The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

EVER since, if not before, it successfully declared its independence in 1804 following her defeat of a contingent of the Napoleonic army, Haiti has been and remains to this very day, the classical case of a ‘failed state’. Throughout its modern history, Haiti, at different times have been controlled or led by assorted coup leaders; military despots; tin horned dictators and rag tagged criminal gangs. There was even a time when an alleged Bahamian born dictator, Papa Doc Duvalier held absolute sway down there for almost Thirty (30) years and was succeeded by his son, Baby Doc Duvalier.

In my opinion none of the Haitian ‘rulers’ have ever done enough to set that troubled nation on an even keel. The rulers come and they go, provided that they are lucky enough to escape assassination or being necklaced with a burning car tire. Routine chopping up of political rivals by cutlasses is the order of the day. The assassination of its last elected President, Jovenal Mosie, was the straw that broke the camel’s back, in my view, in 2021. Haiti has spiraled into an economic and political morass.

To put it pure and simple, Haiti, urgently needs an internal political solution. In 2021 the current Prime Minister (and Acting President) Ariel Henry was able to become de faco ‘leader’ of that troubled nation and promised free and fair national and local elections no later than February of this year. He now says that that will occur sometime in August, 2025 The Lord willing!!

He recently flew over to Kenya to sign off on a purported bilateral agreement with that nation to deploy a 1,000 member strong police, not military, contingent, to assist with the restoration of law and order. Another African nation, Benin, has pledged to send 2,000 police officers. The Bahamas and several other Caricom nations have almost committed to sending police officers as Peace Keepers. Will these contingents ever get to Haiti and how would they be received by the feared gangs and their leaders. God forbid that a single foreign police officer, especially a Bahamian, should be captured and tortured.

What is remarkable is that neither France, the original occupying power or the USA, the largest nation and most powerful, military wise, have both consistently and stridently declared that they will NOT put booths on the ground in Haiti. Why The USA is prepared to raise funds for any foreign deployment NUT no American blood will be spilled in Haiti. The French wants to send military forces into the Ukraine, a ‘white’ based nation BUT not a single police or military contingent over into ‘black’ Haiti!!??

I am not suggesting that the USA; the UK; Canada or some European nations may be racially prejudiced towards Haiti but look at the optics…In the UK for instance, the Tory administration, led by a man of color, has proposed that All illegal asylum seekers should be sent to resettlement camps in Rawanda, an African nation famous for its civil wars and ethnic cleansing!! Even the Dominican Republic, which shares the Island of Hispaniola with Haiti has sealed its borders and place their military on full alert.

Haiti is a failed state by any yard stick, I am a Junior Prophet and I predict NOW that Henry will NEVER be allowed by the gangs to publicly return to Haiti any time soon. In fact, like former President Aristide, he may well be forced to seek domicile elsewhere in the African diaspora. The world really needs to simply step back and allow the Haitians to work out their own salvation.

To protect our own borders here in the nation and to avoid as much as possible the unfettered migration of Haitians we Must set up a sea borne blockade immediately. Is our Royal Bahamas Defense Force up to scratch? No one is able to offer a sensible and workable solution To This Long Festering DILEMMA. With an almost 10 million strong population you mean to tell me that after more than 219 years of ‘independence’ Haiti is consigned to remain on its knees, literally. Is Haiti the land of the damned To God then, in all things, be the glory.

ORTLAND H BODIE, Jr

Nassau,

March 7, 2024.