The State of Haiti in the Words of a Haitian Man--Feb 2019

 

Photo by Karen Bultje–February 8, 2019

During the last several days, many of my Haitian friends are texting and calling me and describing a very fragile, broken Haiti. Street protests have been massive in Port-au-Prince and multiple other Haitian cities during the last six days.

The demonstrations are aimed at the worsening economic crisis in Haiti, inflation at around 15%, allegations of corruption leveled at President Jovenel Moise, and massive embezzlement of millions of dollars associated with PetroCaribe.

Many of the thousands of demonstrators in the streets are asking for the resignation of President Moise.

With this brief background, I asked a Haitian friend of mine to send me his thoughts on the reasons for the demonstrations and the conditions of the poor in Haiti today–February 12, 2019.

Here is the text he sent (with no editing by me)–

“The country is locked for six days.  It’s because we have a government for 2 years doing nothing for people that we can not even give food, potable water and feed in misery is extremely big for those who are poor day by day increased misery every day. The country is facing an economic and social crisis and that is why the opposition to the most disadvantaged cities chooses to show itself against the government which will do nothing for the people, it is because the opposition announces the strike in this country. Many events that paralyzed all activities in the country at the time of these strikes, victims of this situation that prevents me from seeking food. I hope that the government listens to find a solution to the crisis and then, to solve the problems of food education in health and infrastructure to improve the living conditions of the poorest in the country, we fight against this bad systems of government for more than thirty-three years. I think that if the government does not listen to this, it’s probably the same thing that Rwanda and South Africa have found in this situation. I would do nothing in this situation, in this moment no electricity, no medical care, no potable water, no housing for this people. It is for this situation that the people come forward to fight against all this he claims the resignation of President Jovenel Moses with the crushing of parliament.”

 

John A. Carroll, MD

www.haitianhearts.org