Haiti: The Bottom Is Falling Out?
It’s a dangerous misconception to think that things cannot or will not get worse in Haiti. It is clear that the socio-political landscape continues to move from bad to worse in a trajectory that defies all logical explanations. At this pace, it is only a matter of time for the bottom to fall out.
If one is to compare the current situation with that of the year just before the earthquake, everything that I am about to pen down will make complete sense even to those who are most enthusiastic about selling an illusory dream that Haiti is the place to be. Do not get me wrong, Haiti is a beautiful country with lots of untapped potential, but at present condition, It must be acknowledged that the worse is yet to come. And maybe it will take the worse of all scenarios before the Haitian people do what must be done to get their country on a path to sustainable progress and development.
Haiti is at impasse, where armed gangs enjoy the full support of the government to terrorize the mostly poor residents of popular neighborhoods, more specifically Bel-air and its surroundings. This situation, in the meantime, is putting a lid on any mass movement against the government. However, the pressure under this lid is not far from reaching an inflection point. And it is at this point, that we will witness the fall of the bottom in Haiti.
Once Haiti reaches the abyss of its current crisis, violence, chaos and anarchy will rule every corner of the country. At the beginning, the armed bandits might find themselves in a privileging position, as they currently control key intersections in and around Port-au-Prince, but their long-term survival is not guaranteed.
The oligarchs, who are currently supporting the Moïse’s regime, have the most to lose in a generalized chaos. For now, they continue to wage their money on Moïse surviving his unpopularity and the unsustainable allegiance of the international community to maintain the status quo. This is a risky position because, if history is any guide, it will become clear that the more fear takes hold of the nation and the more things continue to deteriorate, the probability for a full assault on those who control every single industry becomes that much greater.
The fall of the bottom is approaching at a dangerous velocity, given the adamant attachment of this regime and the United Nations to move forward with the organization of an ill-advised constitutional referendum, a process that all credible institutions within the country have outright rejected. The infrastructure for credible, fair and just elections is not in place, and yet this administration wants to test the patience and tolerance of the Haitian populace. They are betting that if the referendum succeeded, then this would signal that Moïse and his team can and will do as they please in the days ahead. This so-called referendum has the potential to lead to a violent popular uprising.
This latter scenario is still preventable, but those in power are tone deaf to the outcry of the people. When the bottom falls, most stakeholders will be losers; sadly, this might be the plan of Moïse, the economic elite and the Core Group for Haiti.
The outcome of a generalized chaos in Haiti could make it possible for the international community to take even greater control of the country’s fragile institutions and its already shrinking sovereignty; a situation that would allow for easy exploration of Haiti’s mines by foreign corporations and further displacement of the most vulnerable out of Haiti. There will remain no legal resistance to this devilish plan, since only puppeteers will be placed in key public offices. This will complete the deconstruction of popular democracy in Haiti.
In return, Moïse and his PHTK allies might evade Haitian justice and never have to answer to the allegations of their involvement in the dilapidation of the petrocaribe fund and all the massacres that took place over the last couple of years.
The reign of terror that currently rules the streets of Port-au-Prince and its surrounding has one main objective that is to keep the social and political activists at bay, which in turn will make it manageable for the government and its band of bandits to organize and manipulate the outcome of their referendum process.
At this stage, the Haitian people might not have many options left at their disposal to reclaim their country and sovereignty. A popular uprising is indeed imminent. The bottom is falling out in Haiti, and the supreme sovereign will not remain silent and docile much longer. The voice of the people is always right.
There’s urgency for all stakeholders and friends of Haiti to do what’s right, stop this sham referendum, and start the process to bring Haiti’s back to democratic norm as soon as possible.
