By: Jude Elie
May 30, 2023
The need for a totally different approach in leadership and drastic change of paradigms is becoming more and more apparent every day in Haiti.
The window of opportunity to enact profoundly positive changes is available now, and we must seize the moment to give hope to a population that is despairing from the apathy of its current leaders.
Change cannot be just a vocal concept to be bantered about by politicians and wannabe leaders. A rallying vision followed by clear and measurable goals need to be put forth to the population.
Last month, April, more than 600 people died in gang violence in Haiti, where the authorities did not have the capacity to protect civilians. Gangs are using snipers to shoot “indiscriminately” at people on the street and “firing into homes”, and people are “being burned alive on public transport”.
Let us be clear, the Haitian state does “not have the capacity to respond”, so civilians are forming vigilante groups to fight the gangs.
This spontaneous uprising is called, “Bwa Kale”.
This had led to a rise in “mob killings and lynchings of suspected gang members”. At least 164 such murders were documented in April alone.
This will fuel the spiral of violence, and Haiti is today dangling over an unfathomable abyss. But this violent uprising is more than understandable.
The population, having been terrorized for two whole years by various gangs, through kidnappings, murders, rapes, and the destruction of their homes, has decided that enough is enough.
Oftentimes, they do accompany the police in their sanctioned raids, but more and more they are acting by themselves. Feeling desperately alone, angry, and bitter for their complete abandonment by the government and their international friends, they will not listen to reason until most of the gangs are eliminated.
On the eve of the celebration of the creation of our national flag, May 18, 1803, we must ask ourselves this most important of questions: “how do we get back to the peace and prosperity that we enjoyed less than 40 years ago”?
The answer is obvious in its simplicity.
Haiti needs a leadership that is visionary in the application of new paradigms that would give it a forward leap of 30 years through new technologies, strict Law and Order rules, and a constant battle against corruption and impunity.
This new leadership must be solely dedicated for the betterment of its people and in re-establishing Haiti’s honored place in the world community. As such, Haiti would regain its Pride and Dignity and reclaim her position as the Pearl of the Antilles.
(Jude Elie is a presidential hopeful for the upcoming Haitian elections. He is an engineer by profession)
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