By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
HAITIAN President Michel Martelly yesterday lamented the loss of lives of his countrymen who try to make the treacherous journey to the Bahamas in search of a better life.
He said addressing the issue is one of the reasons he is currently in the Bahamas to sign bilateral agreements with the government with the hope of creating the kind of opportunities that would improve Haiti’s economy and give Haitians a reason to remain there.
His statements came a day after 50 Haitian immigrants were detained by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) and the Department of Immigration when their sloop landed in the Marshall Road area on Monday morning.
Several other Haitians believed to be on board the sloop were also apprehended yesterday. Officials suspect that some of the recent migrants have been able to evade capture by fleeing into nearby shanty towns. They were alerted to the illegal landing of the Haitian sloop around 4:30am on Monday.
Mr Martelly said: “Every time a Haitian dies trying to get a better life, at the level of the state we feel like we’re responsible for not doing enough and yet we are doing enough.
“After the earthquake we moved out to tents about 92 per cent of Haitians, 1.5 million people,” he said, referring to the aftermath of the catastrophic 2010 earthquake in Haiti which killed between 100,000 and 200,000 people. “Today we have about 140,000 people yet to move out of the tents. It’s a huge number but compared to what has been done, it’s very interesting. This is why we are here today.”
He added that it could take several generations before significant improvements are seen in his country, progress he hopes comes from his government’s current investment in the education of toddlers.
The president spoke to reporters after a courtesy call with members of the Free National Movement in the Minority Room in the House of Assembly yesterday.
“When we’re talking about a country, the thing is not to put a time, an estimated time, on that because for instance today I have invested largely in education,” he said. “We have been sending kids to school freely. Primary school is free today in Haiti. But we’re building a new generation in Haiti.
“How long will it take? Well probably 30 years because today these kids are five years old, seven years old. The result is not for today. The result is for 30 years from now when these kids will be finished school, finished university and they’ll be a productive generation of Haitians. That’s when we will feel like we’ve built something.”
Mr Martelly said it is in the interest of both Haiti and the Bahamas that his country flourishes.
“Haitians fleeing their country has nothing to do with Haitians not loving their country,” he said. “They are Haitians looking for a better place to live or to get a better job. I think we have failed in the past to come up with the right formula to stop them from coming here from leaving Haiti.
“The idea is for investors from here to invest in Haiti, help us grow bananas, corn, anything that you can then order from them. You’d still get these products but at a (better) rate than you’d get them from the States.”
Comments
birdiestrachan 9 years, 8 months ago
The Haitians do love their Country Haiti, No doubt about that. even the ones who are born in the Bahamas their loyalty lies with Haiti. That is just the way it is. He said they are not in the Bahamas because they do not love Haiti. but the Bahamas offers them a better way of life. The truth is they do not love the Bahamas...
mangogirl01 9 years, 8 months ago
You are correct BirdieStrachan!! They have no love for our Bahamas, just come here to break our laws, use our free health, education and social services and whatever monies they make, sent it right back to Haiti!! The Government was wrong for entertaining the Haitian PM and allowing him to dictate what our Bahamas should do to help out his country!! He should have taken every last one back with him!!! SMDT!!! Too, why were those agreements shroud in secrecy and not available to the public? This is one example of why we need the Freedom of Information Act to become law, soonest!!
Emac 9 years, 8 months ago
The funny thing about this is that I have never heard this man once speak out with authority to discourage his fellow Haitians from leaving Haiti in these make-shift boats. Correct me if I am wrong.
spoitier 9 years, 8 months ago
That is because the more Haitians leave the better it is for the rest of them. Haiti have a GDP of $13.42 billion and a population of just under 10 million people, so he know that the people that are leaving are not the ones that are contributing to that GDP, so as sad as it is, it makes perfect sense to encourage them to leave. The problem with the ones that are leaving is they don't understand that if the country that they are heading could get over populated and they would have the same problem that they left behind
Emac 9 years, 8 months ago
This is true
TheMadHatter 9 years, 8 months ago
He should lament his own ignorant self who has not the intelligence and will to fix his country.
TheMadHatter
spoitier 9 years, 8 months ago
Haiti needs a GDP of at least 20 times what it is now to began to be sufficient, about $260 billion, he needs more than will to get there and as for the intelligence part that you were talking about, he knows that he can't get there in this lifetime accept for an act of God, so he have enough intelligence to encourage most of them to leave and let it be someone else problem.
TheMadHatter 9 years, 8 months ago
It doesn't matter if a thousand leave every day. It's like the old Doritos commercial "Crunch all you want, we'll make more."
The "people" there will simply make MORE babies to replace the ones that leave and even more than that. The increasing population without concern for worldly needs.
This is the fault of the church which preaches against family planning and also against even any concern for worldly things - it teaches people to focus on the afterlife and in this world simply "Thank God for life".
So why are they leaving? They should stay there and suffer (just like we do here in our own hellhole) and "Thank God for life."
Why don't we take that attitude with everything? When you go to a restaurant and they bring you some half-cooked meal or improperly made meal according to you order - shouldn't you then simply "Thank the Restaurant owner for food." ? ? ?
TheMadHatter
spoitier 9 years, 8 months ago
Yesterday Bahamians was upset about his comments on investing in Haiti, but unless the Bahamas comes up with a plan that is beneficial for Bahamians as well as Haitians, like using some our land space for agriculture and then use some of the illegals to farm it instead of spending money to send them back right away. This way they would go back with some change in their pocket and basically pay for their own tickets from the work they did. We know that they are not going to stop coming because you would do the samething if face with the same challenges and the Bahamas government isn't equip enough to stop them, couple with the fact that the U.S government is using our waters to keep them from coming to the U.S under OBAT, they say it is for drugs but they are making sure Haitians don't get to the U.S with it.
Emac 9 years, 8 months ago
Ya wrong on that one. When Haitians leave their country their intention is never to go back. They will work and work and work and send all their earnings money back to their relatives. Then they will try to bring all of their relatives over to squeeze in a one room shack with shit buckets, rigged electrical wiring on someone else property! SMT
Bunni 9 years, 8 months ago
and thats a better life!. WELL GOD DAMN! LOL!
spoitier 9 years, 8 months ago
I know that they don't have any intentions on going back, but the points that I was trying to make is instead of spending millions of dollars on deportation right away use some of them in a win/win situation for them and the Bahamas by using some of our untap islands for farming and then after a length of time send them back with something in their pockets. Let it be done humanely as possible, because they are people just like us. By the way Haitians has been coming to the Bahamas for a long time which should suggest that we don't have the resources to combat the problem so we might as well get something out of the deal.
Regardless 9 years, 8 months ago
The fact of the matter is this. The north coast of Haiti is where the least ambitious and prosperous Haitians reside. These people have been the cast offs since the get go and now are thousands of castaways that are populating The Bahamas at am alarming rate. They were the last of the slaves on the non-direct Haiti shipments. Who were not sold in Guadeloupe, Martinique and the other French colonies were essentially dumped at a bargain price in Cap Haitian. It was their leader who murdered the liberator of Haiti. It was their people that burned all the plantations of Haiti and have scorched the landscape of that country ever since. The DR is lush garden while its neighbour Haiti is a waste land. The president of Haiti has no interest in curtailing the migration of boat people from the north coast. The people of Haiti would love nothing more than The Bahamas losing its soul to the north coast "untouchables". Ever wonder why all the Haitians look a like in The Bahamas? That is due to the fact that no other Haitian wants to mix blood with the people of the north coast. So the Haitian president steps close to the periphery of blackmail when he suggests The Bahamas invest in agriculture in the same area in Haiti where the people torched all he plantations in their nation and set a course of poverty that has never abated no matter how much money has been thrown at them. Simple solution. Dump a 747 of condoms on the north coast and burn all the boats. We already have too much of a major problem to deal with future generations of the scourge that now resides in the shadows of our islands. It is time to stop being the dumping ground of the Haitians that Haiti wishes it never knew.
mangogirl01 9 years, 8 months ago
You on point!
marydesnoes 9 years, 8 months ago
I suggest the removal of the vicious and ignorant comment by Regardless. No blog should allow this kind of ignorant venom, trying to pass itself off as historical facts.
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