RENÉ PRÉVAL, president of Haiti, has been in Washington discussing how to help his earthquake-ravaged country ahead of a major international donors conference this month. Unsurprisingly, given Haiti’s history of wasted and purloined foreign aid, he is being asked about the perils of corruption and what measures the Haitian government might devise to minimize misuse and theft of the billions of dollars in recovery assistance flowing into the country and the billions more expected. Surprisingly, he seems utterly unprepared to discuss the matter.
If ever there were a place and time ripe for graft, it’s Haiti circa now. Despite laudable steps by Mr. Préval to get a handle on corruption in recent years, the country remains an extravagantly crooked place in the view of international donors, the business community, and, most important, its own people. Transparency International, which measures perceptions of corruption worldwide, has consistently rated Haiti among the world’s most corrupt countries. Shattered institutions, an anemic state, a history of graft and the sudden deluge of aid money make Haiti a perfect storm for corruption risk, according to Roslyn Hees, an adviser to Transparency International who co-authored a handbook called “Preventing Corruption in Humanitarian Operations.”
No one accuses Mr. Préval of the abuses associated with so many of his predecessors. But his insistence that Haiti’s government has nothing to do with corruption since aid money is funneled from international donors to nongovernmental organizations rings hollow.
While it’s true that the government is notoriously weak and lacks resources, now more than ever, it’s equally true that government officials and their cronies in the private sector have enriched themselves lavishly in the past. To assert, as the president does, that such troubles all belong to history is to turn a deaf ear to donors’ legitimate and pressing concerns.
What’s more, it’s a public relations debacle at just the moment that Haiti needs to burnish its image so that the world’s outpouring of compassion can be fashioned into a long-term, multibillion-dollar recovery package. Mr. Préval, who has scarcely addressed his people in public since the Jan. 12 quake, has not shown a particular knack for outreach and message refinement. If he expects Congress, international financial institutions and the world’s other major donors to pony up billions to rebuild Haiti, he can help his cause by taking concerns about corruption seriously and spelling out ways the government can help the international community to contain it.
Everyone around the world knows a lot about Haiti being the most reputable corrupted country among all the others.Yes, it’s true that in the past, under the J. C Duvalier’s regime precisely after his marriage, the national treasury was being confused with the President’s pockets.But, since 1986 The Duvalierism is being out of power, so what had happenned with the country’s received fund for the past 24 years between the transitory governments where a fewer people from the haitian diaspora serving in those administrations including the interrim ones?It’s now too late Mr Président for that. You have proved for the past of 4 years of wrongfully governing the country in the path of anarchy by changing too often Prime Ministers one after another just because they, in most of cases, disagreed with some wrong doing policies.Paying commun criminals like Amaral Duclona actually unto the hands of the french justice system to assassinate political adversaries of yours. Yes Mr. Président, I approve your views and opinions toward mismanagement of money received by the ONG’s of the country ; but by the same token I would like you to tell the haitian people sorry for the misuse of the “Petrocaribe fund” amounted $400 million preparing some fraudulous election securing your position in the country while the majority of the nation is being rioting on the streets for food. The only word they had gotten from you was : ” me also,I paid expensively for the food “. Mr Président, remmember as the first father of the country, you are responsable for the well fare of the nation. Come on Mr. Président, where is your humanitarian commun sense ? You push the parlement to disapprove the management of your former Prime Ministers,Jacques Edouard Alexis Michelle Pierre-Louis accusing of embezzelment;why? I would expect you to come clean in this matter; then, I will cope with your willingness in fighting corruption.Stop complaining to the world about corruption specially the Obama’s administration Now what we need is a quick macchiavelic plan capable of responding to the bear necessities of the nation ” primun vivere “for a general and long secured relief term until otherwise, a normal and quick procedure of evacuation of the people by providing temporary shelter until we come with the great plan of rebuilding the country infracstructure. Yes this is the right thing to do now Mr Président, otherwise it’s all a political scenario.Come clean !!!
Claude Dorcé
Président of Conalidha
Conalidha@hotmail.com
I laugh, I get frustrated, I get embarrass every time I read or hear about government corruptions in Haiti. For, when I look back in my country’s (Haiti) history, what I see is every single government has been a corrupted one (Now, we must not be naïve to think that corruption existed only in Haiti, in fact there is not a government in the world were there’s not some level of corruption existed; but the difference is most of those governments, at least the civilize ones have some degree of decency and respect for their citizens and their country. They establish organizations to assist their populations in case of natural disasters, such has hurricane and earthquake.) Having said all that; let’s face it, in Haiti, judge by our history we have a pandemic in corruption. Why? If every government in our history past or present is corrupted at every level and we have corruption in every level of our society. We also know that government, whether democrat or not come from our society so; one doesn’t have to be a racquet scientist to realize that we have to re-educate our population in ethics and moral values if we really required a decent government. Otherwise we doomed as a country; because whenever we replace a corrupted government, another corrupted one will follow.
J’obtiens frustré, j’obtiens embarrasser chaque fois que je lu ou entendu parler des dégradations du gouvernement en Haïti. Quand j’attends retourner dans l’histoire de mon pays (Haïti) ce que je vois est que chaque gouvernement dans le passé a été corrompu (maintenant, nous devons être pas naïf de penser que la corruption existe uniquement en Haïti, en fait il n’existe pas un gouvernement dans le monde ont été pas existé de quelque niveau de corruption ; mais la différence est au moins la plupart des gouvernements, ont une certaine de la décence et de respect de leurs citoyens et de leur pays. Ils établissent des organisations pour aider leurs populations en cas de catastrophes naturelles, telles ont ouragan et le tremblement de terre). Mais en Haïti, juge par notre histoire, que nous avons une pandémie dans la corruption. Pourquoi ? Si tous les gouvernements dans notre histoire passée ou actuelle sont corrompu à tous les niveaux, et nous avons la corruption à tous les niveaux de notre société. Nous savons également que ce gouvernement, démocrate ou pas proviennent de notre société donc ; on n’a pas à être un expert en raquette pour se rendre compte que nous devons rééduquer notre population en éthique et les valeurs morales pour nous vraiment arriver a un gouvernement décent. Dans le cas contraire, nous condamnée comme un pays ; car nous remplacer chaque fois qu’un gouvernement corrompu, par un autre.
Mr François imagine a neighbour complaining about the behavior of
someone else child vandalizing his property and the only poor excuse to that allegation that child parents could come up with is :every kids in the neighbourhood are the same – Oh no… the media will cry out shame on you !!!Yes shame on you! With a such of judgement of yours, you will never come to a conclusion to realize how deep is the gangrene of corruption in Haiti. Frankly, it’s time to put an end to it.We need a new legislature to ampute it before the whole body comes to a point of no return. Yes some abrogation is indeed necesary to definitely cast it out of our system. Using my neighbours attitude as an excuse to polish my image in wrong doing is an insult to intelligent people.Therefore I stipulate that he who takes defense of folks in favor of corruption is corrupted himself. Mr. François, when the Government says that he spent $ 163 millions of gifted money by the world in less than two months after the earthquake in the mean while the victimes condition on the streets of Port-au Prince is getting worst by being exposed to rain, diseases,shortage of food to physical and psychological recovery, can one find arguments to defend a corrupted system like it is today in Haiti.The international community invaded Haiti with tents to temporarely shelter the people,instead of using this opportunity to clear itself againts these accusations, they rather sold them to the nation. Those who can pay for it will get it, sorry for the others. Mr. François, when the head of the household is corrupted, what can one expect from the rest of it. Horses, accordingly with an old haitian proverb don’t give birth to donkeys. I totally disagree with the idea of” monkey see monkey do “. Therefore it’s time to take the country to a new direction. Fighting corruption requires first and foremost a change of heart in the haitian politics. It’s time for the haitian leaders to think of progress not oligarchy in the public administration. I believe that toward this moment of disaster, we can get something good out it: CHANGE OUR WAYS OF GOVERNING HAITI.
Yes my people, the time has come to finally stop being the poorest country in the hemisphere. Let’s roll up together our sleeves to give a new birth to Haiti.May the Great God of Heaven bless and keep us all, and long live Haiti!!!
Claude Dorcé
President of Conalidha
Conalidha@hotmail.com
Mr François imagine a neighbour complaining about the behavior of
someone else child vandalizing his property and the only poor excuse to that allegation that child’s parents could come up with is :all the kids in the neighbourhood are the same – Oh no… the media will cry out shame on you !!!Yes shame on you! With a such of judgement of yours, you will never come to a conclusion to realize how deep is the gangrene of corruption in Haiti. Frankly, it’s time to put an end to it.We need a new legislature to amputate it before the whole body comes to a point of no return. Yes some abrogation is indeed necesary to definitely cast it out of our system. Using my neighbours attitude as an excuse to polish my image in wrong doing is an insult to intelligent people.Therefore I stipulate that he who takes defense of folks in favor of corruption is corrupted himself. Mr. François, when the Government says that he spent $ 163 millions of gifted money by the world in less than two months after the earthquake in the mean while the victimes condition on the streets of Port-au Prince is getting worst by being exposed to rain, diseases,shortage of food to physical and psychological recovery, can one find arguments to defend a corrupted system like it is today in Haiti.The international community invaded Haiti with tents to temporarely shelter the people,instead of using this opportunity to clear itself againts these accusations, they rather sold them to the nation. Those who can pay for it will get it, sorry for the others. Mr. François, when the head of the household is corrupted, what can one expect from the rest of it. Horses, accordingly with an old haitian proverb don’t give birth to donkeys. I totally disagree with the idea of” monkey see monkey do “. Therefore it’s time to take the country to a new direction. Fighting corruption requires first and foremost a change of heart in the haitian politics. It’s time for the haitian leaders to think of progress not oligarchy in the public administration. I believe that toward this moment of disaster, we can get something good out it: CHANGE OUR WAYS OF GOVERNING HAITI.
Yes my people, the time has come to finally stop being the poorest country in the hemisphere. Let’s roll up together our sleeves to give a new birth to Haiti.May the Great God of Heaven bless and keep us all, and long live Haiti!!!
Claude Dorcé
President of Conalidha
Conalidha@hotmail.com
@ Mr. Dorcé
It seems that you have taken my comment the wrong way; if that’s the case, I am sorry. First of all, I was not making excuses for this present incompetent government nor have I ever supported any one of them in the past. I was born in the 60s, and to my recollection no resent government of ours ever comes to power with the intention to change the status quo. Mr. Dorcé, I am sure that you love your country (Haiti) as am I, but let’s face the fact. All of us Haitians are aware of our government is corrupted, but we have a deeper problem than that sir. I understand that right now our most priority should be the well being of our brothers and sisters who are living in inhuman conditions in the streets of the capital and the surroundings. But since we are talking about solutions for a better Haiti, I have to mention some facts. Our society has been divided forever and is mostly corrupted in all level. You have mentioned that “We need a new legislature to amputate it before the whole body comes to a point of no return”. Yes I agree, but this new legislature will have to come from this mostly corrupted society. Which means you will most likely get another corrupted legislature. Alright, I know, you also pointed out that “some abrogation is indeed necessary to definitely cast it out of our system”. Sir, I also agree, but do you really think that Haitian politicians are patriotic enough to abrogate corruption out of our system”. To amputate or abrogate corruption in our society will not be done by the government. Why? Because the government feeds from corruption, everyone who becomes an elected official in Haiti is guarantee to be a millionaire after living office. Mr. Dorcé, abolition of corruption will have to come from a re-educated society. It has to be taught from our elementary school system all the way up thru the secondary school system and continue thru the universities. We need a new society with a new mentality; a society who will demands its government to be accountable for its action; a society who will not be a passive one, like we have today; we need a society of nationalist. Mr. Dorcé, I hate to be a pessimist, but the fact remains; this system didn’t just come alive. It has been in our society for 206 years. You and everybody else have to realize this is a bigger problem than you think it is sir. I hate to say this, but sometimes I feel that, maybe the time to amputate already runs out and “the whole body has already come to a point of no return”.
Jean-Francois,
I was in Haiti during the first Aristide Presidency and Rene Preval was Prime mInister.
Please recall the fact that Preval arrested an American born American citizen who happened to be the wife of Joel Deeb. She was tortured by Prime Minister Preval as he ate Dominican chicken, rice and beans.
He also tortured the wife of a Haitian Navy officer, along with the offiocer himself. He died. She survived and testified in court, showing the burns on her legs.
The American embassy has a tape of the testimony and the statements of Madame Deeb when she was finally rescued from the National Penetentiary on October 8, 1991. She shared a cell with the Minister of Social Affairs.
So we now have a major thief and controller of gangs who once tortured, or still tortures women.
I was in Haiti during the first Aristide Presidency and Rene Preval was Prime mInister.
Please recall the fact that Preval arrested an American born American citizen who happened to be the wife of Joel Deeb. She was tortured by Prime Minister Preval as he ate Dominican chicken, rice and beans.
He also tortured the wife of a Haitian Navy officer, along with the offiocer himself. He died. She survived and testified in court, showing the burns on her legs.
The American embassy has a tape of the testimony and the statements of Madame Deeb when she was finally rescued from the National Penetentiary on October 8, 1991. She shared a cell with the Minister of Social Affairs.
So we now have a major thief and controller of gangs who once tortured, or still tortures women.
Preval should be judged.
Preval must be judged
Mr François,your enthusiasm about the haitian society renovation thought is a great consideration to me.Yes, I agree with the idea of re-educating the people.But, there is something of a great impact that slipped out of your intelligence. Apparently,I believe that most of those serving in this actual haitian administration are being considered as of high standard of education from overseas like US, Canada France and Mexico or Caracas, Cuba and other places around the world. On foreign land just like the two of us today,they used to critisize the previous and past administration. Since after 1986, we seen emerging in Haiti a new era in the haitian’s politics with a new generation of actors on the scene, and the excersized screen play was simply : It’s my turn to get rich. These are the intellectual elite on which everyone’s expectation was laying on for new and a better Haiti after the step down of The duvalierism.Unfortunately, we all have been disapointed.
Mr François , you have mentionned that for the past of 206 yrs, haiti has only known corrupted Governments one after another; starting on Aristide ended if it’s not too soon to say on Renée Préval.My friend I totally disagree with you- and why? A parallel of two political eras, before and after 1946 the pigmentation revolution that had brought to power black folks in Haiti, the country had known solely one serious, legitimate and respectable administration worthy of governing the one of former President Leon Dumarsais Estimévictime of greed and ambition of others for power. Why, because as you had said before: ” politics in Haiti and other places to became the means of wealth for politicians. We understand all that. In all arguments,no one needs a microscope to scrutinize corruption in Haiti and…But remember corruption did not start blooming in Haiti by itself. Although I’m not covering up for the wrong doing in public office. Corruption began unto around the world, precisely in Africa, and the third world countries from the moment where poweful nations spread the venom of hunting the wealth of the caribbean nation by creating and supporting dictatorship nations paid to serve their purposes as it was in the slave tradeby the european colonists. Today with the new world order, dictatorship is no longer fitting their needs promoting a new philosophy the neo-colonialism thru a faux democracy while corruption is the key foundation of exploitation of small countries of the Globe.
By this mean, the world becomes the witness of beligerent, corrupted emerging Governments.Therefore Mr françois, my views of a new legislature, thru an abrogation of laws forbidding corruption, is the only plausible way to transform our society by imposing and enforcing criminal laws starting on the most humble citizens to the highest level of heads of states. Yes we need to establish an impartial justice system with no social stratification – no mercy – zero tolerance. ” Dura lex, sed lex used to say the Roman empire, for ” boni bonum publicum current. Good leader only concern himself about the well fare of others. Repeating A. Einstein : It is worthy to live a good life to serve others”.
Mr François,your enthusiasm about the haitian society renovation thought is a of great consideration to me.Yes, I agree with the idea of re-educating the people.But, there is something of a great impact that slipped out of your intelligence. Apparently,I believe that most of those serving in this actual haitian administration are being considered as of high standard of education from overseas like US, Canada France and Mexico or Caracas, Cuba and other places around the world. On foreign land just like the two of us today,they used to critisize the previous and past administrations. Since after 1986, we have seen emerging in Haiti a new era in the haitian’s politics with a new generation of actors on the scene, and the excersized screen play was simple : It’s my turn to get rich. These are the intellectual elite on which everyone’s expectation was laying on for new and a better Haiti after the step down of The duvalierism.Unfortunately, we all have been disapointed.
Mr François , you have mentionned that for the past of 206 yrs, Haiti has only known corrupted Governments one after another; starting on Aristide ended if it’s not too soon to say on Renée Préval.My friend I totally disagree with you- and why? A parallel of two political eras, before and after 1946 with the pigmentation revolution that had brought to power black folks in Haiti, the country had known solely one serious, legitimate and respectable administration worthy of governing the one of former President Leon Dumarsais Estimévictime of greed and ambition of others for power. Why, because as you had said before: ” politics in Haiti and other places to became the means of wealth for politicians.I also understand that a such of behavior of black politicians, doesn’t imply that black folks cannot govern. In all arguments,no one needs a microscope to scrutinize corruption in Haiti and…But remember corruption did not start blooming in Haiti by itself. Although I’m not covering up for the wrong doing in public office. Corruption began unto around the world, precisely in Africa, and the third world countries from the moment where poweful nations spread the venom of hunting the wealth of the caribbean nation by creating and supporting dictatorship nations paid to serve their purposes as it was in the slave tradeby the european colonists. Today with the new world order, dictatorship is no longer fitting their needs promoting a new philosophy the neo-colonialism thru a faux democracy while corruption is the key foundation of exploitation of small countries of the Globe.
By this mean, the world becomes the witness of beligerent, corrupted emerging Governments.Therefore Mr françois, my views of a new legislature, thru an abrogation of laws forbidding corruption, is the only plausible way to transform our society by imposing and enforcing criminal laws starting on the most humble citizens to the highest level of heads of states. Yes we need to establish an impartial justice system with no social stratification – no mercy – zero tolerance. ” Dura lex, sed lex used to say the Roman empire, for ” boni bonum publicum current. Good leader only concern himself about the well fare of others. Repeating A. Einstein : It is worthy to live a good life to serve others”.
@Mr. Dorcé,
I have to say that I am pleased to see how the two of us are debating in a civilize manner. You have mentioned that something of a great impact has slipped my mind. Yes I agree; in fact several. One of them you reminded me of: is the administration of President Dumarsais Estimé, yes indeed, it was going to be the start of a new civilize government, which would have led to a livable society, but unfortunately it was uprooted by the very timocratic system our government was founded upon. And you know what else that government reminds me of? The 1991 coup d’état! When that administration started introducing and enforcing laws as a government should do for the greater good of a society, such as collecting taxes to provide services to the people (even though it had its own agenda) the result is expulsion orchestrated by the small elite, just as they did in 1946. Mr. Dorcé, I am sure you’re aware that after 1804 even though we became free slave, we kept in place the same social stratification fabric of our previous masters. Until today few would disagree with me that we have gone past that. But what do I know? As the great philosopher Socrates said: ‘The only thing I know is that I know nothing’
Socrates defines a timocracy as a government ruled by people who love honor and are selected according to the degree of honor they hold in society. Honor is often equated with wealth and possession so this kind of gilded government leads to the people valuing materialism above all things.
These temptations create confusion between economic status and honor which is responsible for the emergence of an oligarchic government. This injustice divides the rich and the poor, thus creating an environment for criminals and beggars to emerge, which Haiti is a nation of today. The rich are constantly plotting against the poor and vice versa. As this socioeconomic divide grows, so do tensions between social classes. From the conflicts arising out of such tensions, is a virtual democracy that we saw in 1991 we taught would replaced the oligarchy preceding it. The poor overthrow the unjust oligarchs and soon grant liberties and freedoms to the citizens. When this democracy introduced to Haitians in 1991 in the way it was initiated (with the vast gap between rich and poor) that created a problem. An appealing demagogue is soon lifted up to protect the interests of the lower class. Almost a replica of the 1946 government, except this one was elected by the people; something the elite is not used to and will not tolerate. Unfortunately, President Aristide made the same mistake committed by President Estimé’s government in the eyes of the elite few; by asking them to pay taxes. With the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer and with the freedom granted to the people, according to Socrates, that will ultimately leads to a tyrannic government that we are witnessing in Haiti started under Aristide’s second term in office and ongoing until today. The 1986 freedom divided the people into three socioeconomic classes: the dominating class, the capitalists and the commoners (the poor). Tensions between the dominating class and the capitalists cause the commoners to seek out protection of their democratic liberties. They invest all their trust and power in their democratic demagogue, (Aristide and Préval) who, in turn, become corrupted by the power and become tyrants with a small entourage of supporters for protection and absolute control of the people.
Jean-François,
Mr François,en vérité, moi aussi j’éprouve un grand plaisir à nous féliciter dans notre manière de voir la chose politique envers notre pays sous un angle rempli d’intelligence et de vision vis à vis d’une révolution socio-administrative.Il nous faut continuer de combattre pour le renouveau de notre patrimoine national.Que Dieu nous guide et protège.
Bonne soirée vieux frère.
Claude Dorcé
Conalidha@hotmail.com