MICHAEL COLLINS – April 13, 2017

When  searching for possible  Intellectual Authors behind  THE ROCKS OF ARCAHAIE,  there are many.

Near the top of the list must be the Dominican Republic.

We share this island with the Dominican Republic and should work, as partners, to make life better for all.

Of course, this is not the case.

Simply put, the Dominican Republic does not like Haitians, and really doesn’t  want  President Moise to succeed, especially in his promise to  revive our agricultural sector. The   Jovenel Moise Dream is a massive threat to the Dominican Republic’s economy, if his revival of this important sector succeeds.

In recent memory, Haiti was exporting a substantial flow of agricultural products to the Dominican Republic, and elsewhere. Everyone recalls substantial rice exports from Haiti, prior to 1986. However, many  have missed the insidious decline  of other Haitian agricultural output,   matched by the accelerating flow of Dominican imports. Mangos, lemons, pineapples, bananas  (cooking and fig), papaya, water melons, potatoes, tomatoes,  limes, grapefruit…. of inferior quality to our original crops.

How did the overall global situation occur?

An expanding demand for vegetable and fruit exists within the EEC.  European acreage, for farming,  is limited and external suppliers were sought.

Haiti’s perpetual political and financial instability has kept foreign  investors from Haiti’s economy.

The perpetual shortage of proper seed stock has been a major factor in our  decline, magnified by  an ongoing shortage of fertilizer.

The Dominican Republic’s stability  benefits from this.

The Dominican Republic stable economic/political reality generated massive investments from Europe, aimed at producing vast quantities of vegetables and fruits to satisfy their demands. EEC members invested billions in the DR’s agriculture. Seeds and fertilizer are not a problem.

The EEC investors also depend upon the Haitian market for disposal of “second grade” products and over-production.

Any  substantial revival of the Haitian agricultural sector is a direct threat to the Dominican Republic and their EEC investors.

The Dominican Republic, along with the EEC would like to see Haiti remain a dependent market for their overproduction.

There is absolutely no humanitarian bias here.

The concept is purely economic.

When billions are at stake, Haiti, and its peasant majority take a back seat.

Starving kids don’t count for anything in the equation.

The political campaigning, leading up to both Presidential Elections (2015 – 2016) saw heavy unofficial Dominican funding, for opposition elements, coupled with unofficial supplies of weapons. We tracked specific pickup trucks, loaded with weapons,  via their Dominican plate numbers. Belizaire represented much of this flow, along with Moise Jean Charles.

Had someone like Mirlande Manigat won the election, there would be no problem. She knows zero about agriculture and, other than campaign comments, could care less. Give her a walker,  fresh bottle of Metamucil, and things would flow normally.

When Jovenel Moise was victorious the tension levels increased.  He comes from our massive peasant majority and IS an Agronome. Jovenel possesses the social conscience to wish for an agricultural revolution, coupled with the practical knowledge to make his Dream  happen.

As President he dictates the game.

I am reminded of a T.E. Lawrence quote:

“All men dream, but not equally.

Some men dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their minds,

And wake in the day to discover it was vanity.

But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men,

For they may act their dream with open eyes,

And make it happen.”

Jovenel Moise has his eyes open.

He is focused on his dream and needs a little help to make it a reality.

We are with him.