The situation in Haiti Today

July 2006

By Josette Perard from Port au Prince, Haiti

In English and Haitian Kreyol

Touswit apre eleksyon Fevriye 2006 yo, operasyon kidnaping oswa vòl ak zam te fe yon ti ralanti. Sitwayen lan peyi a te konprann sekirite te pral retabli.

Right after the election of February 2006, the kidnapping operations and other armed violence took a little break. It was understood that the country's security situation needed to be re-established

Men, sibitman, apre anviwon yon mwa, operasyon kriminèl yo te rekòmanse lan plizyè vil peyi a, Gonayiv, Senmak, Okay, espesyalman lan Pòtoprens, bandi ame ap rantre lan magazen osnonn lan rezidans prive moun pou kidnape, vòlè, asasine. Lan sèten katye popilè, gwoup ame ap goumen youn ak lòt, lè se pa ak lapolis osnon Minista.

But, suddenly, after about a month, criminal activity started up again in many towns such as Gonaive, St. Marc, Les Cayes and especially in Port au Prince. Armed bandits entered stores or private residences to kidnap people, steal and murder. In certain quarters of the population, armed gangs fight each other, when they aren't fighting the police or MINUSTAH (the UN occupation forces).

Malge eleksyon Préval, tout moun konstate gen yon vid onivo Leta a ki panko konble. Enstitisyon Leta yo frajil; inite ki ta sipoze simante yo onivo politik ak administratif pa egziste. Pa egzanp, lè Andresol, Chef Lapolis la deklare ke bandi Lapolis arete jwenn liberasyon yo, sa gen yon grenn sinifikasyon : gen majistra lan sistèm lajistis la ki lan kondòday ak bandi yo.

In spite of Préval being elected, everyone declares there is a void on the State level which has yet to be filled. The institution of the State is fragile; the unity which is supposed to cement the levels of politics and administration does not exist. For example, when Chief of Police Andresol declared that the bandits the police arrested had been freed, that means the judges in the Justice system are in collusion with the bandits.

Ansyen premye Minis Jera Latòti sove, men li kite kèk kado pwazon pou Preval. Kominote Entènasyonal la di li debouse 960 milyon dola pou Ayiti sou Gouvènman Latòti - Bonifas, men kès Leta a vid, gen plis chomay lan peyi a, pri machandiz premye nesesite miltipliye pa 3 osnon 4 sòti 2004 rive 2006, plis lamizè blayi lan mitan ouvriye, peyizan ak klas mwayèn nan.

The previous Prime Minister, Gerard Latortue – [installed, not elected] – ran away but he left a few poison presents for Préval. The international community disbursed 960 million dollars to the Latortue - Boniface administration, but the State treasury is empty, there is very high unemployment in the country, the price of goods has multiplied 3 or 4 times from 2004 to 2006, there is more misery spread over all functions with the peasants and middle class being very effected.

Lè Préval te monte opouvwa le 14 Me 2006, li te di pèp ayisyen an “gade m lan je, m ap gade w nan je ”. Sa fè plis pase 2 mwa pèp la ap gade misye lan je, men mesaj yo wè lan je l pa di anyen. Ositou, chalè lari a monte, manifestasyon ap boujonnen babò tribò divès fòs sosyal ap chache eksplwate vid politik la selon enterè klas yo, gwoup yo. Atoufè tout kalite pwofite pou antre anaksyon.

When Préval took office on May 14, 2006, he told the Haitian people, “Look me in the eye and I will look you in the eye.” It has been more than two months that the people have looked in his eyes, but the message they see doesn’t say anything.

Immediately, the streets heated up, protests are growing everywhere, various social forces are searching to exploit the political void according to class interests, group interests. And so, all kinds can profit from the inaction of the State.

Jounen jodi a, peyi d Ayiti lan yon kafou difisil. Pwoblèm li anpil e yo konplike. Anpil moun ap defile lan radyo ak televizyon pou pwopoze sa yo kwè ki ka solisyon pwoblèm yo, tankou pa egzanp ogmante efektif lapolis, ba li bon zam pou l ka afwonte bandi, tabli yon lapè sosyal kreye travay, reyòganize administrasyon piblik kòwonpi a, apati yon priz konsyans jeneral.

Today, Haiti is at a difficult crossroads. Its problems are many and complex. Many people are putting forth on radio and television the proposals they believe can give solutions to the problems, for example, improving the effectiveness of the police, giving them arms to confront bandits, establishing a social truce, creating work, reorganizing from the beginning, for the corrupt public administration to have a grasp of general conscience.

Sepandan, sa moun yo bliye osnon pè manyen, se rasin tout pwoblèm sa yo, sètadi rapò sosyal ki tabli an Ayiti depi 2 syèk e ki akouche depi lontan yon Leta ak yon klas dirijan an fayit, yon demokrasdi pèpè, yon ekonomi sou lagraba, yon anviwònman delabre, mizè jeneralize, analfabetism, koripsyon, kidnaping, okipasyon etranjè. Moun save nan gwo peyi yo fabrike 2 etikèt pou Ayiti ak peyi ki sanble ak li : “Pays moins avancés” - “Entité chaotique ingouvernable ”!

However, it is that people forget or are afraid to grasp, that the root of all problems, is the social structure established in Haiti for these past two centuries: the ruling class has bankrupt the State, democracy is trashed, the economy is on its last feet, the environment is dilapidated and there is general misery, illiteracy, corruption, kidnapping and occupation by foreigners. Scholars in larger countries have fabricated two labels for Haiti and other countries like Haiti " Countries minimally advanced " and "A chaotic entity ungovernable".

Ajitasyon politik ak voye monte moralizan ki refize touche rasin pwoblèm yo ap rete lan yon virewon pèmanan, yon virewon ki ranje zafè yon klas moun onivo nasyonal ak entènasyonal.Pou n kòmanse sòti lan pwoblèm yo, pèp ayisyen an bezwen yon diskisyon onèt e serye, lan yon kad òganize, sou baz sa a, chimen an va louvri pou n vanse.

Political agitation by some people who refuse to address the root cause of our problems are keeping us in a permanent turnaround, a turnaround which directly profits a few people on a national and international level. For us to get out of these problems, Haitian people need an honest and serious discussion that is organized and inclusive so that the road will open for us to advance.