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(This piece was originally written in Kreyòl)

 

 

Here are ten decisions that could put Haiti back on the right path

The Haitian state is built to beneft politicians and the economic elite. It is simple and clear to all who are living or at least following developments in Haitian politics. Corruption and impunity enrich politicians and their friends in the private sector. Today, Haitians have completely lost confidence in our politicians and have begun abandoning the democratic process. In order to reestablish trust, these are the ten decisions the government should make today to put Haiti back on the right path:

1. Reduce the team at the National Palace; eliminate special advantages that are unnecessary for employee to do their work. This includes the president.

This decision would send a clear message from the president and his team about their dedication to combating budgetary deficits. Our budgetary deficit is out of control while the benefits of big officials are growing. In the rectification budget, the parliament cut the budget for health to increase their own budget. If the president and prime minister want to battle corruption and impunity, they have to lead by example.

2. Reduce the government:

• Combine the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Youth and Athletics.
• Combine the Ministry for Haitians Living Abroad and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
• Combine the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment.
• Combine the Ministry of Economy and Finance with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Combine the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense.
• Combine the Ministry of Public Works and Communication with the Ministry of Communication.
• Eliminate the three Minister Delegates who could have a simple mission with a temporary contract.

There are too many ministries and ministers. The amount that is spent on the functioning of the government and what the country receives in return shows us the necessity to profoundly reform the government. The ministries I propose to combine above do very similar, if not the same, work. This will facilitate continuity. When you have twenty-one ministers, that means you have twenty-one cabinets that each have six to seven advisers and cabinet members that need to be paid.

3. Cut benefits that aren’t necessary to the work of members of parliament and General Directors.

The Parliament is one of the institutions that costs the country the most. More than six billion gourdes (more than $84 million US) is too much for us to spend on officials while the rest of the country is mired in poverty. The parliaments must participate in the reduction of the state’s budget in order to free up more funding for education and infrastructure. If the parliament plays its role, it will help the country by restoring people’s confidence and willingness to pay taxes.

4. Provide a report on how funds received by the President’s company from Petrocaribe were disbursed

President Jovenel Moise is directly implicated according to reports on the use of Petrocaribe funding. COMPHENER S.A. is reported as a company that the government paid to install street lamps. The company was represented by Jovenel Moise, before he became the president, and all attempts to create transparence must start at the source. Jovenel Moise must clarify his participation in the disbursement of Petrocaribe money to establish his own legitimacy in terms of the Petrocaribe process.

5. Remove Wilson Laleau as Director of the President’s Cabinet because he is one of the individuals who owes many answers related to how the Petrocaribe funds were disbursed.

In any serious country, this would be a major scandal. Wilson Laleau was the Minister of Economy and Finance that facilitated Jovenel receiving credit to establish his business Agritrans. Laleau also participated in choosing Jovenel as a candidate and now he is the head of his cabinet. Today there is no proof that Agritrans has begun to pay back the money it borrowed from the government. Wilson Laleau is one of the people who has many questions to answer in terms of how Petrocaribe money was used. To have Wilson Laleau as the head of the president’s cabinet in a moment of popular revolt against corruption and impunity doesn’t inspire confidence.

6. Give the Superior Court of Audits the entire 27 million gourdes they need to work on the inquiry into Petrocaribe and stop interfering in their investigation.

27 million gourdes for Lakou Dèkont (The Superior Court of Audits) to continue the investigation into the use of Petrocaribe funds should not even need to be a discussion. The central government must make the funds as quickly as possible and not use financing as a tool to influence the work of the courts, which they promised to complete by  January.

7. Audit the Provisional Electoral Council before giving it $50-70 million to hold the next election 

We have disbursed more than $150 million in the last three elections. It does not make sense to continue to disburse funds without any report on how they were used.

8. Reinforce local government’s authority

Reinforce the authority of local governments, giving mayors the task of managing the “Karavàn” instead of the central government. Report what has already been done by the Karavàn, and create more transparency on where the money spent is coming from. Sustainable development must come from the local authorities. Nobody knows the communities as well as their mayors, city councils, and delegates, and therefore they should be the ones leading these projects. This can be done under the supervision of the central government to make sure the work is done, but the president, ministers and parliament members should not be the ones going around inaugurating small development projects.

The mayors can collect funds from their communities with the assistance of the central government. This will help the central government spend less money on small community projects. There can be no democracy or development without decentralization.

9. Ask the parliament to start allowing young people studying in other countries, but hold permanent residency in other countries to participate in local and legislative elections.

The crucial role of the diaspora in the country is clear. Without the diaspora, Haiti would be in a much worse place right now, with the diaspora contributing more than $1 billion yearly as the biggest source of revenue for many Haitians. It is time to allow the diaspora to participate in the politics of the country. I am not speaking of the people who never come to Haiti and have no interest in the country. I am referring to the third generation of the Haitian diaspora.

There are three categories of the Haitian diaspora: the first category left Haiti because of persecution and to find better opportunities. These people are still attached to the country, but are not very interested in the politics of the country. They are more interested in helping out in the education and business sectors. The second category is the children of the first category. They don’t have much attachment to the country, and are not very interested in returning. Many of them are strapped with debt, and if they were to be interested in returning to Haiti, there isn’t enough quality work available to pay them an acceptable salary. The third category is the generation that have left Haiti to study, and are working to return to their country. These are the people who never renounced their nationality and know they will return to the country to help change things. A lot of these people have permanent residency in other countries to facilitate travel and ease their circumstances. They deserve total integration in the politics of the country. 

10. Stop wearing campaign t-shirts and boots. Campaigning is over.

It is very unfortunate that Jovenel Moise continues to operate in campaign mode, delivering empty promises and emotional declarations with no follow through almost two years into his presidency. President Moise must begin to act as a president to avoid further chaos. If the president has no capacity to manage this crisis, then he should remove himself before it gets any worse.

In case you missed it: a quick guide to understanding what this PetroCaribe scandal is about. “Petrocaribe who, what, where, when, why”