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(This article originally written in Kreyòl)

Since the assassination of Jovenel Moise on July 7th, different groups in Haiti have come together to agree on the best way to move forward. It is clear that all the agreements are not the same. Meanwhile, the Cartel of Embassies (Core Group) has not stopped preaching for all actors to swiftly put their heads together to come up with just one overarching agreement. This notion gives the impression that unity is the one thing missing in Haiti’s political situation and that the international community is the one entity with good intentions. The rhetoric being carried by the Core Group and a major part of the Haitian press is disingenuous.

The agreements are not the same. Some accords were drawn up in three days, others a month, and even 6 months. The difference between each accord is the objective of each grouping that has decided to work together. One notable initiative, the Pen Montana agreement, is the fruit of several months of negotiations between over 300 civil society groups, religious federations, and political parties. They propose a two-year transition plan led by a president and prime minister, elected by delegates chosen from the different sectors of the society who participated and signed the Montana agreement. The plan proposed by defacto PHTK Prime Minister Ariel Henry (signed Sept 11, 2021, with several political parties) proposes a government led by Ariel Henry with no president. It would give the prime minister powers to issue decrees and other exercises of discretion normally granted to a president. Insisting that all accords must work together and find consensus is an argument made in bad faith. 

During an interview, this past December on Radio Ginen, American Ambassador Kenneth Merten called for an accord of accords. “We [Americans] would like for Haitians to put their heads together to find a way forward, but certain groups have already drawn out their own plans ( …) We do not want to interfere in the affairs of Haitians. We were accused of interference before. We do not want to interfere again—We didn’t do it before. That’s what I want to emphasize, ” said Merten, with a slight chuckle. As Merten and the U.S. pretend to be neutral bystanders simply calling for unity, they continue to back Ariel Henry. “Unity” for them is cooperation with PHTK.

In a short opinion piece published on February 1st, the editor of Le Nouvelliste accused actors in various accords of what he calls a “war of egos.” He dismissively describes the situation saying, près de sept mois après le 7 juillet nous sommes loin de l’union fait la force et loin de l’union des différences pour donner naissance à un vrai accord. “…almost seven months after July 7 we are far from l’union fait la force  and far from the union of differences to give birth to a real accord.” We are seeing institutions happily repeat Core Group talking points, and we should be wary of anyone continuing the work of entities that got us here in the first place.

There seems to be no coherent US foreign policy toward Haiti other than to maintain its position as an empire. The main function of saying there are too many proposals/agreements is to undermine this process of political negotiations and minimize the efforts of Haitians. Emphasizing the existence of multiple agreements instead of carefully analyzing what is going on is intellectually lazy and banalizes the potential impact of the political offers that are viable. 

Everyone is afraid to speak of protests because certain actors have successfully used gangs to terrorize the population. But there is no way around it; we are on the path to taking to the streets once more, and this may be where the battle of accords will be determined. Political equations can change quickly in Haiti.

Once again, the media is parroting the words of the Cartel of Embassies without realizing that the logic behind the question “why can’t there be an accord of accords?” comes from the same “we are all guilty” reasoning. It is too easy to simply say we are all guilty, this way nobody is truly accountable. 

The debates happening right now will benefit Haiti in the future. Finding a quick and sloppy solution simply to appease the international community will result in nothing but more chaos. I do not wish to dictate which accord is better, but any accord that ignores the opinion of the Core Group and takes its time to find a solution that is based on a real consensus is more likely to succeed. Yes, we need a minimum of consensus to move forward, but to find this consensus we need time to negotiate around a plan with as much legitimacy as possible. 

Power has long been in the hands of a few, but this cannot remain the case for much longer. The accord that succeeds in gaining the most popular support and can manifest that support throughout the country is the one that will win this political fight.