By: Lennox Weston
We all would have heard the news that Kenya will be leading a United Nations mission to Haiti to restore order.
The United States government was able to broker a deal with Kenya to lead this mission. Of course Kenya also negotiated the United States assistance for its own fight against terrorism in its state.
The American government will provide financing for the mission as well as financing for Kenya’s own efforts in its
self-defense and United States will also provide logistics.
Much can be said about this arrangement and the need for inducement for the involvement of Kenya and the fact that United States government will not be sending troops but committing financing and logistical support only.
One could say that United States lacks credibility and the Moral Authority to provide leadership in the restoration not only of order but democracy and development in Haiti and to pursue what is in the interest of the Haitian people.
This trend of thought while having some merit based on the long history of exploitation and usurping of political power by the Americans and several missions it undertook historically in HAITI, would be copping out from the glaring elephant in the room.
Where is CARICOM in all these arrangements?
After all Haiti is a member of CARICOM and CARICOM has sent several DISCUSSION missions and have led many discussions INTERNATIONALLY about restoration of some sort of order in Haiti. It is striking to note that not a word has been said about Caricom’s role so far. CARICOM has not yet put out any definitive release as the role it will play and its members will play in this latest mission to Haiti.
Caricom has lost a golden opportunity to demonstrate leadership in this latest intervention in the plight of one of his own members and to provide the leadership of the mission that would comprise Caribbean countries African Countries Latin American countries and crucially Cuba with the resources of Security Council Members of United Nation including the USA and the backing of the United Nations for this mission.
CARICOM role is crucial since they have been many missions to Haiti with little or no resolution in the conflict which continues to engulf the country.
Caricom can still reprise some form of leadership by taking the lead role in hammering out the purpose and agenda of the mission in first of all restoring democracy and secondly by the implementation of a broad base development program that would alleviate the dire level of poverty restore the Environmental Landscape and develop sustainable agriculture and industries restoring public infrastructure the health infrastructure and the security apparatus .
It is true this mission should be the mission that finally brings all parties to the table develop a consensus and a timetable for free and fair elections and the installation of a democratically elected government and Parliament and putting in place the security forces to sustain the governance of that new Parliament and government.
This Mission should also ensure that concrete resources are placed at the disposal of the government from a multiplicity of sources included IMF the World Bank United Nations Development agencies the Green climate change fund and the bilateral grants from major governments in Europe and North America .
The restoration of order in Haiti is not sufficient to ensure that this long period of punishment that Haiti has to endure can be finally put to rest and Haiti can emerge as a democratic state on a sustainable path for development focusing on its own people and its own interest and free from the manipulation of international forces and puppet corrupt dictatorial governments.
We must never forget that Haiti is paying the price for being the first black country to defeat the white colonialist power and declare itself a free black state.
Let this mission be the one that brings the dreams and hopes and sacrifice of the Haitian people and their leaders Toussaint and Dessaline to life.
Let this Mission be the one that will be the formal salute of the world to the heroics of the black Jacobins; let the work and ambition of CLR James come alive;
Let this Mission be the basis for a new David Rudder song, No longer crying and singing sorry to Haiti, but this time singing Haiti will rise like the Caribbean Sun restoring Justice to its people and earning the respect and praise for daring to fight and declare itself as a black nation to be free and so give courage confidence and clear the historical path for all black nations gaining their own independence and freedom .
Let this Mission be an end to the punishment of Haiti and the instalation of puppet governments engaging in corruption and disorder.
This time let us do it for Haiti.
It sounds very philosophical and aspirational to express these sentiments. However, the reality that we have seen repeatedly for our entire lifetime speaks loudly to us that, as the U.S.$1 Trillion wasted in Iraq and Afghanistan, and all for naught, so countless missions, charities, and billions of dollars in aid have been wasted in Haiti e.g., through corruption, through nepotism, through self-serving parasitic leaders, and through ganglords outweighing legitimate public service and official Government. How can we expect to help people who do not want to be helped, or simply squander or steal aid? How can outsiders expect to help people who continually fight, destroy their natural environment, and undermine their local leaders, and perpetuate violence, rape and poverty against their own citizens?