By Audley Phillip
The reality of what needs to be done in Haiti hasn’t yet dawned on Caricom.
We need to acknowledge how bad the situation is before we can attempt to do anything about it.
Thugs and gangs rule the day in Haiti. They have enormous power. Gangs have literally killed thousands of people this year alone and they continue to terrorize civilians and businesses, not only with threats of murder, but also abduction for ransom, extortion and rape.
Even the churches and companies like Digicel spends enormous sums of money in order to ensure the safety and security of their operation in Haiti.
Haiti has struggled from decades of corrupt leadership and weakened democratic institutions that have literally plunged the country into a state of terror and lawlessness. It has all but decimated the country’s largest economic driver – agriculture. Arms proliferation is hot and the political class is always willing and ready to weaponize the gangs and thugs as a means of clinging to power.
It is widely known that many Government officials are either beholden to the gangs or they use them for their own self interest.
The crisis in Haiti requires a TWO pronged approach.that will address both SECURITY and POLITICAL concerns. Haiti’s existing government and police force is incapable of providing security on its own. The International community must authorize the immediate deployment of a robust INTERNATIONAL FORCE, led by a competent military army, such as the United States army, as nothing short of that will do.
I am also mindful of the fact that Haitians are immensely skeptical, and often reject any solution that involve foreign troops on their ground. They continue to say that the scope for any such mission must be very limited in scope and length. But Haiti is in no position to dictate the terms of any assistance and this must be made clear to them. Put up or shut up!
Critical to any security forces being deployed in Haiti MUST be POLITICAL CHANGE and the installation of a TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT made up of the church, civil society, business leaders and more. Without that assurance, it is hopeless sending foreign troops into Haiti as all we would be doing is simply propping up the current government and lending credibility where there is absolutely none.
Haiti has been on the precipice of disaster and chaos for quite a long time and by the look of things, that will continue for a long time in the foreseeable future without meaningful change.
The proposed plans to send Kenyan troops aided by troops from Antigua, Jamaica and Bahamas can do very little to help the situation there. In fact, I think that we are putting our men and women in uniform in unnecessary harms way without a clear and decisive long term mandate. We cannot continue to sure up a government that is a big part of the existing problem. We would clearly be complicit to the real situation and is simply trying to cover an open wound with a bandage, instead of treating and dealing with the symptoms.
So while I understand that something must be done in order to help Haiti, if we are not prepared to do it properly, we are just wasting our time and effort.and might actually be doing more harm than good by sending our soldiers there in such a tumultuous and hostile environment.
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
“The International community must authorize the immediate deployment of a robust INTERNATIONAL FORCE, led by a competent military army, such as the United States army, as nothing short of that will do.” ~ Audley Phillip
Do you realize that a huge part of the problem in Haiti, in fact, stemmed from the very international community that you are calling to lead an intervention there? France, strongly supported by the USA and Europe, is largely responsible for the present turmoil in Haiti. As a result of Haiti liberating itself from French slavery, they were forced to repay $21 billion (in today’s monetary value) to former French slave owners, a debt that took 122 years to repay. The international community, that is the whole of Europe and the USA, enforced this by placing an embargo on Haiti. The USA then sent in forces and pillaged the country. That is why Haiti does not trust he international community. In addition, as recently as when Haiti was devastated by the earthquake, the pledges from the international community were never delivered and the “peacekeeping” forces from the USA and other countries went in and were raping the women and killing the men. Do you really expect Haitians to trust them?
Audley Phillip, please go and do some research before you make loose statements.
Well highlighted @ Wash an’ Basin, you definitely know your history about Haiti, and how the Western countries ensured that after being fought and defeated time and time again by the brave and courageous Haitians 🇭🇹 led admirably by Toussaint L’Ouverture.
The US, French and other European countries went on to destroy their infrastructures and economy to ensure that Haiti could NEVER rise up against them again, and then placed monetary reparations/sanctions against them as well (that had to be repaid), to keep them poor and unstable to this present day.
It seems like we read some of the same literature:
‘The Black Jacobins’ by C.L R James’
Much respect to you 🤜🏽🤛🏽
Please please 🙏 don’t send our men and women to that for saken place we need them here let there blood be on no one that place is very trouble lots of research needed to clean the mess up
Circus
Anybody else other than the US jack… we don’t need haiti to get transitioning laws, the alphabet gang, or manipulation.
Comments are closed.