MONTREAL, Canada, CMC—The Montreal-based Reflection and Action Group for a New Haiti (GRAHN) is condemning the ongoing violence in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country, particularly in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and the Artibonite department.
“Faced with the imminent threat of the collapse of the Haitian state, GRAHN reiterates its call for a national reckoning and a shift away from an emphasis on personal interests on the part of all concerned.
“In this toxic climate, where the common good is too often disregarded, it is more crucial than ever that the nation’s interests take precedence over those of individuals,” GRAHN said.
Criminal gangs have allied with Haiti to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry. In addition, the gangs are involved in various criminal activities, including kidnapping, rape, and burning down police stations, among other criminal activities.
In its statement, GRAHN said that ensuring the safety of citizens and their property must be the authorities’ top priority.
Given the state’s decay and limited resources, the crucial support of our international partners is essential in tackling the crisis. Simultaneously, the state must be reorganized into a more decentralized and equitable structure.
“This requires first a constitutional reform to improve the functioning and quality of our institutions, then by honest democratic elections at all levels of the State but not necessarily all at the same time.”
The Canadian-based group warned that Haiti is in danger and that Haitian society is collapsing.
“Acts of violence carried out with impunity are intensifying. The responsibility for this anarchic climate is shared between the perpetrators of these acts and those who sponsor them or allow this situation to take hold, whether inside or outside Haiti. It is also due to these actors’ inaction, carelessness, and negligence, especially by imposing their calamitous choices on us with ruthless orders.”
GRAHN said that to restore peace and security in Haiti, it is essential to promote education in all its forms, including education for citizenship, civic-mindedness, worship of the common good, and equal opportunities.
” For Haiti to recover, it is essential to establish good governance and to fight corruption relentlessly. The new Haiti will emerge when the general interest prevails over partisan interests, scientific spirit guides our actions, and integrity supplants corruption. Only then will Haiti regain its dignity and respectability in the concert of nations,” it added.