The Morning after Garry Conille: Steps for Moving Haiti Forward

The Morning after Garry Conille: Steps for Moving Haiti Forward

by Harvey Dupiton, New York

That Michel Martelly holds an American passport, even if it were true, should not be the chief concern of the Haitian Parliament in those trying times. There are too many ills to cure in the country at present- joblessness running rampant at over 80%, the capital of the country a vast grave yard, too many children wandering about, too many youngsters finishing grade school without the prospect of a job, too much poverty, and worse no end in sight. If I must choose between observing our democratic principles of late and endorsing a provisional strategy, albeit extra-constitutional, to allow the business of the people to be addressed, I will choose the latter. Besides, every country has had to grow into its actual stage and shape of a democracy and so does Haiti.

For now, the country can ill-afford a political stand-off or worse a reshuffle of the cards as some opponents and bad-wishers lurk at a striking distance. The resignation or the impeachment of the government on the basis of technicalities is not an option, but if a sweeping grass-roots mobilization is not put in place to outpace the mounting electoral hurdles, tensions and crimes will ultimately force an alternative. On the other hand, a forceful dismissal of the Haitian Parliament is also not an option. Too many times in recent past, Haiti has had to gamble on elections without a foresight of the outcome and almost always the end result is a fiasco. Lessons of that past should teach by now that our system of elections, as conceived, may either be flawed or inadequate. Be that as it may, those who are now holding an elected seat should not take the people’s vote for granted and should seek to earn their legitimacy by rolling up their sleeves to deal with the plight at hand.

As a Haitian who grew up living in New York since grade school, my immediate expectations from both the Haitian executive and legislators are other than the contested issue of dual nationality consuming valuable time. Instead, I would like to be in a position to tell my circle of international friends that the country is on track to meet certain key objectives like creation of jobs, governance, rule of law, political stability, sustainable development, education for all. I would like to have that sense of security from time to time that there is not just another group of guys taking a crack at the nation’s public trust like it’s just another gig, but that there is a machinery of Haitian institutions, scholars, elders, youth, communities on board with the national program. The world of financial institutions and donors are also watching with a similar curiosity before placing their bets.

If we must forge ahead, it should certainly not be in the direction the country is heading. Life in Haiti should not be consumed by politics and not very much else. We must always hold our leaders accountable and our leaders must always take full responsibility for their actions or inactions.

The Morning after Garry Conille is a critical juncture which can serve as a turning point in our young democracy. Here are some of my suggestions as a concerned countryman for steps to be taken Moving Haiti Forward:

On the Political Front

1. The President must act quickly establish a political framework through which key issues can be dealt with. The former Interim Haitian Reconstruction Commission (IHRC) comes to mind. The IHRC had already met with parliament blessings and international support.

2. The President must act swiftly within days to designate a replacement to Mr. Conille. To expedite the process of Parliament ratification, a person already vetted can come from the pool of sitting ministers. The designee can be appointed as a care-taker of the IHRC.

3. A timeframe for Parliamentary elections should be on the table as a bargaining tool to agree on areas of common ground since there are irreconcilable differences between the two sides, Executive and Legislature.

4. The international community can assist by the commitment of resources for the process.

At the Policy Level

5. Plans to restore the Haitian Armed Forces must be put to rest for the time being in order to commit time and resources to job creation and the creation of a safety net for the disenfranchised.

6. Our foreign policy of late is a mockery. The President must restore the trust between the United States while maintaining friendly relationships around the world. Haiti must project a credible face before the international community if there is any chance of future assistance.

On the Development Front

7. The President could use his core asset, his popularity, to keep the country mobilized in a “Carnavalesque” mode. Thousands stood up for the carnival a week ago and thousands more can be mobilized behind a series of quick-impact, quick-win projects inside every local community. The key to win heart and minds is to empower. Although there may be a lot of NGO activities and others happening, people may not be fully engaged. Small projects like street cleaning, tree planting, street games, are just some examples of ways through which communities can be kept engaged, feel empowered, and partake in the solution. Let’s not forget the Diaspora in those projects. They need to be involved. They have direct linkages to local communities and the financial resources.

8. Haiti’s biggest endowment is its people. The focus should not be on donations from countries but on hands-on support by the Haitian people. Billions can be mobilized within the Haitian Diaspora if they are sold on the vision of the leadership. The Diaspora could have easily shared in that vision of education-for-all if engaged.

9. Focus on Resources from the Haitian communities to build political capital and project another round of meeting with international donors and lenders to leverage people power with money from other sources.

That is it for now--- God Blessings to all. Harvey Dupiton.