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Contributions from
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Studies and reports
Islands of stability in a sea of poppies
PRSPs remain unconvincing so far
“The atrocities committed
would today be termed genocide”
Hopes pinned on civil society
10/2004 |
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[ Haiti ]
Hopes pinned on civil society
“The new Latortue government’s only measure that is visible to all Haitians is a game of football”, mocked a commentator who sympathises with the old regime after the sensational encounter between the national teams of Haiti and Brazil, currently the leading peacekeeping force in Port-au-Prince. All the same, it was a “game for peace”. The home side lost but it united the country in sporting passion and allowed them to forget the present problems for a couple of hours.
Jean-Bertrand Aristide had left behind a heap of rubble when he hastily fled on the 29th of February under pressure from the USA, France and the Haitian opposition. Almost all state institutions were destroyed, most of them looted, some burnt out and the coffers emptied. Aristide’s followers had also set alight factories whose entrepreneurs no longer supported the former priest of the poor.
It took the interim government of Gérard Latortue and his technocrats a relatively short time to achieve order and to make the state able to function again amidst this chaos. The new ministerial team was not drawn from the old close-knit party network but was made up of experts, which greatly increased its efficiency and strengthened the confidence in this government.
With the help of a few thousand US soldiers, it has at least succeeded in increasing security in Port-au-Prince. It has not been possible, however, to disarm the militant Aristide loyalists, the “Chimera” gangs and the paramilitary remnants of the army that Aristide disbanded. Units of rebels who had contributed to Aristide’s fall in the final stages continue to control parts of the country, at times with the United Nations’ tolerance. They form a potential risk but as long as no functional national police force has been set up, there is no alternative.
The final years of Aristide’s dictatorship were so traumatic for many Haitians, particularly for members of the middle and upper class, that they joined in an opposition movement, “Group 184”. This is a loose alliance of diverging interests in which business people, trade unionists, women’s organisations, doctors, engineers, nurses, teachers, students, professors and NGOs got together – in short, a large section of civil society.
André Apaid, a successful businessman of the younger generation, heads the group. He sees the realisation of a so-called “social contract” as a long-term responsibility. Social, economic and political tasks which bring about a rethink should be drafted in the contract, and it should ensure “that in future, capital should also benefit the impoverished population”. The strength of this alliance is doubtful. The individual interests of the participants will inevitably become more important in next year’s elections. Furthermore, the “social contract” is an ambitious draft for the future. However, for the time being, the main concern in Haiti is security.
Even if the civil society alliance proves to be long-lasting and if the entrepreneurs are prepared to invest in their country, Haiti will still have to rely on aid. Donor countries understand this and have shown confidence in the Latortue government. 30 nations and 32 organisations met in Washington at the end of July and pledged around 1.1 billion dollars for the reconstruction. The Inter-American Development Bank has committed a further 400 million dollars. In Haiti, the international community finally has the chance to help the country towards a democratic future.
Peter B. Schumann
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