Edrys Erisnor, Political Scientist

Insecurity, insecurity, insecurity, yes it is a worldwide problem, but there are signs that signal governments to stand up and put a stop to rampant crimes such as in Haiti.  With the senseless murder of Jean Dominique, coupled with so many others, and worst of all, the killing of Lucienne Heutelou Estimé, ex-first lady of the Republic, one would think that Haitian authorities would have the courage to say enough is enough and combat insecurity to its fullest.  Here you have a first lady, someone of dignity who served the country honorably even after the presidency of her husband, Dumarsais Estimé, killed in Port-au-Prince by armed gangs on May 19, 2006. 

There is a complete silence about her death.  Her passing is disgraceful because someone of her status does not deserve to die as such; and yet her killers are still at large.  What a shame?  For God’s sake, what’s a better sign that this tolerance of insecurity cannot be continued?  Poor lady, how sad?  It is so sad, that it is embarrassing to talk about; l’enquette se poursuit.  What a joke!

The bottom line is only chaos as such can keep these people in power.  “There must be chaos for us to stay in power” (Fok sa pa bon pou’n ka la); this is the reality of politics in Haiti.  Is this bereft of security voluntary or a result of incompetence?  I would argue the later. 

What we need in Haiti is not this kind of thinking but a new political class.  This necessity has been proven in the pass weeks in Haiti with the rejection of two candidates for the post of Prime Minister, (Ericq Pierre and Robert Manuel) to replace the lame duck government of Haiti.  Haiti is actually going into cycle, d’éjà vu, as if there isn’t enough competent Haitians beyond a circle of friends and associates of the president.  We have to break out of the balloon that engulfs our ability to look beyond friendship in Haitian politics. 

“Il faut qu’il y ait une nouvelle classe politique en Haiti”.  With this in mind, being Haitian I know that we are reluctant and how painful it is to throw out old stuffs that are useless, however, with Haiti on the brink of collapsing, I would urge the Haitian Press to start advocating the option of introducing a new political class in Haiti.  “Qui n’avance pas récule”; this is not only a saying, but a warning.  We must get rid of the current political class in order to alleviate the daily lives of the Haitian people.  This is not at all implying a coup but an overhaul of the current system.

With a new political class in Haiti, we will put to sleep Haiti’s most chronic problem, political favoritism (moun pa) which is another form of discrimination against the mass.  With political favoritism out of the realm of Haitian politics, notions such as ability, competency, nationalism, justice, equal opportunity and so forth will be taking the airwaves and thereby replaced talks of insecurity in Haitians living rooms.  This is a necessary change of direction that must take place in Haitian politics in order to face the challenges ahead; therefore, those of us in the press, it is time to put our two cents in the equation by launching the notion of a new political class in Haiti. 

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