didn’t Ariel Henri’s masters want it? Today, as the situation in the country deteriorates with the activities of the gangs (we know how this coalition of gangs was formed), they agree to the formation of a presidential council, but with their own conditions for participation.
Are the whites acting in good faith this time? Can we doubt it?
The many statements made by diplomats who have served in Haiti, such as Daniel Foote and Pamela A. White, could well serve as examples to prove the colonizers’ bad faith. We could also cite the statements of the former U.S. ambassador to South Africa, Patrick Gaspard, who is no mere name in the American political arena. He was, in fact, National Executive Director of the Democratic Party.
As the system’s own agents begin to denounce a system they have helped perpetuate for many years to Haiti’s detriment, we Haitians have the ultimate opportunity to take them at their word and wrest the key from them once and for all.
But to do so, we must act with tact, subtlety and diplomacy, given the reality of the moment.
The Presidential College: Two Proposals for a Successful Transition
In view of these considerations, two actions on the part of the Presidential College, in my opinion, are important to begin this quest for the resumption of our autonomy as a people and to obtain the benefit of the doubt from the population.
1. After reaching a consensus on who will preside over the college, the members of this “institution” should agree to acclaim that person. No vote. This would project the image of a college united for the common good, and lend a touch of credibility to the presidential college.
2. In view of the state administration’s wasteful and corrupt practices, the members of the college should take drastic measures to send a clear message to the population and also to the international community. For example, the college could decide not to appoint ministers to head ministries. Each member of the college, with the exception of the President, would be responsible for overseeing two or three ministries, headed by directors-general with the necessary experience and skills, selected following competitions organized by a committee made up of members of the country’s universities. They would also have to take an oath before the nation, promising to manage the country’s meagre resources wisely. No more appointments based on political or economic connections.
This action would allow us to show that the college’s leaders are beginning to pave the way towards an administration where corruption no longer reigns supreme for once. It would also enable us to be taken more seriously by our “partners” in the international community, who until now have been our necessary evil.
The population should also have its say.
For once, we must show responsibility by holding our leaders accountable. We need to organize regular meetings with members of the college to force them to explain their actions. Make them understand that they are not there to serve themselves, but to serve the people. In this way, we can begin to hope to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Emmanuel Paul
Journalist
President and CEO
Caribbean Television Network
email: mannypaul@ctninfo.com