#BTEditorial – ‘Haiti, I’m sorry’ is just not enough

“Haiti, I’m sorry
We misunderstood you,
One day we’ll turn our heads
And look inside you,
Haiti, I’m sorry
One day we’ll turn our heads,
Restore your glory.”
Haiti – David Rudder (1988)

For decades, Haiti has been in turmoil, struggling constantly to find some semblance of normalcy, some sort of economic stability, all the things that come with good governance. For decades, its governments and leaders have been victims of coups, killings and kidnappings. For decades, the country has been home to political unrest, protests and poverty. For decades, generations of Haitians have attempted to flee the land of their birth in hopes of a brighter and better future. And for all those decades, the world, has looked on and all we have really offered them is the sad and pitiful, “Haiti, I’m sorry”.

In 2021, Haitians deserve better. We have innocent Caribbean neighbours who long for “normal”. We have people who share the same pigmentation as us who are in need of dire help. “I am sorry” just won’t cut it this toss.

On Wednesday, we woke up to the news that Haitian president Jovenel Moise had been assassinated. Gunmen invaded his home. His wife was hurt and is in a Miami hospital. Two days before, President Moise had appointed a new prime minister, Ariel Henry, whom he tasked with leading the September 26 General Elections.

By nightfall, police had reportedly killed four of the initial six suspects.

But on Thursday, national police director Leon Charles revealed that at least 28 people carried out the horrendous act. He reported that 26 of them were Colombian and two were Americans of Haitian origin.

The poorest country in the Americas again has no president or working parliament. And two men, Henry and Joseph Claude are claiming to be in charge as prime minister.

So Haiti remains in political purgatory.

Along with centuries of political fighting, civil war, major events in 2004 altered an already harsh life in Haiti.

In 2004, a revolt against then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide began in northern Haiti. But prior to that, in 1994, 20,000 US troops were in Haiti under Operation Uphold Democracy. This led to the restoration of Aristide after he was ousted by a coup in 1991. Reports indicated that kidnappers removed Aristide from Haiti forcing him into exile.

In the midst of the continuing political chaos, a series of natural disasters hit the poverty-stricken country.

In 2004, Tropical Storm Jeanne skimmed the north coast, leaving 3,006 people dead as a result of flooding and mudslides, mostly in the city of Gonaives.

In 2008, Haiti was again struck by tropical storms; Tropical Storm Fay, Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Hanna and Hurricane Ike all produced heavy winds and rain, resulting in 331 deaths and about 800,000 in need of humanitarian aid.

The natural disasters and the already high food and fuel prices caused a food crisis and political unrest in April 2008.

In January 2010, Haiti was struck by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake. The earthquake was reported to have left between 220,000 and 300,000 people dead and up to 1.6 million homeless.

The tragic event led to a massive cholera outbreak that was triggered when cholera-infected waste from a United Nations peacekeeping station contaminated the country’s main river.

In 2017, it was reported that roughly 10,000 Haitians had died and nearly a million had been made ill. The United Nations has refused to acknowledge fault, thus avoiding financial responsibility.

In 2013, Haiti called for European nations to pay reparations for slavery and established an official commission for the settlement of past wrongdoings.

In July 2018, there were demonstrations in cities throughout Haiti in response to increased fuel prices. Over time those protests evolved into demands for the resignation of President Moise. 

There have been riots in the streets of Haiti from then until now.

In June, UNICEF reported that nearly 14,000 people, mainly women and children, had fled their homes and attempted to seek refuge elsewhere.

UNICEF Haiti Representative Bruno Maes said: “Every time, clashes between armed groups are more violent and every time more women and children are forced to flee their homes.”

History tells us that Haiti seemingly lacks what it takes to bring stability to itself. No leadership, no regime has successfully brought about real and lasting change.

And while the narrative of many is that the country is cursed because of its evil doings, we banish the thought. Evil exists in all lands. From the so-called first world to the third world, countries record acts of evil and wrong-doing daily. Are we to believe that the innocent souls in Haiti are paying for the sins of forefathers? If so, many lands around the world would face a similar fate.

We have no theory as to why Haiti’s turmoil lingers on and on and on. But facts and history tell us that the country and its people are in grave need of urgent help.

The thousands who are fleeing want better. The mother who gives birth to her child in Haiti expects better. The innocent babe born in Haiti deserves better. The youngster who dreams of a fulfilling career hopes for better.

Why must generations of innocent Haitians be collateral damage because they are simply born into chaos? What makes a Haitian’s fate so damned while others seem so promising?

While we continue to weep for our brothers and sisters in Haiti, world leaders, the United Nations, CARICOM, must do more to save these innocent Haitians who yearn for better. The refrain “Haiti, I’m Sorry” is 33 years old now. It is no longer enough.