PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti–A group of Haitian business leaders, including some who are linked to the largest companies in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the country is calling on “everyone to…agree on a fair and transparent” strategy to deal with the current political impasse in the country.
The group members, identifying themselves as “Le Groupe patronal Haitian,” issued a joint statement in which they denounced the ongoing socio-economic situation in the country.
“The undersigned, all members of the Haitian employers’ sector, duly concerned by the unprecedented deterioration of the socio-economic situation and the living conditions of the vast majority of our fellow citizens, are challenged by our patriotic duty to remind economic and political protagonists of our country their imperious obligations to privilege the national interest and to put an end to their prevarications,” they said in the statement.
They said that everyone must be aware of the country’s current situation. The first appeal is to “businessmen and women of our country” to observe sound business practices, transparency, and competition as their fiscal and legal responsibilities.
Further, the group has launched a “patriotic and urgent appeal to the political protagonists” by consenting “everyone to the sacrifices necessary to agree on a fair and transparent strategy to the current political impasse.
“The hour is serious and requires that the actors cease bringing up on the carpet the questions which cause the same disagreements and lead to the same failures. None of the parties in conflict has the legality or the legitimacy required to assert its thesis.”
The group said that the country can no longer be held hostage by partisan political interests and that it is therefore up to the political class to find a consensus around two fundamental themes, namely, the fight against the terror sown by armed gangs and the restoration of security of life and property in the country and the return to constitutional order.
They said the return to constitution order could be achieved “following the establishment of structures guaranteeing an electoral process that is credible and acceptable to all parties, the sine qua none of which is a level playing field so that all candidates for elective positions at all levels have the same chances.
“In this perspective, the undersigned considers it necessary that a sincere and objective reflection on the rules of the political game be included in the menu of this transition, including the opportunity to review in-depth specific provisions of our patent law.
“It would be important that all the citizens who find themselves in this cry of alarm adhere to this approach by denouncing the unacceptable immobility in which the political actors take pleasure today, which immobility contributes to the aggravation of insecurity,” the statement noted.
It said that once a democratically elected government, the group members and their colleagues from the private sector “who are called upon to join them will remain ready to discuss the major structural reforms that should lead to modern governance that ultimately meets the needs of the population.”
Several Haitian employers and business organizations, including the Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH); the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the West (CCIO); the Tourist Association of Haiti (ATH), and the American Chamber of Commerce of Haiti, have so far expressed support “for this patriotic call to businesswomen and men, to assume their financial responsibilities as a starting point towards a modern and equitable society where the State can meet the needs and aspirations legitimacy of the people.
“We also support this patriotic appeal to those in power, who are also called to an unprecedented self-transcendence, this for the benefit of a healthy, efficient and transparent management of the State attentive to the needs of all.
“Finally, we support this patriotic appeal to the political protagonists, asking them to raise their awareness and encouraging them too to adopt a behavior that goes in the direction of the majority of our compatriots rather than these endless sterile quarrels which have not yielded results,” the business groups added.
Haiti has been plagued with political instability in recent years, following the July 7, 2001, assassination of President Jovenel Moise and the proliferation of criminal gangs involved in murder, kidnappings, and other illegal activities.
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