Gary ConilleIn Tim Padgett’s recent article in Time, the recent political happenings in Haiti are discussed. On Friday
Feb 24th Garry Conille resigned from the position of Prime Minister
to Haiti, after being on the job for about four months. The Haitian President,
Michel Martelly is urging the public to stay calm following this event because
the Haitian government has “already taken every step to that… [it can to]
continue to work normally.” However, the political nation is not receiving this
chain of events calmly; some think that this is a step backward in Haiti’s
progress to become a stable nation. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the
Western hemisphere, and on top of that, the recent earthquake that devastated many
lives and pushed back recent progress. This is a time when Haiti needs support,
especially support from a stable government that can control the masses and
create solutions that utilize international aid for the good of all people.
Without
a stable government including a President and a Prime Minister, international organizations
are reluctant to give a country the aid it so desperately needs. The organizations
are afraid that the aid will not go to the people who need it most but instead
to the elites and government professionals. In fact, many projects worth
millions of dollars to help those in need in Haiti are slowing. Due to the
political crisis organizations are not sure if their money will really help. Because
these organizations are becoming uncertain about the choice to give to Haiti,
the Haitians that would have received that aid are still struggling, their situation
getting more desperate daily.
Reasoning
behind Conille’s departure could be due to the disagreements between Martelly
and Conille, and the unstable political system. The two often disagreed upon
many issues including different interpretations of the constitution, and the
determination of which position had more power. Even through this public
struggle between the two politicians, Conille announced two weeks ago that he
was committed to the position and would work to smooth relations so that they
could do their jobs. However, Conille’s cabinet abandoned him, obviously siding
with Martelly. Because of this shift of opinion, Conille decided that he could
no longer hold his position. The Haitian cabinet could have felt aversion to
Conille because he portrayed himself to be more committed to the UN and other foreign
parties than to Haiti.
Before
any official work is able to be completed, the Haitian government needs to become
organized, with a set priority list that includes getting aid from foreign sources
that are more than willing to donate. They need to realize who their work as a
government is for, obviously being the Haitian people; the people who are still
struggling and suffering from malnutrition, poor living situations, and
desperate poverty.
The search
for a new Prime Minister is underway in Haiti, and hopefully, the replacement
will have the strength to create a stable government that is able to help the
Haitians who are most in need.
Response written by Lizzy Menstell
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ReplyDeleteI agree that the people of Haiti are in desperate need of aid and this turn of events will not help. What I don't understand is the childish nature of the disagreement between Martelly and Conille--first of all, no cabinet ministers showed up to a meeting called by Conille in spite of him in order to show their support for Martelly, who doesn't seem like he is doing much good for Haiti so far. Furthermore, the angry exchange between Martelly and Conille after Martelly's unexpected arrival at Conille's house seems like the action of an immature child who is trying to "solve" an issue. Haiti is in need of a President and Prime Minister who are willing and able to do their job, first and foremost, and know how to do it well. Everyone's priority needs to be Haitian reconstruction and community empowerment.
ReplyDelete-Giulia Hjort
While I do agree that a nationality background check shouldn’t be first on the to do list, Concille is trying his best to help the country. The argument that he is naïve and inexperienced is discredited by the fact that President Martelley was a Carnival singer before he took office. The childish antics that Martelly and his allies are doing to show their opposition is very immature and is now hindering the country from achieving its goal in the long run. Because parliament is concerned that he is more loyal to the UN, Clinton, and foreign investors than Haiti, they too are not prioritizing. It is not a matter or loyalty. There are no sides in this battle, they all need to work together if we are going to “reconstruct” rather than “deconstruct” Haiti.
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