Haiti in crisis

In January 2010, Haiti was struck by a devastating earthquake that literally buried a quarter million of our compatriots and destroyed homes, leaving an additional one million homeless.

This month marks the sixth anniversary of this catastrophe. Unfortunately, instead of commemorating a national recovery, the country is now facing a political roadblock that will undoubtedly exacerbate thecrisis of the post-earthquake period.

After the results of recent national elections were announced, it became evident that our people have again been denied their rights to elect a leader of their own. Just like in 2010, a silent coup d'etat is being orchestrated by the present government using a pre-ordained candidate to comply with the selfish dictates of the traditional Haitian oligarchy.

At this opportune moment, we were expecting our international benefactors to serve as a collective political conscience to denounce such an abuse of power. Instead, they seem to act as a rallying voice of support of this brazen disregard for the people’s sacred rights to fair representation.

This story was originally published January 25, 2016 at 7:42 PM with the headline "Haiti in crisis."