I haven’t posted much on this site lately because of a traumatic experience endured. The reason was because I dare to reconnect with my beloved country, Haiti by visiting. Prior to visiting, I hadn’t been there in approximately 15 years. When I visited 15 years ago, it was only for a few days.
While I was there, I was extremely disappointed because of what Haiti have become. Never mind the trash, overcrowdings in the capital. What bothered me in Haiti is the anti-regulation, and extreme freedom that people feel like is their birth right. In the capital, merchant do as they please. They set up shops at will and there’s nothing you can do about it. So does taxi drivers. Rumor is when Mayor Jeudy Wilson attempted to introduced some kind of regulation, he learned quick who was in charged. I will say no more about that incident. However, put it that way, he had to run to Gonaives for some traditional cure.
Back to the topic at hand, many of you guys have been promoting infrastructure and energy as the solution for Haiti’s problem. I have been traveling all of my life; therefore, I’ve been to places with less electricity and paved roads than Haiti, but more beautiful. More electricity as well as paved road is a must indeed; but what Haiti desperately need is a change of character and attitude through social/ethical education. The education of math and grammar is great but without the other its useless. Even the president has given up. Don’t believe the hype, Micky has realized this is a lost cause. Even with his free education program he realized he need some real social consciousness education. Haiti is unmanageable, and ungovernable because Haitians living in Haiti are so anti-regulation. For instance, how do you expect any and everyone to start commerce anywhere at any given time with no question asked. There are places with traffic lights and these fuckers behave as if they don’t exist, and no law enforcement to enforce traffic laws. As far as the merchants, with no regulation, that means they are not paying taxes, even if it means a dollar a month. In addition to that, they expect the government to pick up they trash left behind by them. With so many Haitians involved in commerce, I guarantee you with taxation things would change. Even some of the Diaspora is involved by loading used items/clothes in the country without paying taxes.
It was also very welcoming as well to get a gun pointed in my face as I got robbed in Martian en route to carnival in Les Cayes. Unless, you guys abroad are willing to die for that change you desperately desire for your country expect to die without ever seeing a better Haiti. Perhaps you offspring will again deny the fact that Haitian blood run through their veins. Sadly, the senators and deputies in Haiti are willing to die and/or kill you before they allow change because change means less money in their pocket.
On a positive note, Jacmel is very beautiful, especially the scenery going there. However, I see the signs of destruction coming there too through anti-regulation, and increase of crime. I also visited Gonaives, Cite de L’edependence, electricity 24/7. I see a lot of potential for that city. Surprisingly, the worst neighborhoods in Gonaives, are now the most desirables due to its diasporas going back and building.
God be with Haiti and let the light of righteousness prevail.
I always said that place needs some serious law and order.
I had a Facebook conversation with the guy who wants to bring a huge cruise ship of American missionaries into Port au Prince for a visit. I told him he's nuts. Those people are going to get the shock of their lives.
I understand you got robbed in Haiti, and it is indeed a traumatic experience. But it doesn't excuse wild generalizations and ignorant statements. You sound like some very old, very white person who's only ever heard of Haiti from other privileged bigots, and never bothered to actually learn anything about the country. It's even more likely to get robbed/raped/killed in certain parts of NYC (essentially anywhere that's not Manhattan or LI), it doesn't mean I'll start stereotyping everything about the US.
Haitians are not "anti-regulation." This makes no sense, we don't have a special gene that keeps us from following rules. When we move to other countries it's not like we behave like wild animals.
Haiti is poor, and many of the problems you described are derived directly from this fact. Merchants don't set up shops everywhere because they like it or to "stick it to the man" or they are so much dumber than our great diaspora. They have nowhere else to go. Jeudy was an idiot who thought he could enforce laws without first making it possible to actually follow them. There are no jobs so many people turn to "commerce" to literally survive, there are not enough designated marketplaces for all these merchants so they take it to the streets. Enforcement will never be possible until it's more than just quick fixes to please the privileged minority (OMG there's trash everywhere!). If anyone in the government actually had a plan for these poor people to actually better their lives these problems would disappear, except of course for the deviant minority that will defy laws like in any other country. For these people you have zero tolerance (tickets, jail, etc) and the problem is solved. To be honest, I'd rather these poor people be merchants in the streets than all thieves fighting for a loaf of bread, which is essentially their other alternative to feed themselves and their family. If I were living in the conditions some of these people live in I don't know that I'd still look for an honest living, especially when you get judged by everyone like it's your choice. I work with these poor people everyday and trust me, they don't like their lives and they're not living like this just to disgust the diaspora and the Haitian upper classes.
You speak of people burning lights as if this is the only country it happens, or as if it's actually a free for all. Sure, maybe enforcement is not as efficient as in the US (we don't have fancy cameras and cops aren't hidden to "catch" you). But it doesn't mean everyone doesn't respect them as much as they can, or that the cops won't give you a ticket if they catch you in the act. Even with those measures people burn lights all the time in the US, this has nothing to do with Haitians in particular. Again, lack of enforcement, and honestly if the choice is between a cop working to reduce violent crimes or making sure idiots aren't being idiots at each light I'll take the former.
We've been talking about these things as a social problem for too long. It immediately shows how privileged we are. "People sitting in dirt all day to make a living is not a consequence of a serious economical deficiency, no they clearly aren't educated enough to know that trash is bad. Let's not try to make their lives easier, no. Let's just educate them about it!" It's snobby, demeaning and out of touch. Of course the merchants know their lives are miserable. You pass very quickly through the trash that offends you so much in your 4x4's with the windows up and AC on, they have to live in it. Cars hit them all the time, and cops remind them of it (by beating them and taking away their goods) everyday. Forcing them to "learn" it will not solve the problem. Education has a role to play, but only if it's actual useful instruction that will get them good jobs and reduce their poverty, not education on their own way of living.
If Micky were so serious about these problems he wouldn't be siphoning money from you, the diaspora, for luxuries, to travel around the world and binge in drugs that leave him completely broken for days like some college kid during Spring Break (that's what the education thing is about, nothing else; it's been confirmed for a while now that no money from the fund has been used toward education; it's all BID, other international donors and the Ministry of Education's funds, which have been used for this purpose way before Micky came. You're funding his playboy lifestyle). He wouldn't be running around begging everyone for money and acting as if that's an accomplishment. He'd have a serious plan to promote investments to create jobs and grow tax revenue (and I don't mean creating fancy logos or catchy slogans either; I mean monetary policy, tax policy to have money available from BRH to other banks for local investment; I mean infrastructure spending to attract the good kind of international investors, not vultures flocking to cheap wages and zone franches who will create even more poverty; I mean working with Parliament to get laws up to date to current technology, so people can invest in things without having to "lobby" senators to create laws about their products). That's what a president who wants to change his country does.
One last thing: please stop reducing the country to two or three cities. The whole country is not choking under trash or with merchants everywhere. If you're speaking about Port-au-Prince make sure you say you are.
Lack of trust in the government has a lot to do with it; people won't want to pay taxes if they can't trust you to provide services. Jeudy made promises to the merchants in order to get elected, had them carrying identity cards, but did not keep his promises. Noob is right better: be an eyesore than to resort to crime. That's why I have so much respect for the machann that toil in the sun all day.
The diaspora in Gonaives and Latibonit, although not rich, have been investing a lot in Haiti. They have many organizations working to bring electricity and clean water.
I understand you got robbed in Haiti, and it is indeed a traumatic experience. But it doesn't excuse wild generalizations and ignorant statements. You sound like some very old, very white person who's only ever heard of Haiti from other privileged bigots, and never bothered to actually learn anything about the country. It's even more likely to get robbed/raped/killed in certain parts of NYC (essentially anywhere that's not Manhattan or LI), it doesn't mean I'll start stereotyping everything about the US.
Haitians are not "anti-regulation." This makes no sense, we don't have a special gene that keeps us from following rules. When we move to other countries it's not like we behave like wild animals.
Haiti is poor, and many of the problems you described are derived directly from this fact. Merchants don't set up shops everywhere because they like it or to "stick it to the man" or they are so much dumber than our great diaspora. They have nowhere else to go. Jeudy was an idiot who thought he could enforce laws without first making it possible to actually follow them. There are no jobs so many people turn to "commerce" to literally survive, there are not enough designated marketplaces for all these merchants so they take it to the streets. Enforcement will never be possible until it's more than just quick fixes to please the privileged minority (OMG there's trash everywhere!). If anyone in the government actually had a plan for these poor people to actually better their lives these problems would disappear, except of course for the deviant minority that will defy laws like in any other country. For these people you have zero tolerance (tickets, jail, etc) and the problem is solved. To be honest, I'd rather these poor people be merchants in the streets than all thieves fighting for a loaf of bread, which is essentially their other alternative to feed themselves and their family. If I were living in the conditions some of these people live in I don't know that I'd still look for an honest living, especially when you get judged by everyone like it's your choice. I work with these poor people everyday and trust me, they don't like their lives and they're not living like this just to disgust the diaspora and the Haitian upper classes.
You speak of people burning lights as if this is the only country it happens, or as if it's actually a free for all. Sure, maybe enforcement is not as efficient as in the US (we don't have fancy cameras and cops aren't hidden to "catch" you). But it doesn't mean everyone doesn't respect them as much as they can, or that the cops won't give you a ticket if they catch you in the act. Even with those measures people burn lights all the time in the US, this has nothing to do with Haitians in particular. Again, lack of enforcement, and honestly if the choice is between a cop working to reduce violent crimes or making sure idiots aren't being idiots at each light I'll take the former.
We've been talking about these things as a social problem for too long. It immediately shows how privileged we are. "People sitting in dirt all day to make a living is not a consequence of a serious economical deficiency, no they clearly aren't educated enough to know that trash is bad. Let's not try to make their lives easier, no. Let's just educate them about it!" It's snobby, demeaning and out of touch. Of course the merchants know their lives are miserable. You pass very quickly through the trash that offends you so much in your 4x4's with the windows up and AC on, they have to live in it. Cars hit them all the time, and cops remind them of it (by beating them and taking away their goods) everyday. Forcing them to "learn" it will not solve the problem. Education has a role to play, but only if it's actual useful instruction that will get them good jobs and reduce their poverty, not education on their own way of living.
If Micky were so serious about these problems he wouldn't be siphoning money from you, the diaspora, for luxuries, to travel around the world and binge in drugs that leave him completely broken for days like some college kid during Spring Break (that's what the education thing is about, nothing else; it's been confirmed for a while now that no money from the fund has been used toward education; it's all BID, other international donors and the Ministry of Education's funds, which have been used for this purpose way before Micky came. You're funding his playboy lifestyle). He wouldn't be running around begging everyone for money and acting as if that's an accomplishment. He'd have a serious plan to promote investments to create jobs and grow tax revenue (and I don't mean creating fancy logos or catchy slogans either; I mean monetary policy, tax policy to have money available from BRH to other banks for local investment; I mean infrastructure spending to attract the good kind of international investors, not vultures flocking to cheap wages and zone franches who will create even more poverty; I mean working with Parliament to get laws up to date to current technology, so people can invest in things without having to "lobby" senators to create laws about their products). That's what a president who wants to change his country does.
One last thing: please stop reducing the country to two or three cities. The whole country is not choking under trash or with merchants everywhere. If you're speaking about Port-au-Prince make sure you say you are.
that's exactly my sentiments. too many haitians here on HX are helping crucify haiti some more. i think haitians do worse to haiti than what american media has done. even when there are some minute improvements, they'll find something really bad to say about it. i'm not talking about ti bwat katon latrinn.
THIS IS THE WHOLE TRUTH, NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, HAITI GOT SOME SERIOUS PROBLEM UNLESS THE GOVERNMENT IS WILLING TO STEP OVER THEIR CHEST AND WILLING TO THROW PEOPLE IN JAIL AND FACES HARSH PUNISHEMENT FOR THE VIOLATORS HAITI WILL NOT GET ANYWHERE, DICTATORSHIP IS WAY TO GO WHEN YOU HAVE UNEDUCATED PEOPLE LIKE THE HAITIAN PEOPLE TO DEAL WITH. MARTELLY WILL HAVE A HARDTIME GETTING THE COUNTRY IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, DECENTRALISER PEYI YA SA CE PREMIER STEP LA FORGET ABOUT ELECTRICITY, RUNNING WATER YO GEN LONGTEMP YAP VIVE KONSA 2 ANS PAP TUER YO TOUTE, FRSH START.
I do agree with some of the things you wrote belfam79.
Definetly the people for the most part don't respect any laws .And the vendors all over on the streets, is one of the things that make me want to vomit, it's just ugly and make it unsafe for pedestrians. someone like Jean claude and francois Duvalier could of deal with some of those people.
Anyway it could of been interesting if you had some pictures of your trip.
If Micky were so serious about these problems he wouldn't be siphoning money from you, the diaspora, for luxuries, to travel around the world and binge in drugs that leave him completely broken for days like some college kid during Spring Break (that's what the education thing is about, nothing else; it's been confirmed for a while now that no money from the fund has been used toward education; it's all BID, other international donors and the Ministry of Education's funds, which have been used for this purpose way before Micky came. You're funding his playboy lifestyle). He wouldn't be running around begging everyone for money and acting as if that's an accomplishment. He'd have a serious plan to promote investments to create jobs and grow tax revenue (and I don't mean creating fancy logos or catchy slogans either; I mean monetary policy, tax policy to have money available from BRH to other banks for local investment; I mean infrastructure spending to attract the good kind of international investors, not vultures flocking to cheap wages and zone franches who will create even more poverty; I mean working with Parliament to get laws up to date to current technology, so people can invest in things without having to "lobby" senators to create laws about their products). That's what a president who wants to change his country does.
There will never be improvement until government start the process..
That means following law and order......that won't happen.
The president imposed a tax on international calls for "education".......it was done illegally.............no regulation from the executive.
The money is not being used for education......no one is sure much is left and how much is actually going into the accounts.........no regulation
The president has used different names on passports.....the law states each individual has one legal name unless/until changed legally by the courts......our president has at least 4 identities that he uses at will.........no one is looking into "regulating" those offices so to stop such infractions from happening in the future.......no regulation
The president violated the constitution by having a member of parliament arrested.......Minister of Justice Pierre-Louis resigned.....investigation revealed it was the president who ordered the Minister of Justice to commit the act.....nothing happened to him.....Martelly is still in office.....no regulation.
The disgraced ex-Minister of Justice Pierre-Louis was recently appointed, by the president, to a commission to reform the law......no regulation , pres. is appointing someone who violated the law to reform the law.
Illegal contracts given to the dominicans by the Haitian government.....nothing will happen.......no regulation, nothing in place to look after the interests of Haiti.
Constitution approved by two consecutive parliaments......is not going into effect because the president feels threatened by some of the changes.......no regulation in place to make the president obey the law.
Haiti has a private militia, Milice Rose, that travel freely in uniform and have taken over military posts.....some with weapons more powerful than those of the police.......not one has been arrested.......no regulation.
Some of Martelly's people on Haitichange want us to accept that no regulation on who can become president is the way to improve Haiti's economy......they've started propaganda campaign to de-regulate the constitution.....
We can start by regulating import tariff.......so that Haiti does no import ice and water from the dominican republic.
REGULATION FROM MARTELLY?.....THIS MUST BE A JOKE SINCE HE'S BEEN DE-REGULATING SINCE HE WAS PLACED IN OFFICE.
I do agree with some of the things you wrote belfam79.
Definetly the people for the most part don't respect any laws .And the vendors all over on the streets, is one of the things that make me want to vomit, it's just ugly and make it unsafe for pedestrians. someone like Jean claude and francois Duvalier could of deal with some of those people.
Anyway it could of been interesting if you had some pictures of your trip.
Go read up on anything that's ever been written about Duvalier, or even any dictatorship (old and new). Cuba is the only exception, and that's because Castro tried to empower people, not lock them up in his version of Fort Dimanche so that he didn't have to fight the urge to vomit because of poverty. Google "Arab Spring" as a recent example of the consequence of dictatorship and educate yourself.
What you see in Haiti today is the result of a system that was set up following the death of Francois Duvalier
a system that destroyed any hope for the peasant, the children, and anyone living in this country
a system that have turn 8 million folks in to consumer, who produce any form wealth nor pay any taxes,
a system that turns the country into a paradise of NGOs
a system that forced the Diaspora to turn his back on the country, rather than fighting for it as do all braves people
The only things that I found to be wrong and naive, it is we the diaspora who sit our ass at home in the US expecting a president or a man to change Haiti for us
that would never happen
no one man or woman can change Haiti now
only a movement can
stop being passive, and do something instead of complaining like a bunch of desperate people
I do agree with some of the things you wrote belfam79.
Definetly the people for the most part don't respect any laws .And the vendors all over on the streets, is one of the things that make me want to vomit, it's just ugly and make it unsafe for pedestrians. someone like Jean claude and francois Duvalier could of deal with some of those people.
Anyway it could of been interesting if you had some pictures of your trip.
Go read up on anything that's ever been written about Duvalier, or even any dictatorship (old and new). Cuba is the only exception, and that's because Castro tried to empower people, not lock them up in his version of Fort Dimanche so that he didn't have to fight the urge to vomit because of poverty. Google "Arab Spring" as a recent example of the consequence of dictatorship and educate yourself.
a lot of them them simply don't care
they just want to complain because it is easy to do
They are not willing to do anything, except pointing fingers at others
nowadays people like Maximo are free to be openly gay, in part because of the gay lobby
why can’t diaspora do the same to bring freedom to Haiti and its people
There will never be improvement until government start the process..
That means following law and order......that won't happen.
The president imposed a tax on international calls for "education".......it was done illegally.............no regulation from the executive.
The money is not being used for education......no one is sure much is left and how much is actually going into the accounts.........no regulation
The president has used different names on passports.....the law states each individual has one legal name unless/until changed legally by the courts......our president has at least 4 identities that he uses at will.........no one is looking into "regulating" those offices so to stop such infractions from happening in the future.......no regulation
The president violated the constitution by having a member of parliament arrested.......Minister of Justice Pierre-Louis resigned.....investigation revealed it was the president who ordered the Minister of Justice to commit the act.....nothing happened to him.....Martelly is still in office.....no regulation.
The disgraced ex-Minister of Justice Pierre-Louis was recently appointed, by the president, to a commission to reform the law......no regulation , pres. is appointing someone who violated the law to reform the law.
Illegal contracts given to the dominicans by the Haitian government.....nothing will happen.......no regulation, nothing in place to look after the interests of Haiti.
Constitution approved by two consecutive parliaments......is not going into effect because the president feels threatened by some of the changes.......no regulation in place to make the president obey the law.
Haiti has a private militia, Milice Rose, that travel freely in uniform and have taken over military posts.....some with weapons more powerful than those of the police.......not one has been arrested.......no regulation.
Some of Martelly's people on Haitichange want us to accept that no regulation on who can become president is the way to improve Haiti's economy......they've started propaganda campaign to de-regulate the constitution.....
We can start by regulating import tariff.......so that Haiti does no import ice and water from the dominican republic.
REGULATION FROM MARTELLY?.....THIS MUST BE A JOKE SINCE HE'S BEEN DE-REGULATING SINCE HE WAS PLACED IN OFFICE.
be smart man
For any government to function properly, it need to have power to impose its authority under a set of law.
for any system to work properly, it requires a balance of power
without it
All your sweet talk of good governance or good president are a waste of time
what we need in Haiti at first it's not a good president or a good leader but rather a good system with a balance of power that come from the poeple
