Haiti has never been salvaged from the political strife and unconscionable poverty, hunger and disease that have earned it the perennial dishonor as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere….
American presidents are almost as responsible for creating the nightmarish living conditions in Haiti as the succession of incompetent, corrupt and ruthless leaders they’ve sponsored throughout Haiti’s modern History…
The American government must honor its unfulfilled obligations to help build a Haiti than can sustain, govern and police itself.
[Compassion fatigue for Haitian migrants, The iPINIONS Journal, July 31, 2009]
Regular readers know that I’ve been chronicling the perils of Pauline that characterize life in Haiti for many years. No doubt this is why so many of them contacted me this afternoon, asking for my thoughts on the earthquake that had just hit this Godforsaken country.
(Is there any wonder so many people in this “Catholic country” practice Vodou…?)
And if we thought Haitians posed a menacing refugee problem before, just wait…. But I beg all regional countries to show understanding, kindness and compassion in dealing with them. These are, after all, our Caribbean brothers and sisters.
But frankly, it seems fated that Haitians are now pleading for emergency aid to help them cope with the most devastating earthquake to hit the Caribbean in over 200 years. It struck with a 7.0 magnitude, and was followed by aftershocks as high as 5.9.
And, as if to maximize the damage, the epicenter surfaced near the capital of Port-au-Prince, the most densely populated area of the country, with 3 million. Latest reports are that tens of thousands have been killed and hundreds of thousands more wounded.
But Haitians are blessed with survival instincts and resiliency that are unparalleled. Therefore, I fully expect many more of them to pull through than would be the case if this earthquake had struck elsewhere.
Indeed, I am heartened by reports that, even though the presidential palace was destroyed, President Rene Preval and his family escaped unharmed.
Haiti’s ambassador to the US, Raymond Alcide Joseph, was on CNN from his office in Washington, DC, less than an hour after the quake, pleading for the US and “all friends of Haiti” to provide as much emergency aid as possible.
The ambassador also stressed his abiding fear that the vast majority of homes in Haiti were so poorly constructed and situated that they were “a catastrophe waiting to happen.” In the end, he betrayed his utter despair and helplessness by saying that:
I think it’s real a catastrophe of major proportions… The only thing I can do now is pray and hope for the best.
Meanwhile, President Obama demonstrated his keen awareness of America’s unfulfilled obligations by acting with greater dispatch to provide aid to the people of Port-au-Prince after this quake than President Bush did to provide aid to the people of New Orleans after Katrina. And the irony is not lost on me that Obama has now enlisted President Clinton, as well as Bush, to serve as a special envoy for America’s “all-out effort” relief effort.
The US will be providing both civilian and military disaster relief and humanitarian assistance.
(Secretary of State Hillary Clinton)
Furthermore, with all of the aid being pledged by governments around the world, this quake could prove a blessing in disguise.
I just hope this outpouring of support is coordinated and sustained enough to help the Haitian people build a 21st-century infrastructure, as well as the political and civic institutions to manage it. For, as pledges in the wake of the Indonesian Tsunami proved, those who rush for the limelight to make grand pledges often hide in the shadows when it comes to honoring them.
Finally, let us too offer our thoughts and prayers for the long-suffering people of Haiti. But please do not hesitate to do your part by donating whatever you can to the relief effort that is now underway: UN World Food Programme
NOTE: 24/7 coverage of this tragedy has taken the media glare of shame off Wall Street bankers who are testifying before Congress today. Therefore, as a thank you for this divine intervention, I urge those bankers to divert a significant percentage of the billions in taxpayer-funded bonuses at issue towards the rebuilding efforts in Haiti. As always, iPINIONS will continue tracking Haiti’s long road to recovery.”
Related commentaries:
Compassion fatigue for Haitian migrants
* This commentary was originally published on Tuesday at 8:11 pm
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Eve-Lyne MARTIN says
I am from Guadeloupe.
We are organising solidarity with HAITI (money, food,doctors…). I hope that all people from the Caribbean islands will help as they can.
(I am an attorney at law.)
Simonetta Tucker says
I was very upset that the necessary materials were not reaching the suffering people of Haiti it it was very painful to watch. I grew up with the people: amd have experienced a kind and long suffering people.
As for people like Pat Robinson, that woman sitting with with him, looking in his face, should should have taken him to the nearist mental hospital. People like Pat Roberts who prey on human suffering should be left to God.