Haiti’s Miseries Require Problem Solving Approach

Nearly a year since the January 12 earthquake; more than two months since the first cholera’s case, who in the Haitian Government, among the 19 presidential candidates, from the civil society has publicized any specific proposal or suggestion about how to resolve these tragic problems. When one of our children comes home with any kind of injury, we normally consider first how to address the situation before finding out who may have hurt the child.
In the case of the earthquake, it seems that Haitian authorities, the candidates and the civil society, thought that whatever had to be done was entirely the responsibility of the international community. By analogy again, if I had waited for my good neighbors to take charge of my injured child, I would have to accept any decision they make. I could claim my parental rights if I had called in an MD. or take the child to emergency, or seek neighboring assistance if I realized my incapability to act by myself although I had some positive idea on what action to take. Unfortunately, all supposedly responsible people, even those at the top of the government, had no plan, no idea, except to say, “help me.”
It is about time for the Haitians to take charge of themselves. Paula Newton reported December 13, 2010 on CNN that U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, at a joint news conference with her Canadian and Mexican counterparts, said. “As we are approaching the one-year anniversary of the Haitian earthquake, there hasn’t been the kind of coordinated, coherent response from the government of Haiti that is called for.” She added, “We understand that the government itself was badly damaged. Individuals were traumatized, but there has to be a greater effort, and there has to be a more focused approach towards problem-solving.”
Commenting on a proposal by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont calling for a halt to direct aid to Haiti’s government, Clinton conceded that the American government was becoming increasingly frustrated with Haiti’s efforts to try to resolve the electoral crisis, but she said that suspending any aid would serve only to punish the Haitian people.” Clinton was attending a low-key meeting in the quiet village of Wakefield, Quebec, with the foreign ministers of Canada and Mexico. She said all three countries would be offering more technical assistance to help Haiti sort through its election controversy.
With regards to the cholera epidemic, no one seems to recognize and have the courage to explain to the Haitian people that regardless the initial reason for this sickness, its spreading is caused primarily by inefficient public hygiene and inadequate drinking water. A couple of cases in Dominican Republic and one in Miami, Florida did not spread because there was not the unsanitary conditions to facilitate such situation.
Instead of recognizing the endemic inadequacy of public hygiene and clean drinking water availability to the Haitian population, some irresponsible religious reactionary individuals, after calling the epidemic a curse, are turning some fractions of the population against the Vodou religion and its faithful into victims of a criminal vendetta that seems worse than the anti-superstitious campaign of regrettable time.
From an i-mail Rachel Beauvoir-Dominique Circulated in Haitian Kreyol, we have translated the following information signed by Max G. Beauvoir, Aty National of the “Konfederasyon Nasyonnal Vodouizan Ayisyen”: Although every body know it has been proven that the sickness was imported they are putting the origin of this calamity on Vodou. Already more than ten individuals have been killed in the south and several more in the north. Most of the time, the victims are the most vulnerable, women, older persons, or even handicap persons. Accused of possessing bottles that are spreading cholera, they are picked up, stoned to death then thrown in the streets where they are left to die, their cadavers
abandoned to the devouring dogs.
The country will not become any better as long as such atrocities are committed without any police intervention to protect the citizens against the craziness some ill informed individuals. Haiiti will not progress in ignominy of any kind and for any reason.