September 27, 2018

Haitians tend to live their lives with a preferred PERCEIVED REALITY that is totally out of step with REALITY Sometimes these two points of reference coincide but – on most occasions – they differ slightly, or most often, radically!.

Sometimes the REALITY slips up on you, morphing from the less dangerous and attractive  PERCEIVED REALITY.

Like a malignant cancer moving towards metastasizing into a fatal threat if not counteracted by quick, decisive, and immediate surgery.

The Aristide/Lavalas destruction of Haiti’s value structure has spread like a cancer, since 1990,  expanding each day in ways that are not always readily apparent. Aristide first attacked many basic elements of Haitian society, that made it a special society, in a flawed world with few traditional values.

Aristide destroyed the old concept of “Honour” and “Respect,” the tradition greeting and reply among our peasant base.

Aristide destroyed the Haitian “work ethic” that set Haitians aside from most others. Aristide/Lavalas set in motion an environment of “them” and “us” that fragmented a generations’ long history of relationships that tied Haitians together. Some of my associates tell of Haitians who had worked for their families for lifetimes, becoming members of those families, sharing experiences and support.

When the staff went home, on their days off, they would carry gifts for their relatives. And, when they returned they would bring gifts for the house – vegetables, baked goods…. etc.

I can recall stories of one long-term maid who had been with a family for over 40 years. When unable to continue work, she remained under the same roof, supported by her “household.” When she died a member of a major bank’s  founding family attended her funeral.

Gone are those days, lost an a steady shift away from the basic Haitian values as Aristide/Lavalas  worked to create a permanent unstructured chaos, now favored by our cocaine community as an umbrella under which to operate without interference. Our business community is also enamoured with chaos since it allows major, unrealistic  price increases, simply because there are no controls – until the MOB finally attacks and pillages their businesses.

Aristide injected a dangerous concept into Haitian life. In 1991 he suggested that a person who saw another with something they needed should simply take it. This was interpreted, by the naive foreigner, as the suggestion that someone with nothing, should take from the rich.

However, taking the psychology to its ultimate  Aristide/Lavalas goal, the result Aristide really wanted – CHAOS – one would see a poor person, with no shoes, taking shoes from those poor people who had them.

Aristide has always promoted the concept of “going up the mountain”to destroy his hated  bourgeois enemies it Petionville.

At one point, after his 1994 return, Aristide forced a massive migration of people from the waterfront slums into the area overlooking Petionville – known as Jalousie. This migration took property that belonged to others in a move that had no legal confrontation.

There was no infrastructure to contain this with Aristide/Preval in the palace.

A Fait Accompli!

And so, we inherited the picturesque Jalousie, portrayed by our tourist industry as a district with charmingly painted houses – absorbing funds provided by Uruguay’s President.

This is the PERCEIVED  REALITY that we see from the upscale KINAM HOTEL..

The REALITY is much different, a spreading cancer that could/will threaten the very survival of Petionville, a threat that could/will metastasize fatally, unless treated immediately. The photo below is a recent shot from a small drone flying directly over Jalousie. The photo covers a small percentage of this ever-expanding bidonville.

How many people here?

Perhaps 500,000 or MORE!!   

All it will take to create a catastrophic melt-down, under today’s unsettled circumstances, with a Lavalas PNH non-leadership, in the person of GEDEON,  is a charismatic, malevolent leader, such as a young Aristide, to pop up, leading a Tsunami from the mountain and across Petionville..

GEDEON has absolutely no charisma, but he sees himself as President if he could take advantage of today’s situation, along with Privert, Aristide, Beauplan, Nenel Cassy, Don Kato and a band of their Chimere compatriots.

The elements are in place for a catastrophic disaster from which there will be no recovery in our lifetimes – perhaps forever!

Many try to  toss the lighted match into our flooded PERCEIVED REALITY of  PETROCARIBE CORRUPTION.

Who will prevent this predicable ignition that will consume everyone, guilty, partially guilty, and innocent?

Now is the time for our leadership, past and present, to mobilize their honest, focused support to seeing the Jovenel Moise Presidency move forward to a successful conclusion.

The alternatives are too frightening to consider for those who do not possess American Visas!

NFORTUNATELY, INDIVIDUAL ARROGANCE WILL PROBABLY PREVENT A SOLUTION. THE ARROGANT ONES SHOULD REMEMBER THE OLD SAYING:

“ONE FEEDS THE LION, SO IT WON’T EAT YOU.

THEN IT EATS YOU.”

HAITI’S LION IS VERY HUNGRY AND WAITS TO DEVOUR EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH.