Haiti towards a social crisis
It’s no secret to anyone, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. On this Caribbean island, over half of the 11 million people survive on less than $ 2 a day. According to the data, 41% of the population is unemployed, two-thirds work in informal jobs.
However, for the past few weeks, the country has been experiencing a chaotic situation, vandalism, and violent demonstrations. What we seek through these protests are:
· The resignation of President Jovenel Moïse to be incompetent, not to mention the real and its possible implications in the diversion of PetroCaribe money (Program through which the Government of Venezuela supplies oil to the country at very low prices to achieve social development).
· Corruption in which several authorities have been involved, including the current president. And to this is added the increase in the cost of living and street violence.
In this situation, the government announced a reduction in the cost of basic necessities and increased access to credit for small businesses, a measure that the population considered insufficient. Another decision taken by the national government is to create a committee of dialogue to facilitate inter-Haitian dialogue. However, in our opinion, we do not believe that this committee can do anything for the country, because from the beginning, this committee has been challenged for the way it was chosen and most of its members are not known by the people, moreover the protagonists are not sincere, each group defends its petty interests above the national interests. What is worse, we note with great sadness that the current opposition is neither opposed to the corruption that is cancer for the country, nor to unemployment, nor the ineffectiveness of the state, nor to smuggling. His only remorse is not to be in power now.
Therefore, as a Congregation, together with the Episcopal Conference of Haiti, we invite the social and political protagonists to “join forces and intelligence to save our common boat, which is Haiti.” We encourage you to find a wise solution that takes into account the superior interests of the nation and the defense of the common good. We demand public awareness of the various parties for a patriotic decision, even at the price of great sacrifices. Since people cannot do more, the situation is getting worse. Haiti will be saved by dialogue when sincerely, everyone will be able to participate and put the common interest first.
Father Renold Antonie, CSsR
Regional Secretary
