Haitians & Friends' leadership board

“What really moved me,” admitted Jean-Paul Benoit, president of Haitians and Friends (HF) during our interview, “We realized there was no Haitian presence at the university, so we suggested the club.” After obtaining Student Government’s approval on March 1, 2012, Benoit and six other students officially launched the first Haitian organization at University of North Carolina’s 66-year-old Charlotte campus. “Even when we don’t have a huge Haitian community here, as opposed to Florida or New York,” added the graduating senior, “I think we can work to give our country a voice and show what Haiti really is.”

Organizational goals and objectives, according to Public Relations Coordinator Sebastien Francois, aimed at shattering succinct summations of chronic misery enveloping Haiti’s conventional image. “We want to promote Haiti and Haitian culture within a student demographic that know very little about our history,” he said. Francois, who plans to continue his postgraduate studies at UNCC’s William States Lee College of Engineering, completed his junior year this spring. Francois’ argument is not a singular perception within the organization, though. Concerns over Haiti’s global image spread well beyond HP’s goals and objectives.

Haiti's Minister of Tourism's New Logo

Several communication campaigns designed to surgically reconstruct the country’s image surfaced recently, starting with Minister of Tourism Stephanie Balmir Villedrouin selecting a new logo and slogan for a public relation campaign she hoped would help revitalize Haiti’s tourism industry. Similarly, the Haitian Consulate in Orlando, Fla launched Decouvrir Haiti last week, a campaign dedicated to improving Haiti’s image during Haitian Cultural Heritage Month celebrated in May. Moreover, Miami Herald’s “Haiti’s Rebranding itself as Tourism Destination,” reinforced perceptions of an ongoing collective effort to put a new face on Haiti. Some 20 Haitian hoteliers attended Miami’s Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS) to focus on recent tourism trends in the Caribbean, reported award-winning journalists Jacqueline Charles. Beyond the collective image building, proactive individuals, such as Journalist Erilande Sully also launched Destination, a new magazine dedicated to Haiti’s beauty: nationally and internationally, something club President Benoit found particularly appealing.

Sebastien Francois- Public relations Coordinator

Club President Jean Paul Benoit

“That’s why we want to ensure a successful launched of HF,” he said, enumerating numerous challenges the organization faced. “Capturing the interests of people who, to some extent, have no idea where Haiti is, will be difficult,” remarked the 24-year-old finance major that plans to return to Haiti following his December graduation. Since inception, explained Benoit, HF enjoyed relative success, attracting at least 25 students of diverse ethnic backgrounds to some club meetings. “We have had Jamaicans, Africans, Dominicans and Venezuelans, among others, who participated in our meetings,” declared Benoit who emphasized the club was not a mean to mobilize Haitians only. “We must keep in mind the organization is here for everyone promoting Haiti: Haitians and foreigners alike,” he added.

Talking about the club’s legacy, strategic recruiting would ensure continuity and strong leadership in the near future, said the president. Benoit also admitted to recruiting 10 young Haitians throughout the U.S. and Haiti who will, within the next four years, replace the governing body and keep the organization active. “We will use every resource at our disposal to get greatest exposure and ensure continuity,” he added. For his part, faculty Advisor Fritz Hjardemaal, a young Haitian working at UNCC’s Information Technology Services, felt the club had the right structure in place to not only ensure its survival, but also thrive. HF’s constitution, its governing body and recruiting mechanisms would facilitate the club’s long-term progress, explained Hjadermaal during an interview.

Fritz Hjardemaal- Faculty:staff advisor

To that end, Francois detailed his plans to propel the organization to new heights next semester, including bringing Haitian guest speakers to UNCC, offering ethnic dance lessons and, collaborating with established organization to increase HF’s visibility. In fact, President Benoit recently secured a student membership program from the Latin American Chamber of Commerce of Charlotte (LACCC) where HF would be its campus liaison. Under that agreement, the club would represent the Chamber on campus; recruit students and help them obtain internships, networking and job opportunities within the organization. Club members agreed LACCC’s membership was a great acquisition that would lead to many opportunities for a club barely a semester old.

Throughout our interviews with club members, one underlying theme reemerged constantly. “Haiti is not known around the world for the things that we do best,” said Hjardemaal, who expressed great pride in HF’s leadership board. “It is great to have such a dedicated group of young men here at the university, helping to change those negative perceptions,” he added.

Leader of United Democratic Convention Evans Paul. Source: Radio Vision 2000

“The current governance of the country has nothing to do with democracy,” declared Evans Paul, leader of United Democratic Convention KID (French acronym), intervening live on Invite du Jour. “The country faces an autocracy in which the closest advisors of the head of state dares not provide him any council,” added Paul on Radio Vision 2000’s popular weekday talk show where decorated journalists Valery Numa and Marie Lucie Bonhomme discuss current events with prominent political leaders. Assessing the state of the Nation, the former presidential candidate criticized the Martelly administration he said, since assuming office on May 14, 2011, weakened state institutions and provoked political degradation.

Martelly, whose right shoulder surgery at a Miami hospital early last month prevented his attending Colombia’s sixth Summit of the Americas, rushed back to Miami nearly three weeks ago, suffering from pulmonary embolism. His sudden return to the hospital puzzled many leaders, including Paul who expressed serious concerns over the country’s lack of leadership, absent a legitimate government. Equally alarmed, senate President Simon Desras echoed Paul’s concerns speaking with the Miami Herald. “No one knows in which hospital the president is, what he suffers from,” admitted Desras whose immediate resolution involved flying a delegation to Martelly’s hospital. “There is a void,” added the National Assembly’s president, “No one knows who is running the country.”

However, the president maintained, in two pre-recorded video played on state television a week apart, while doctors discovered a blood clot in his lungs, he had a direct line of communication with his cabinet.  During his first appearance since the incident, Martelly detailed his brush with death to Haitian radio host Alex Saint-Surin. “I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t stand, I couldn’t lay down, I couldn’t do anything,” recounted the head of state during Radio Mega’s North Miami Beach’s live broadcast. “My stomach was compressed,” he added, “It felt as if three people were pressing down on it.”

As the president focused on his recovery, sporadic violent incidents sprung around the Haitian capital, heightening a sense of insecurity. Rogues forces claiming ex-soldiers status, stormed the House of Deputies and disrupted the ratification process of designated Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe. The heavily armed men demanded acknowledgment from lawmakers in their quests for restitution and to reconstitute the Armed Forces of Haiti. President Martelly condemned the gunmen who wore military uniform and, some of which carried hand grenades; nevertheless, they challenged government authority, chanted slogans and called on lawmakers to restore the army disbanded in 1995 by former President Jean Bertrand Aristide. Many leaders, including House President Levaillant Louis-Jeune, denounced the paramilitary’s disruption as a threat to state institutions: hence democracy itself.

Haitian President Michel Martelly

Following that incident, police officers overlooking judicial apparatus to avenge their colleague Walky Calixte’s death, attempted the unwarranted arrest of deputy Rodriguez Sejour they alleged murdered their brethren. Anger flared following a crime spree that, within 24 hours, left three members of the Haitian National Police dead. As a result, officers went on strike and barricaded major highways in protest. Deputy Sejour immediately issued a statement, rejecting the allegations officers made against him. Even more alarming, the entire Justice Department also went on strike with its own list of demands, hoping to pressure the executive branch to finally install Haiti’s highest Court, as the Haitian Constitution required. President Martelly, who recently filled four remaining vacancies on the Court, postponed their swearing-in ceremony indefinitely. As lawyers and judges urged immediate actions from the administration, they threatened to stop working until the government takes appropriate actions. The U.S. embassy in Haiti even issued warnings to its citizens, citing sporadic incidents of civil unrest occurring in various locations of Port-au-Prince, reported the Miami Herald.

On Invite du Jour, Paul attributed the leadership void to Martelly’s inexperience in the political realm. “The current crises are the result of total ignorance of the head of state in politics,” he said. “Many observers questioned the ability of President Michel Martelly to govern the country, due to his lax approach to important state matters,” he added. For Minister of Economy and Finance Andre Georges Lemercier however, the reality vastly differed from Paul’s depiction. “The government is not dysfunctional in the absence of President Michel Martelly,” he assured Radio Vision 2000 reporters. “Besides,” he added, “Almost all Departments are hard at work.” Reinforcing Martelly’s message to the nation, Lemercier told journalists, “Now the government is healthy.”

Congresswoman Maxine Waters

April 26, 2012                                                                                                           Con­tact: Mikael Moore
For Imme­di­ate Release                                                                                         Phone: (202) 225‑2201

Con­gress­woman Waters Urges State Depart­ment to
Use U.S. Influ­ence to Avoid Chaos in Haiti

Wash­ing­ton – Con­gress­woman Max­ine Waters (D-CA), a strong advo­cate for the Hait­ian peo­ple in the U.S. Con­gress, sent a let­ter to Sec­re­tary of State Hillary Clin­ton dated April 24, 2012, express­ing grave con­cern about the cur­rent polit­i­cal cri­sis in Haiti.  Con­gress­woman Bar­bara Lee (D-CA), Con­gress­woman Yvette Clarke (D-NY), and Con­gress­man John Cony­ers (D-MI) also signed the Congresswoman’s let­ter.  The text of the let­ter follows:

“As con­gres­sional friends of the peo­ple of Haiti, we have been observ­ing the recent polit­i­cal cri­sis in that coun­try with grave concern.

“The sud­den and unex­pected res­ig­na­tion of Prime Min­is­ter Garry Conille is a cause for seri­ous con­cern.  We had the oppor­tu­nity to meet with him on sev­eral occa­sions, includ­ing while he was in Wash­ing­ton, DC, on Feb­ru­ary 9th.  We believed he was ideal for the job.  He appeared to be very hard-working and ded­i­cated to the peo­ple of Haiti.  He was work­ing hard to develop pro­duc­tive rela­tion­ships with Pres­i­dent Michel Martelly and mem­bers of the Hait­ian Par­lia­ment.  We sup­ported his efforts to improve trans­parency as it relates to gov­ern­ment con­tracts and other impor­tant gov­ern­ment business.

“Prior to his res­ig­na­tion, there were rumors that his life had been threat­ened.  We urged him to share this infor­ma­tion with the U.S. State Depart­ment.  Unfor­tu­nately, less than one month after we met with him, he resigned.  Prime Min­is­ter Conille’s res­ig­na­tion does not speak well for Haiti.

“We are also con­cerned about the deci­sion to drop all charges against Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duva­lier for human rights vio­la­tions com­mit­ted dur­ing his fifteen-year reign.  We sus­pect that this deci­sion is an attempt to exon­er­ate him and rein­te­grate him into Hait­ian soci­ety.  We are espe­cially con­cerned that his reha­bil­i­ta­tion appar­ently has the sup­port of Pres­i­dent Martelly.  What does this mean?  Is there a cred­i­ble, inde­pen­dent jus­tice sys­tem in Haiti at this time?

“We are fur­ther con­cerned by the rumors that for­mer Pres­i­dent Jean-Bertrand Aris­tide may be arrested based on trumped-up cor­rup­tion charges.  These rumors could be an indi­ca­tion that Pres­i­dent Aristide’s life is in dan­ger.  Is this true?  Is Pres­i­dent Aristide’s life in dan­ger?  Pres­i­dent Aris­tide con­tin­ues to have sub­stan­tial and wide­spread sup­port in Haiti.  If any harm should come to him, it would cause tur­moil and dis­rup­tion in Haiti.  Fur­ther­more, the out­cry and dis­rup­tion would only serve to set Haiti back, dis­cour­age invest­ment, and cre­ate yet another cri­sis in this trou­bled country.

“The United States played an impor­tant role in resolv­ing the issues sur­round­ing Haiti’s last pres­i­den­tial elec­tion.  Our action’s helped posi­tion Pres­i­dent Michel Martelly to emerge from the Novem­ber 2010 elec­tion as the strongest can­di­date, thus enabling him to win the runoff elec­tion the fol­low­ing spring.  While some of us may have ques­tioned the role the United States played in the elec­tions, once the elec­tion took place, many of us vowed to give sup­port to the new pres­i­dent and do every­thing we can to assist him in address­ing Haiti’s urgent needs for hous­ing, cholera treat­ment, infra­struc­ture, and job cre­ation.  Just as the United States accepted respon­si­bil­ity for the cri­sis over the elec­tion, we have great hope that the United States will accept respon­si­bil­ity for the polit­i­cal cri­sis Haiti is fac­ing now.

“An espe­cially wor­ri­some devel­op­ment is the unof­fi­cial reestab­lish­ment of the army.  Prior to his elec­tion, Pres­i­dent Martelly sup­ported the reestab­lish­ment of the army, despite the fact that it is known pri­mar­ily among the Hait­ian peo­ple for its gross vio­la­tions of human rights.  The inter­na­tional com­mu­nity appears to agree that there should be no fund­ing or sup­port for the reestab­lish­ment of the army at this time.  How­ever, it appears that the army is being orga­nized on an unof­fi­cial basis.  Old police sta­tions have been taken over by for­mer mem­bers and sup­port­ers of the army and the bru­tal ton­ton macoutes para­mil­i­tary force, and these indi­vid­u­als are con­duct­ing train­ing exer­cises through­out Haiti.

“We rec­og­nize that Haiti is a sov­er­eign nation and has the right to develop its own laws and poli­cies.  How­ever, the Amer­i­can peo­ple have been very sup­port­ive of Haiti since the earth­quake, and the United States has taken a lead­ing role in sup­port­ing democ­racy and recon­struc­tion.  The United States Con­gress pro­vided emer­gency sup­ple­men­tal appro­pri­a­tions for relief efforts and passed leg­is­la­tion to can­cel Haiti’s mul­ti­lat­eral debts.  We can­not sit by idly and watch while cur­rent events under­mine our efforts.

“We respect­fully urge you to estab­lish a com­mis­sion to over­see Haiti’s polit­i­cal devel­op­ment.  Fur­ther­more, we urge you to work with the Martelly admin­is­tra­tion, the Hait­ian Par­lia­ment, and rep­re­sen­ta­tives of civil soci­ety in Haiti to ensure that human rights are respected, demo­c­ra­tic progress is not reversed, and polit­i­cal insta­bil­ity and chaos are not allowed to inter­fere with Haiti’s devel­op­ment.  Finally, we urge you to keep us informed about the work of this com­mis­sion and polit­i­cal devel­op­ments in Haiti.  Sta­ble, effec­tive gov­er­nance is crit­i­cal for Haiti’s future.”

To read more about Con­gress­woman Waters’ long­time work on Haiti, click here.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (UN Photo/Susan Markisz)

“We must improve our cooperation with Haiti,” pleaded Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos to his 32 American homologous partners attending the Sixth Summit of the Americas the weekend of April 14-15. Intervening on behalf of the earthquake stricken nation, Santos said rather than helping individually, countries should collaborate to maximize their impact on Haiti’s recovery. Haiti’s weak infrastructure crumbled on Jan. 12, 2010 when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the island nation, killing more than 300,000 people.

While Cuba’s absence highlighted this year’s summit, Haiti received strong support from the Colombian leader who perceived the country’s problems as a hemispheric affair, in lieu of a separate entity. “We must take ownership of the agenda of [Haiti’s] government and integrate it into our actions,” declared Santos on Caribbean Journal’s reporting. Founded in 2011, the Miami-based news magazine focuses on Caribbean affairs, offering its readers a regional news source.

President Michel Martelly, who cancelled his trip to the summit following his doctors’ orders, welcomed Santos’ statements with open arms. “President Santos has shown that he is concerned about the situation of our country,” said the head of state that had surgery on his right shoulder just a week ago before the summit. “He showed a great political vision in proposing joint action of all the countries in the Americas to join us for the reconstruction and development of our country, and the improvement of the conditions of the Haitian people,” added Martelly who informed the national media of the last minute changes late Friday. “On recommendations of his physicians, the president was forced to rest in order to ensure a safe and full recovery,” read an unsigned note issued by the president’s communication office. Prime Minister-Designate Laurent Salvador Lamothe, the resigning Foreign Minister, would represent Haiti at the summit, emphasized the note.

Summit of the Americas

Lamothe, 39, received the approval nod from 19 senators in the first phase of his ratification process last week, though not without controversy. While some senators, including West Department representative Steven Benoit, contended Martelly’s close friend and business partner was ineligible due to irregularities found in his documents, others in the majority said those claims were circumstantial. As they propelled Lamothe to the second phase that will take place in the House of Deputies midweek, senators decried a lack of concrete evidence or a smoking gun to change their votes. Martelly proposed Lamothe for the post of PM following Garry Conille resignation nearly five months after receiving a narrow senate majority and 98 percent approval from the lower house.

Back in Cartagena, Cuba’s exclusion from the summit became a point of contention between South and North American nations, dividing the hemisphere and preventing the proclamation of a final declaration from the event. Many participating nations even threatened to boycott Panama’s 2015 Summit should Havana’s omission persist. Nevertheless, Santos’ message on Haiti’s recovery efforts was crystal clear; “We must work together in unity with the government of Haiti to be able to overcome its problems,” hammered the host of the summit. “Because in the past,” explained Santos, “The priorities of the Haitian people have at times been missed.”

US Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten at a press conference, declaring President Michel Martelly a Haitian citizen.

Suspicions surrounding Martelly’s nationality snowballed the national press for months, as he taunted senators and even dared them to dislodge his passports from his pockets. “The president’s passport will remain in the president’s pockets,” joked Martelly to journalists. “You have no legal authority to investigate my nationality,” he later sniped at persisting senators. However, when the snowball transformed into an avalanche, destroying the president’s credibility, Merten offered him a get-out-of-jail pass. “President Martelly is not an American,” declared the ambassador, “He is Haitian.” Merten, a career diplomat officially serving as ambassador to Haiti since Aug. 24, 2009, made the controversial comments appearing alongside Martelly during a highly publicized press conference where the president showcased eight passports, hoping to stop the allegation’s domino effect.

President Martelly showing his passport to haiti's national press

If Merten’s intervention appeased some critics, it angered many more and, to a large extent, further obfuscated matters for Martelly. Speaking with the Washington Times, Stanley Gaston who presides over Port-au-Prince’s Bar Association, openly criticized the ambassador’s actions. “Listen to me good,” drilled Gaston into reporters. “If President Martelly is not an American citizen, then the United States doesn’t have to go into this debate at all.” Standing on Constitutional ground, other critics also spat fire at Merten and urged legal actions against him. Invoking article 56 of the 1987 Constitution, which stipulates, “An alien may be expelled from the territory of the republic if he becomes involved in the political life of the country, or in cases determined by law,” many opinion leaders decried Merten’s explicit interference in Haitian politics as ground to expel him.

Addressing growing critics, the ambassador whose incumbency ends later this year, said he could not understand why people criticized both his initial silence on the matter and his intervening on behalf of the president. During an exclusive interview with Tele Metropole, Merten reiterated his claim: Martelly was not an American citizen; emphasizing both the U.S. State Department and the president authorized his intervention. It was impossible, explained Merten, for an American citizen to also have an U.S. alien card, revealing Martelly surrendering his residency card to the U.S. Embassy in May 2011, shortly after his swearing-in as Haiti’s 56^th president.

US Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten

Many senators felt Merten’s revelations confirmed that, contrary to strict constitutional imperatives, Martelly won Haiti’s highest office as a U.S. resident or citizen. Yet, Ralph Theano who oversees communications between the executive and parliament felt the ambassador’s affirmation should help close the investigation. During a phone interview, Theano said the diplomat’s statements should dispel all suspicions surrounding the president who was a native of Haiti. However, lawmakers disagreed; “A foreign diplomat cannot close a senate investigation,” replied Sorel Jacinthe, former president of the House of Deputies.

Meanwhile, investigators casted more doubts over the president nationality, highlighting numerous irregularities that surfaced under their microscopes. In fact, Senator Jean-Charles who initiated the citizenship investigation alleged the executive had an entire team forging its documents, allegations the government characterized as a witch hunt created to destabilize the administration.

President Michel Martelly. Source: Martelly's Facebook page

An almighty Head of State cornered by a trigger-happy parliamentary firing squad must obtain a senate majority to see his designated Prime Minister Laurent Salvador Lamothe through the ratification process.

Many senators, namely John Joel Joseph who represents the West Department, exhorted resigning Foreign Affairs Minister Lamothe, rather than relying on President Michel Martelly, to take his fate in his own hands. As the legislator explained to reporters, Martelly’s credibility deficiencies with lawmakers rendered him obsolete and incapable of securing a clear majority, which he inferred lessened Lamothe’s chances of surviving the senate. Joseph highlighted the president’s constant conflicting relationship with the regulatory body and his undermining parliament’s authority as major deterrence to successful negotiations. He called on Lamothe to allocate his own allies within the upper house, absent any representing members of the executive in the National Assembly or Martelly’s negotiating power.

During an interview late last week, Joseph revealed that senators from various political parties began talking about creating a new majority, a move political analysts argued would isolate the head of state, excluding him from the negotiation table. “This block should be established to enable parliamentarians to have a space to discuss issues relating to the challenges the country currently faced,” hammered Joseph who emphasized a united senate would help move the country forward. Confirming his colleague’s revelation, Senator Francisco De La Cruz deemed the multiparty majority vital in addressing the population’s pressing needs, including forming a new government. “It will not be a majority created around the ratification of the designated prime minister, but we want to discuss major political issues of the state,” echoed De La Cruz.

President Michel Martelly (right) and resigning Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Lamothe (left). Source: Le Nouvelliste

President Martelly nominated close friend Lamothe for the post, days after Prime Minister Garry Conille offered him his resignation letter. However, friction at the highest level of state institutions promised a difficult process for the resigning minister. Martelly’s Group 16 that facilitated Conille’s ratification exploded during his tug-of-war with lawmakers, forcing the embattled head of state back to square one to fight the negotiation battle on his adversaries’ turf.

Voting Haitian Senate

Meanwhile, as Haitian leaders wrapped themselves in this prolonged political entanglement, the United Nations denounced a lack of necessary resources to fund humanitarian services in Haiti. “The humanitarian community seeks $231 million to fund its work in the island nation this year,” revealed a statement released yesterday on behalf of Nigel Fisher, UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Haiti. “So far,” emphasized the note, “It has only received 8.5 per cent of that amount.” Those developments, inferred critics, had a linear relationship with the struggling Caribbean nation’s lack of a legitimate government to revive its stagnated recovery efforts; yet, Haitian leaders ineptitude persisted.

Since assuming office on May 14, 2011, his Excellency’s political capital nearly dissipated bumping from crisis to crisis. Last week, the House of Deputies released the results of its investigation into the matter, which placed President Martelly at the commands, piloting the unconstitutional arrest and brief incarceration of Deputy Arnel Belizaire late last year. Furthermore, ongoing senate investigations into both Lamothe and Martelly’s alleged foreign citizenship status fueled more controversies that weakened the administration, argued some analysts who theorized the senate’s dealings sought not only to isolate Martelly, but also to turn his friend Lamothe against him.

Haiti proclaimed its independence 208 years ago, just a short generation after that of the U.S.’s, yet its rural population still considers basic necessities, such as clean water or a minimal police presence a rare commodity. Absent essential diffusion of electricity, the television, the computer and the Internet, a large portion of the population remained isolated from not only its own government, but also from the rest of the world. Those major structural deficiencies underlined the importance of this trip, during which undergraduate and Ph.D. students, faculty and community mentors brought servers, laptops and customized educational software to young students.

After training teachers and students on the new laptops for two straight weeks, instructors hope to enhance learning and creativity through the acquired computer-based education. Many people in developed countries might take those skills for granted, but for those communities, it is not as easy as driving to the local coffee shop or the nearest Wi-Fi spot to post a blog entry or fulfill some social media need. It is rather a lengthy trip to the next city with electricity and perhaps a cyber café to browse the web.

Scrutinizing humanitarian organizations that mismanaged funds collected on behalf of the victims of the Jan. 2010 earthquake that, according to government estimates, killed more than 300,000 people is vital. However, It is equally necessary to empower organizations that are making significant contributions to segments of the Haitian population that have been neglected for more than two centuries. Similarly, we must refrain from distasteful stigmatization that could hinder important progress many organizations are making in Haiti.

With the world’s immense electronic library at their fingertips, young Haitians could usher in a new era of social, economic and political development they would otherwise not get from their government for at least another century. These seeds of intellectual development planted at the grassroots level will add a new dimension to those young minds, empowering them to develop their own communities for future generations.

President Michel Martelly (left) welcomed Garry Conille (right) as PM

For Prime Minister Garry Conille, nearly five months of growing political tension sufficed to provoke his final decision. “I feel obligated to present my resignation as Prime Minister of the Government of Haiti,” he wrote to President Michel Martelly and leaders of the National Assembly. “Please, Mr. President,” he concluded, “Accept the assurance of my patriotic sentiments.”

The letter confirmed rumors of ongoing political maneuvers by the president to isolate Conille that engulfed the nation the past few weeks. Radio France International (RFI) affirmed, “It was under pressure from the head of state that Garry Conille finally resigned.” In fact, the presidents of both houses of parliament admitted to making a failed attempt at diffusing the political bomb; nevertheless, Martelly wanted nothing to do with it. During the weekly radio show Public Interest or “Interet Publique” in French, aired on Radio Kiskeya by legendary Journalist Liliane Pierre-Paul, Levaillant Louis-Jeune, who currently presides over the lower house, said the president’s response was crystal clear. “I don’t want him, need him and no longer want to lead with Garry Conille,” he said Martelly replied. Nevertheless, Conille insisted during a New York Times’ phone interview, “It was his decision to leave, not Mr. Martelly’s.”

Conille, 45, a medical doctor, former aid to UN’s special envoy to Haiti Bill Clinton and UN development expert, accessed the post of Prime Minister of Haiti following a four-month political gridlock. His narrow senate approval came after the Haitian parliament rejected Martelly’s first two nominations: businessman Daniel Rouzier and former Justice Minister Bernard Gousse. In spite of the president’s promise earlier this year to allow the new PM to play his partition, he often overshadowed Conille, who disagreed with him on important issues, such as the constitutional amendments, Haiti’s armed forces and a senate investigation into his citizenship status. After Senator Moise Jean-Charles alleged that the president and several administration Ministers held foreign passports, the senate launched an investigation into the allegations that, if confirmed, could force Martelly out of office. The Haitian Constitution strictly prohibits foreign nationals from meddling in national politics.

Voting Haitian Senate

However, many political analysts argued that Conille’s inquiring into reconstruction contracts his predecessor granted to Dominican firms ultimately decided his fate. The resigning PM launched a probe into about $600 million to $800 million in no-bid contracts awarded by former Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, who is also Martelly’s cousin and serves on his advisory board. Several news reports indicated President Martelly vehemently opposed the audit, but Conille insisted on transparency. “They were negotiated under difficult circumstances,” he said, “and we wanted to make sure the state was well protected,” concluding that it made sense to look back.

Ruben Silie, Dominican Ambassador to Haiti Source: DominicanToday.com

Still, persisting rumors about contract-related funds financing Martelly’s presidential campaign also surfaced as a determining factor in the PM’s departure. Although Conille denied having any knowledge of such rumors, Dominican Ambassador to Haiti Ruben Silie felt compelled to issue a statement denying his country’s involvement. “We’ve nothing to do with Mr. Conille resignation, whose we regret,” declared the diplomat, according to the newspaper Dominican today. Silie maintained, “the contracts between Haitian authorities and Dominican companies during the crisis and shortly before Conille’s induction were private matters in which Dominican diplomacy and official policy didn’t intervene.”

Defending his decision to step down however, Conille indicated his government’s outright refusal to comply with his request to cooperate with the senate investigation signaled a lack of confidence in his leadership. “I decided it wasn’t going to work if they lost confidence in me,” he told the New York Times. Rather than fully cooperating with investigators, as Conille urged, his ministers pledged allegiance with the head of state, who declared the constitution gave the regulatory body no authority to conduct such an investigation, hence is noncompliance stance.

Resigning Prime Minister Garry Conille

Haiti’s latest political implosion ushered in multiple reactions from the international community. However, President Martelly’s short address to the nation urged calm and patience from everyone: the population, legislators, the international community, and investors. “Fellow Haitians,” he said, “this morning Prime Minister Garry Conille offered me his letter of resignation and I accepted it,” a situation Ottawa characterized as an additional step toward instability. John Baird, Canada’s foreign affairs minister did not hide his worries about Haiti’s evolving political eruptions, which he said “caused further instability at a time when the Haitian people face serious hardship.” He urged leaders to ratify Conille’s successor promptly and put the country on a path to recovery.

Secretary-General of the UN Ban Ki-moon echoed similar sentiments in a released note. “The Secretary General wishes to express his concern following the resignation of Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille four months after his appointment,” it read. Ban-Ki-moon exhorted leaders to prioritize the nation’s interests and follow the resignation with a timely appointment of a new head of government. “This resignation comes at a time when the Haitian people are eager to embark decisively on the path towards reconstruction, economic and the strengthening of the country’s rule-of-law institutions,” concluded the note.

Remobilized military training in old military base source: Le Nouvelliste

Meanwhile, shadows of the demobilized military roamed the streets with weapons more powerful than those issued to the Haitian National Police (HPN), revealed many witnesses’ accounts. While ignoring many calls to lay down their arms, they continued to perform random searches through checkpoints set up around the country. Furthermore, rather than enforcing constitutional dictates and schedule senatorial and municipal elections, President Martelly began replacing elected mayors by appointments. Those actions by the executive alarmed both political and civil societies, which, for the first time since the president took office, voiced an organized and unified opposition to the central power. Still, rising conflicts between the presidency and state university students as well as the national press left the many people confused, as the head of state said he perceived no crisis. “Stay calm,” he cautioned during his national address, “we have already taken every step so that the government continue to work normally.” But lawmakers called those statements misleading, given the political saturation inhibiting the Haitian Parliament.

Cheryl Mills, Secretary Hillary Clinton's Chief of Staff Source: The Haitian Post

For its part, Washington went even further than Canada, sending Secretary of State’s Hillary Clinton’s Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills to meet Haitian leaders Thursday. “The special envoy of the U.S. Secretary of State has expressed her concerns over the current political situation,” reported senate President Simon Dieuseul Desras following the meeting. A statement released earlier by the U.S. Embassy in the Haitian capital emphasized the importance of political stability to attracting foreign investments deemed indispensable to economic development and job creation. Reinforcing those views, U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten stated, “the United States remains a good partner of Haiti… We told the lawmakers that we need a legitimate government to further discuss the development of Haiti.”

The Haitian Constitution requires resigning prime ministers to preside over state affairs until lawmakers ratify their successors, but hostile relationships between Martelly and Conille could generate more friction within the executive branch, some observers admitted. As pressure increased from the international community, the president promised to quickly form a new government; however, parliamentarians hinted at a possible drawn out process, blaming the president for generating a political crisis of choice.

STARS Alliance Computing Students Opt for Alternative 2012 Spring Break

CHARLOTTE, NC – XXXX – A group of 12 undergraduate and Ph.D. students from UNC Charlotte’s College of Computing and Informatics and four other universities won’t be thinking sun and sand during this year’s Spring Break.  Accompanied by six faculty and community mentors, the students will spend two weeks, March 5 to 19, volunteering and sharing computer expertise with schoolteachers and primary and secondary students in Haiti.

Participants are part of the Students & Technology in Academia, Research & Service

(STARS) Leadership Corps, a STARS Alliance (starsalliance.org) program that develops leaders to impact the world through computing.  Led by the College of Computing and Informatics, STARS is a national consortium of colleges and universities dedicated to preparing a larger, more diverse computing workforce for the 21st Century.

During the trip, STARS students and professors will train teachers and students to use kid-friendly laptops and computer-based education to enhance learning and creativity. They will also train and mentor 24 local Haitian high school girls who will continue to promote learning with computers once the trip is over.

“One reason that many U.S. students do not pursue computing-based college majors is the perception that computing careers focus solely on technology not people,” said Dr. Teresa Dahlberg, Professor and Associate Dean of the UNC Charlotte College of Computing and Informatics; “The STARS Leadership Corps challenges students to find innovative ways of leveraging technology to solve important social and global problems.”

The STARS alternative Spring Break builds on “High Hopes Haiti” (HHH), a project of Charlotte-headquartered 501c3 non-profit Mothering Across Continents^SM (MAC) in collaboration with non-profit Hands for Haiti.  HHH officially launched in June 2011 when MAC was selected by the Waveplace Foundation (http://waveplace.org/) as a partner to provide XO laptops, training and educational courseware to three schools in northern, rural Haiti, within 90 minutes of the city of Cap Haitien. The XO laptops have received widespread recognition through the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) global education project.

Dr. Tiffany Barnes, Associate Professor of Computer Science, UNC Charlotte, an experienced developer of youth-focused educational software, will help guide the Spring Break trip. She also participated in the June 2011 launch. “The trip’s main goal is to enhance learning in Haitian schools through fun laptop games that promote inquiry-based learning while enabling STARS college students to apply their computing skills for social good,” said Dr. Barnes. With funding from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Teresa Dahlberg and Dr. Tiffany Barnes founded the STARS Alliance in 2005.

“We’re grateful for the interest and enthusiasm demonstrated by STARS students,” said Patricia Shafer, founder and chief catalyst, MAC. “And we’re excited by this example of non-profit organizations and academic institutions working together for global good.”

Once back in the U.S., trip participants will also make recommendations for future computing infrastructure improvements, educational software, and Internet access. Both MAC and STARS look forward to continuing this partnership that enriches students in both Haiti and the United States.

Individuals and organizations interested in making donations to support STARS college student travel and accommodations ($1,500) should contact: Ashley Peeler at 704.687.0389, Ashley.peeler@uncc.edu. To ask about donations for XO laptop purchases and other support for the Haitian schools, contact Courtney Jackson at 864.238.4801, cjackson@motheringacrosscontinents.org

About the STARS Alliance and the STARS Computing Corps 

Since 2005, over 40 Colleges and Universities have implemented the innovative STARS Leadership Corps program, a co-curricular service-learning program for college students. In the U.S., students in the Corps collaborate with regional K-12 schools and industry and community partners to inform, engage and prepare students for entry and success in college computing programs. Students also participate in peer mentoring, team projects and research experiences. Students participating in the March 2012 trip to Haiti represent STARS Alliance institutions UNC Charlotte, Florida A&M University, North Carolina A&T University, Johnson C. Smith University, Indiana University and the University of Delaware. 

About the College of Computing and Informatics

The College of Computing and Informatics provides academic programs in computer science, software and information systems, information technology, and bioinformatics.  It is home to leading research centers and institutes, including the Cyber Defense and Network Assurability (CyberDNA) Center, Bioinformatics Research Center, Charlotte Visualization Center, Complex Systems Institute, Diversity in Information Technology Institute, and Software Solutions Lab.  Active research grant awards total $35 million.  cci.uncc.edu

About UNC Charlotte 

UNC Charlotte is North Carolina’s urban research university, fourth largest campus among 17 institutions of The University of North Carolina system, and largest institution of higher education in the Charlotte region.  Spring 2011 enrollment exceeded 25,300 students, including approximately 5,000 graduate students.

About MAC

Mothering Across Continents^SM (MAC) http://www.motheringacrosscontinents.org/ is a 501c3 non-profit through which volunteer “catalysts” receive consulting, coaching and mentoring to develop dream projects that help raise tomorrow’s leaders. The MAC mission is “Adopting Dreams. Raising Tomorrow’s Leaders.” Currently, MAC supports projects in South Africa, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Haiti and Hong Kong. For more information: Tel.: 704.607.0098; email: info@motheringacrosscontinents.org

STARS Alliance will take me on their trip to Haiti, as a FPA blogger and Communication Coordinator of Charlotte-Haiti Rotary Club, an exciting opportunity. We thank the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for presenting us with this opportunity.

Newspaper Le Matin called it a true popular jubilation and an explosion of madness. Radio Kiskeya reporters witnessed “a massive participation in Jacmel’s Carnival,” as masks, floats and music bands stormed Avenue Barranquilla, manifestly displaying an array of colors, smiles, rituals and traditional dances that seemingly disappeared with the January 12 devastation. Even government officials, including President Michel Martelly, dumped their ties, suits and all formalities on Sunday February 12, 2012, joined participants in the streets of the historic city to officially launch the 20^th edition of Jacmel Carnival and celebrate the richness of Haitian culture.

Striking a poetic tone, Le Matin’s Hudler Joseph wrote,  “Invaded by a euphoriant fever in the streets, maskers lost themselves into lascivious dances to the beats of drums, guitars and the songs of both mini and walking bands.” Festivities started at 2 p.m. and did not end until early Monday morning, leaving lasting images of stunning beauty and grace. “Young men and women dressed with all colors: yellows, reds, blacks and flamingos generated moments of true attractions with their routines performed under the stars,” added Joseph.

Beyond a parade of colors, masks and music, the annual Haitian Carnival was also an economic exercise. Both private and public sectors infused large sums of moneys into the event that captured the entire country, maximizing its radiance and generating publicity. In addition, the mega celebration also boosts Haiti’s small business sector, 90 percent of which is informal and is neither regulated nor taxed.

Celebrating his 51^st birthday, President Martelly threw himself in the heart of the celebrations “Like the good old days,” remarked Le Matin reporter Lionel Edouard. “His last outing at the 20^th edition of Jacmel’s Carnival was once again an opportunity for the president to parade in the spotlight of the media’s cameras,” he added. President Martelly is very familiar with the carnival festivities. He in fact, over more than 20 years, built a reputation as one of the top entertainers of this event that coincided with his birthday. Accompanied by some senators and his security detail, the president drove to Jacmel on Polaris ATVs to not only celebrate his birthday, but also take part in the event that brought him national fame.

It was the spirit of the annual Haitian Carnival concluded Emmelie Prophete, reporting for newspaper le Nouvelliste. “It ultimately binds participants among themselves, carving m the memory and legend of the event: the meringue,” she explained, adding, “These are the songs sung together in an anonymous body-to-body environment, which creates this partition, this release that many argue is the ultimate goal of this festival.”

When he was not dancing in the crowd though, His Excellency was on the official stand, debating political issues live on state TV; something Edouard said made some participants unhappy. “His intrusion in the festivities frustrated some participants who folded their masks and went home,” he wrote. While many observers perceived Jacmel’s 2012 Carnival as the most flamboyant display since the earthquake, it was Martelly’s unexpected debate with senators that buzzed Monday morning talk shows. A week earlier however, the head of state categorically refused to answer questions about allegations over his citizenship status during a press conference and even tossed revilements at inquiring reporters. Playing the role of moderator, Martelly grabbed the national spotlight, not to talk about Haitians culture, rather the persisting political crisis with senators, argued some critics. Nevertheless, for many people, the 2012 Jacmel Carnival left no doubts in their minds; it was an immense success.

Traditionally, Jacmel’s edition preluded the national celebration that has historically been held in Port-au-Prince the following weekend. This year however, President Martelly’s unilateral decision placed it in Les Cayes, Haiti’s third largest city due to the large displacement camp still occupying Camp de Mars in front of the Haitian palace, the normal trajectory of carnival processions. Consequently, many people will migrate to Southern Haiti to savor the grand finale of 2012 National Haitian Carnival that observers predicted would be even more grandiose than Jacmel’s stunner.

Please, read part one here first: Occupy Haiti (I)

Armageddon, two years on…

Reconstruction year 2012…

Prime Minister Garry Conille – Source: Le Nouvelliste

“There was hope that the quake would bring an opportunity to break the country’s fatal cycle of struggle, catastrophe and indifference,” wrote the AP’s Jonathan M. Katz on the quake’s first anniversary last year. “But promises were not kept and no leader emerged, within Haiti or outside,” he added. A year later, “Build Haiti Back Better” stagnates; a collective promise dissipates, as unrealistic messianic emersion frustrates. Instead, news coverage exposed a painstakingly slow reconstruction process hindered by a disengaged international community, runaway non-governmental organizations, Haitian leaders’ ideological bickering and politics of destruction.

Analyzing Haiti’s state of affairs in his recent article “The Haitian President did not turn his policies into music,” Le Figaro’s Thierry Oberle noted, “In Haiti, a country where the president is an artist, politics remains a shadow theatre.” Nevertheless, President Martelly’s State of the Union address delivered at the Haitian National Assembly earlier this year rejected that premise, highlighting what the president perceived as important accomplishments for his administration. His free education initiatives for disadvantaged children, unilateral taxation of the Haitians living abroad to fund education, and clearing many displacement camps topped the president’s list. The Head of State also expressed concerns over the media’s unfavorable coverage, dressing his administration with a meager assessment, rather than exposing real progress.

Former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier with the presidential couple – Source: President's facebook page

Following the president’s speech in the Haitian parliament, Prime Minister Garry Conille declared 2012 the year of reconstruction and enumerated a host of reconstruction initiatives his government would launch this year. Yet, nearly three months since his narrow parliamentary approval, Conille still struggled to wiggle free from Martelly’s shadow. Together however, the executive duo sang in unison: harmonious relationships between executive and legislative branches were instrumental to 2012’s success. While observers agreed such approach would help deflate tensions in Haiti’s hostile political environment, they reasoned the rhetoric did not reflect Haitian actualities. “It was only to save face,” inferred Oberle, referring to the executive’s ambitious goals. “While under the surface,” he added, “Trench warfare between the former singer elected in May and the ancient power-block that controls the parliament paralyzed the country in ruins.” Echoing these sentiments, Caribbean Creole News’ Claude Carre inferred, “Already, as this year begins, the potential for crisis is evident everywhere.” His article “A Country in Limbo, an Inexperienced President” offered critical insights into a saturated political environment decorated with confusion, warning signs and shortsightedness.

It was however the same media that called then candidate Martelly a political novice or outsider not belonging to the reining political élite, characteristics it said made him attractive to his supporters. After a seven-month crash course, rocked by political paralysis, power struggle and constitutional violations, critics noticed a different man emerging in the fragmented Haitian Palace. “The president embodies an entrenched neoliberal tradition,” asserted Oberle. “It has the support of part of the bourgeoisie with friendships rooted into the reign of Jean-Claude Duvalier, former dictator returned to Port-au-Prince just over a year ago,” he added. In the characterization of a diplomat to the popular French newspaper, “Martelly wanted to emancipate himself from certain realities, but he crashed into the wall of parliament,” revealed Oberle. With only two deputies from his party Repons Peyizan in parliament, the executive’s harmonious relationships ideals might prove a herculean task, especially with the president’s unilateral approach to governance. In fact, political isolation often surfaced when affluent analysts attempted to paint brush the administration’s ability to govern. “Even worse,” wrote Carre, “The government not only inherits this state in shambles, but is also headed by an inexperienced president that embraced a nostalgic, outdated vision of public affairs, and—at the same time—is controlled by the same powers that helped him rise to power.”

President Michel Martelly – Source: President's Facebook page

As optimistic the heads of state and government sounded, lawmakers foresaw another tumultuous political year, preluded by the latest eruption over allegations of Martelly’s multiple citizenship status, considered to be a mortal sin by the Haitian Constitution. “A president cannot have three passports,” hammered Senator Steven Benoit on the air of radio station Magik9. “This is serious,” he added, “He must be punished, but we are not there yet.” Predicting a volcanic political year, Benoit who represents the West Department in the upper house admitted, “This crisis was latent. It will explode when parliament reconvene.” The foreign nationals saga is the latest twist in a litany of crises that crippled Martelly’s seven-month tenure, barricading the country’s reconstruction efforts.

Given the senator’s insistence on exposing the man who– not long ago– threatened to dethrone parliamentarians one after the other, the president will have difficulties disarming that bomb. “I could not, in any way, shape or form, make unsubstantiated claims or without evidence,” replied Senator Moise Jean Charles when pressed about the injurious nature of his accusations against President Martelly and several members of his new government. “You can call and ask them for details,” he added.

Senator Charles, a fierce opponent of the president, granted interviews to many popular Haitian radio stations where he revealed Martelly, two Ministers and a Secretary of State held foreign passports. The senator stopped short of providing journalists with the smoking gun he gathered from his personal investigation, but threatened to make the documents public unless his senate colleagues launched an investigation into the matter. The Haitian Constitution explicitly spurned the authority of foreign nationals meddling in affairs of the state, especially a president and high-ranking officers. Irrefutable proof of such flagrant constitutional violation, as many lawmakers argued, could potentially force Martelly out of office, unraveling his young administration. However, should this turn out to be baseless accusations against the president and his staff, Senator Moise Jean Charles who admitted receiving death threats since going public with the information will face serious reprisals from his colleagues as well as the presidency.

Meanwhile, Senate majority leader Joseph Lambert, president of the committee investigating the citizenship status of all 39 members of the new government announced, during a press conference held late last week, two out of 10 government officials investigated thus far held foreign passports. Lambert called on the president and his top officials to surrender their documents, admitting the committee’s first request went unanswered. When questioned about the grave allegations leveled against him, President Martelly replied his priorities were to alleviate the burden of suffering Haitians, rather than entertaining silly accusations. His vague answers prompted several leaders in the civil society to call on him to make an official statement about what they characterized as an act of treason, but to no avail.

Assuming president Martelly survived the citizenship allegations, he would have to brace himself for the House of Deputies’ vindication for his government’s arbitrary and unconstitutional arrest of sitting Deputy Arnel Belizaire last October. While the president denied any knowledge or involvement in the arrest, a senate investigating committee’s report revealed the incident originated in the Haitian palace where the two men had a very animated verbal exchange. Members of the lower house subsequently adopted a resolution demanding the heads of all government officials involved in the arrest. The president’s ability to absorb lawmakers’ rage will not only determine the fate of his presidency, but also indicative of political maturity necessary to deal with complex Haitian politics. That’s not all, however.

The Haitian Senate

Publication of the constitutional amendments constituted yet another point of contention among leaders, triggering an avalanche of criticisms that further divided the country. Many opposition leaders and lawmakers vehemently rejected the idea of the publication, calling on President Martelly to restart the amendment process among the 49th legislature. Opponents cautioned the president against publishing amendments they called vile and fraudulent that could potentially make him vulnerable to impeachment proceedings. Proponents meanwhile, demanded the president kept his promised, publish the amendments and release the country from the grips of suspense and indecision. The final version of the amendments, recently handed to the president for official publication, promised 30 percent representation for women in government, a path to citizenship for Haitians leaving abroad, the creation of a permanent electoral entity and, among several others, the restoration of the Armed Forces of Haiti.

In spite of Martelly’s public promise to publish the amendments, he later recanted, saying he needed more time to ensure proper discourse, as opponents’ vehemence amplified. Framing the confusion surrounding the constitutional amendment, Benoit asked, “Under which constitutional guidance are we today?” The outspoken senator urged the executive to unambiguously clarify their positions on whether or not they abandoned the amended version passed overwhelmingly by the National assembly last May.

Further complicating an already precarious situation, the president failed to set a date for senatorial and municipal elections that should have been held last October, argued Benoit. Last month, President Martelly used a presidential decree to fire the Provisional Electoral Council that oversaw his ascension to power, signaling his resolve to move toward an eventual election date. However, his recent hesitation might have shattered those perceptions and threatened to plunge Haiti deeper into political instability, as 10 senate seats—one-third of the upper house—will be vacated. “With 30 members, the Senate finds it difficult to operate,” reasoned Benoit, “With 20 it will be worse.”

If one believed the executive duo however, Martelly learned a lot during the last seven months, as he admitted in an interview with Le Nouvelliste. Therefore, Year 2012 will put Haiti back on the map with major projects going up throughout the country, especially since Martelly promised to let the head of government do its job, admitting to finally understanding his role as president.

Armageddon, two years on….

Men searching for survivors among dead bodies

Haiti’s conventional image rarely extends beyond succinct summations of a corrupt, dangerous, impoverished and unstable place plagued by a litany of tragedies: man-made and nature-engineered. Perhaps then, it should surprise no one that the tarnished image prevailed, even two years after the cataclysmic devastation.

The reconfigured political landscape some observers characterized as very precarious and fragile in 2009 was completely decapitated on Jan. 12, 2010 when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake cratered the country. Robert Perito, director of Haiti Working Group (HWG), conceptualized Haitians’ cyclical psychological shock to the Columbia Journalism Review (CRJ) a year ago. “Just when we thought things were going well and we’d turn the corner and everything looked good,” he said, “This comes out of nowhere.” Since its 2006 inception, HWG– a program of the United States Institute for Peace—began monitoring Washington’s policy-making on Haiti and encouraging public discussions in its development and U.S.-Haitian relations.

Although Perito’s statement might surprise many Haitians whose frame of reference amounted to abysmal failures from their government, it was not misplaced. In fact, many reports from several economists, studies and political analysts canvassed a soaring sense of optimism that was uncharacteristic of Haiti’s recent history. In “Haiti: From Natural Catastrophe to Economic Security,” a 2009 report economist Paul collier prepared for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, he noted that in spite of its lengthy history of socio-economic fragility, Haiti had “far more fundamentals that the fragile states with which it was conventionally grouped.” Affirming Collier’s findings, the Center for American Progress argued in “Haiti’s Changing Tides,” comparing to the past several decades, the battered country was “experiencing one of the best combinations of open political space and physical security.”

Crumbled Haitian Palace Source: The Atlantic

The flow of optimism did not stop there though; Haiti’s leap in its estimated Gross Domestic Product from 0.8 percent in 2008 to 2.9 percent in 2009 reinforced economists’ perceptions about its potential economic emergence. Furthermore, economist Tyler Cowen’s “The Haitian Renaissance of 2010,” posted on his blog Marginal Revolution moments before the earthquake, perceived the macroeconomic data as the writing on the wall: the beginning of the end for Haiti’s downward spiral. While many skeptics disagreed, arguing the data analyzed was insufficient to make broad generalizations, experts agreed on one thing; the earthquake dispelled all theories. “The state has been completely emasculated,” said Haiti native Robert Fatton Jr. who teaches politics at the University of Virginia. “If you look at what happened with the earthquake, there’s nothing; there’s no state,” statement corroborated in excruciating details by countless survivor accounts, including renown Journalist Erilande Sully’s who worked for Le Matin, a Haitian weekly and the country’s second oldest newspaper at the time.

Armageddon’s torturous legacy….

On Jan. 12, 2012, agonizing testimonies of the dreadful day blanketed Haiti like minacious dark clouds, flooding the nation’s consciousness with overwhelming grief, including Sully’s agony captured during an interview he granted to the Foreign Policy Association (FPA).

Shoeless, Sully and his colleagues laughed outside about their building rocking from side to side, something they neither experienced before nor understood. Only a few seconds earlier, he sat in his office, took his shoes off and put his feet on his desk, in search of inspiration for his next assignment. Suddenly, leaping out of his chair, “It sounded like a tank of war was trying to run over our building,” said Sully, “Like a big tank was shooting on our building, so– without hesitating– I ran,” admitting to never thinking about his shoes. Once outside their dancing building that withstood the earthquake, they joked about Sully’s bare feet and quickness, unaware of the massive devastation taken place within that short period.

However, for survivor Pierre Chery interviewed on the eve of the second anniversary of the earthquake, it was no laughing matter. “Thirty-five seconds was enough to turn everything upside down,” he said, reflecting on his struggle for survival. “Seconds have never been so long,” he added during an interview with Le Matin. Even two years after Armageddon, “Goudou-Goudou,” as Haitians referred to the killer-quake, hunted its countless victims, especially Raphaela whose permanent scars painted a scenario of despair and grace. “I was pulled from under the rubble three days later,” she recounted. “And at some point, I lost all hope of survival; it was a painful moment.” To her, the eventual rescue was a miracle. “Today,” she said, “I consider my life as a divine gift.”

Moments later, it dawned on Sully and company; the laughter dissipated. Port-au-Prince, virtually a war zone, was reeling six feet under, so they scrambled around trying to reach family members, recalled Sully. “When we saw the destruction that was all around us, we realized it was something serious and it shocked me,” he said. The only terms he felt would describe what he witnessed were complete chaos and disaster of catastrophic proportions.

“Petionville was turned upside down. People were running in all directions, as if the people were not themselves,” he said, hesitating. “Like they’ve all gone crazy.” He saw people emerging from thick fogs of dust, completely disfigured. “Some people crawled out of collapse buildings covered in blood, while others desperately tried to remove people from under the rubble,” added Sully. “You realized that it was as if the end of the world was upon us.”

By then, the journalist could not locate any of his colleagues also scattered in the cloud of confusion, trauma, and helplessness, as he described the chaotic scenes. “No one was in control of the people and there were no functioning media to communicate with them,” said sully, moving his hands up, down, up again and in all directions to paint the vivid imagery. The radio, a primary communication medium for the Haitian population, nearly 50 percent of which is illiterate, was muted, as many stations caved to the earthquake’s molestation. “There was no cell phone, so you could not reach your people,” he added, slowly shaking his head.

Rescuers save a frightened little boy

On a parallel plane, amputee Dithna struggled to fight back her tears, as—through her eyes—journalists relived her ordeals. She was sitting on her porch when Goudou-Goudou’s deafening noise caught her by surprise. “The house began to shake with me,” she said. “Even before I had time to save myself, the house collapsed.” After spending two days under the rubble, the worse was yet to come for Dithna. “My neighbors, in order to save me, were forced to cut my leg that was trapped under chunks of concrete,” she added, sobbing. For her part, Marie Marthe admitted losing everything to Goudou-Goudou’s fury. “I’m totally dependent on others,” she exclaimed in a tone reporters described as somber and hopeless. However, it is the memories of her son who perished in the earthquake that made this second anniversary most unbearable for the 67-year-old survivor. “That was an unprecedented event; the experience was painful,” said Marthe. “Something that no one should have to relive.”

Sully agreed: reliving Jan. 12, 2010 would be disastrous, especially since 2-year-old memories manifestly haunted him even today. Those sporadic decrescendos racing up from Vallee de Bourdon to greet him on his way home, and then went silent, followed the reporter everyday since. “You just knew what they were,” he asserted. “To hear the cries of people trapped under the rubble and while you’re walking over the valley, you hear them and then they stop.” It became evident the journalist could not escape the dying voices, as he subconsciously covered his hears while retracing the event. “That moved me to tears”, he continued. “I’m listening to people crying; I’m hearing them screaming, but you can’t do anything for them nor can they help themselves.”

Those unpleasant echoes transcended him and affected him immensely since he could not reach out to help his dying brethren, he explained. Nevertheless, Sully hoped the monstrous human sacrifice was not meaningless. In addition to the current administration declaring 2012 the year for reconstruction, he found solace in this declaration made by Right to Housing Collective during its peaceful march on the earthquake’s second anniversary.

“Remember, you are marching today for those who couldn’t be here. To say to them, we haven’t forgotten; we’ll never forget. And to those that are still here, we will take a stand for the rebuilding of Haiti.”

As many Charlotte residents continue to be concerned about the health of those in Haiti, Haitian Heritage and Friends of Haiti has an event planned in Charlotte on January 12th, 2012 local residents may want to attend.
The event, Remembrance & Reflection of January 12th, 2010 Earthquake, will mark the second anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti that killed over 300,000 people.
The Press Release received from Sabine Guerrier, President of Haitian Heritage and Friends of Haiti, a Charlotte based group also referred to as HHFoH, includes the following information:

Haitian Heritage & Friends of Haiti (HHFoH) is holding a one hour event to commemorate the second anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010.

We are inviting the Charlotte Community and beyond to join us in remembering the 300,000 plus victims who have lost their lives:

Date: Thursday, January 12, 2012

Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Place: Providence United Methodist Church

2810 Providence Rd

Charlotte, NC 28211

The ceremony will include pictures/videos of Haiti prior to the quake, immediately after the quake and the current state of Haiti. We will also have an opportunity to hear testimonials from some of the victims and organizations/individuals who have been helping Haiti since then.

We hope you can join us for this memorable one hour event in honor of those who have perished. We’ll take a moment to pray for those who continue to struggle with the hardship of life and for the well-being of our beloved country Haiti.
Those in Charlotte wanting more details about the January 12th, 2012 Remembrance and Reflection event may contact Sabine Guerrier at 704-890-9903. Also, emails may be sent to hhfoh@live.com. To view the site for Haitian Heritage and Friends of Haiti Group please use this link.

President Martelly Handing car keys to a contest winner

“Mayor Wilson Jeudi has just bulldozed the entire camp,” recounted Connie Watson, CBC Radio’s Correspondent in Haiti. “He showed up with the police at 6 o’clock this morning, stormed through with machetes and clubs, slicing all the tents and knocking down their springy supports.”

Watson witnessed the early morning raid orchestrated in camp Delmas 3; one of many tent cities scattered around the capital and filed a short documentary for the Canadian radio station published on Thursday Dec. 29, 2011. The raid segment was part of a larger report about Haiti’s generational land disputes, often marked by violence, larcenies and/or deaths.

The impromptu raid left camp residents traumatized, vibrating with anger. “I need to know if Haiti really has any human rights,” said Guirlene Pierre, struggling to frame her thoughts, as the police cleared the camp she shared with 200 displaced persons. “I need to know,” she added, “If we are the people who will always be forced to bow down to the higher classes just so the rich can take every little thing we have.”

Justifying the government’s actions however, Mayor Jeudi felt the homeless people were in the way of progress. “If we keep on like this,” he told Watson, “How are we going to attract investors so they can come here and give jobs to the people?” Among his reasons for raiding camp Delmas 3, the mayor enumerated prostitution trades, camps serving criminals’ safe haven and residents enjoying free rent while renting out their real homes, although he did not elaborate on mechanisms the government used to identify those nuisances. “We must search for serenity and peace to attract foreign investors,” stressed Jeudi who later added, “The truly homeless people had a year and a half to find somewhere else to live.”

Under the media’s spotlight though, Martelly’s holiday festivities depicted a harmonious relationship between the president and his people, as he gave away cars, motorcycles, money, TV sets and many other gifts. The presidential couple travelled to various parts of the country, held competitions where people danced for them to win prizes and handed out cash envelopes to cheering spectators. Although the program drew sharp criticism from many leaders across a broad societal spectrum, the first couple perceived it as the best way to put smiles on sad faces that experienced a tough year. The administration allocated $11 million to implement Christmas of Solidarity; a program Prime Minister Garry Conille said would also create about 35,000 temporary jobs for camp dwellers in addition to many holiday handouts.

The jubilant crowd dancing with Martelly hoping to be the lucky winner of a presidential prize differed radically from the infuriated bunch in Watson’s report, fleeing bulldozers, gathering their remaining dignity. Facing eviction from flimsy tents, inhabitants scrambled helplessly with family members. “As they watched the garbage truck in stunned silence,” described Watson, “They’re each handed a cardboard box, containing a bar of soap, some toothpaste and other basics,” from the Haitian Red Cross. “It doesn’t begin to replace what they’ve just lost,” she added. The recurring scenario enraged civil rights advocates such as Patrice Florvilus who decried the mayor’s actions as inhumane and criminal. They young lawyer has helped people leaving in displacement camps fight evictions, though unsuccessfully most times. “They have to relocate them,” he shouted into Watson’s microphone, his choler boiling over. “They have to find a place to relocate them before kicking them out,” added Florvilus whose pleas fell on death hears, as the police carried on, bulldozing lives.

A house in the Artibonite Valley in Haiti, destroyed by those claiming the property as their own. Photo/Connie Watson

Like Martelly’s predecessors, attempting to settle age-old land quarrels bearing a dynasty of contemptuous flares will be as if walking a minefield. As the documentary indicated, the bloodied history of Haiti’s land disputes traced back to the birth of the republic and shared the blame for first Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines’ assassination, two years after his historic ascension to power. How does an administration decide who owns a piece of property when several people claim ownership to it? Many of them hold deeds or land titles dating back generations and are even willing to die for it.

For rights lawyer Florvilus though, fraudulent title claims did not justify government raiding homeless camps, challenging the legitimacy of the elite’s claim of the lands. He shared the views of many Haitians who thought the devastating earthquake that cratered much of the country in Jan. 2010 would initiate tangible property reforms. “We thought that after the earthquake the Haitian government would take advantage of this time to try to regulate the whole land ownership issue, but they haven’t done that,” explained Florvilus. He stated that only 5 percent of the country’s lands were legally registered, which left 95 percent for anyone to claim.

In spite of major scarcity of resources, the administration managed to offer some cash incentives to encourage people to leave the camps they have called home for nearly two years. However, it was not the case for Pierre and her 200 neighbors who were served eviction notices instead. Bulldozers and machetes will not diffuse land-ownership’s ticking bomb; neither the perception of harmonious Christmas incentivized by gifts, which according to lawmakers, did not begin to address dire needs of the general population. Instead, this young administration needs a strategic approach to address the plaguing problem, perhaps even Jeffersonian.

Meanwhile, as one side optimistically hangs its hat on Martelly’s promise of law and order to keep what they deemed rightfully theirs, not so fast, cried the other. They too, want justice and are ready to die to get that little half hectare plot back, as Watson explained. In their eyes, there were only two options: “Die for the land or die of starvation.”

Former Dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier with graduating law students in Gonaives. Source: Le nouvelliste

“Here I am in Gonaives this morning after 26 years, answering your invitation, which provoked memories that are not necessarily pleasant,” declared former president-for-life Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier to the graduating class of Gonaives’ Faculty of Law. “Indeed,” continued the honorary speaker, “I’m referring to Jean-Robert Cius, Michaelson Michel and Daniel Israel, fallen almost at the threshold of adolescence.” Surrounded by students and bodyguards, Duvalier added, “Please take a moment, as I ask you to join me in observing a moment of silence in their memory.”

Invoking the memory of the three martyred students by the former dictator was particularly injurious to his victims, activists and leaders of human rights organizations. The Committee of Lawyers for the Respect of Individual Liberties (CARLI French acronym) wondered, in a released note, “How can he invoke the memory of the victims while the perpetrators of this triple murder worked for his regime, therefore making him criminally responsible.” In November 1985, Duvalier’s strong men, the Tonton Macoutes, killed the three students in cold blood in the City of Independence, initiating the eruption of popular uprisings throughout the country that led to his fleeing for France on February 7, 1986. The former authoritarian leader inherited the reins of Haiti’s presidency from his father Francois Duvalier in 1971 and ruled the country with an iron fist until his dethronement by military coup.

CARLI’s leaders denounced the scandalous behavior of the faculty, especially Joseph Patron Jean-Louis, the dean of Gonaives’ School of Law and Economics. “How can law students and officials from a law school ignore the basic principles of human rights and even want to institutionalize the impunity of our political leaders,” asked Renand Hedouville, general secretary of CARLI. He called the school’s choice insulting and provocative, actions he said leaders undertook to slowly reintegrate Duvalier into Haitian society.

Francois Duvalier (right) and Jean-Claude Duvalier (left) Source: the Telegraph

During his speech, Duvalier said choosing him as honorary speaker was a particularly courageous and thoughtful act for which he owed the students a debt of gratitude. However, the Ecumenical Center for Human Rights (CEDH French acronym) disagreed, calling his intervention an “Unjustifiable provocation to the memory of thousands of compatriots, daughters and sons of Haiti,” especially when future legal and judicial leaders made that choice. Protesting the school’s decision, CEDH wondered how Duvalier could roam around the country so freely while a judge placed him on house arrest.

Duvalier, 60, landed in Haiti unexpectedly on January 16, 2011, after a 25-year exile in France; however, state prosecutors charged him with corruption, embezzlement and crimes against humanity two days later. Amid disturbance reports taken place wherever the ex-dictator visited, a judge placed him on home confinement, pending a decision about his case. Recently, two dozen Duvalier supporters paralyzed an Amnesty International press conference, barging in Le Plaza Hotel where the human rights organization planned to released ‘You Cannot Kill the Truth,” a report detailing dozens of unpublished testimonies from political prisoners who survived the authoritarian regime.

State prosecutors still await Judge Carvez Jean’s decision on the merit of the case against Duvalier who declared, “It’s time for reconciliation,” to his young crowd, cheering. However, rather than rewarding impunity, CARLI’s note reminded students “their obligation was to fight against it.”