The Resurrection of Haiti

Consider this image of Haiti – specifically of a section of its capital, Port-au-Prince – published in The New York Times on March 27:

“The lights of the casino above this wrecked city beckoned as gamblers in freshly pressed clothes streamed to the roulette table and slot machines. In a restaurant nearby, diners quaffed Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne and ate New Zealand lamb chops at prices rivaling those in Manhattan.

“A few yards away, hundreds of families displaced by the earthquake languished under tents and tarps, bathing themselves from buckets and relieving themselves in the street as barefoot children frolicked on pavement strewn with garbage.

“This is the Pétionville district of Port-au-Prince, a hillside bastion of Haiti’s well-heeled where a mangled sense of normalcy has taken hold after the earthquake in January. Business is bustling at the lavish boutiques, restaurants and nightclubs that have reopened in the breezy hills above the capital, while thousands of homeless and hungry people camp in the streets around them, sometimes literally on their doorstep.”

Hmmm. Haiti’s leaders see the January 12 earthquake as “a rendezvous with history that Haiti cannot miss.” In a lengthy proposal presented March 31 to representatives of 130 potential donor nations, they outlined a 10-year rebuilding plan, while acknowledging that, long before that 35-second earthquake, Haiti was in trouble. “We understand the importance of reviewing our political, economic and social governance. We pledge to act in this regard,” the Action Plan for National Recovery and Development of Haiti, presented by President Rene Preval, said. “The earthquake must not obscure the desired goal: building a democratic Haiti that is inclusive and respectful of human rights.”

Unlike what seems to be the case as described in that New York Times piece -- or in what I observed in my first visit to Haiti some months ago.

It has been clear since January 12 that the world wants to help Haiti; but Haiti must assure that it is capable of accepting that help and moving forward as a sovereign democratic nation, not a beggar nation with its hands out and its corrupt officials leading the charge. The action plan says that Haiti “is committed to keeping up its efforts in the fight against corruption and to establish mechanisms capable of [ensuring] the greatest amount of transparency in the management of public funds.”

Preval and the team of government officials and international civilian experts have estimated the damage done to Haiti as a result of the earthquake at $8 billion.

From the action plan: “ Very soon after the earthquake, it was obvious that such a toll could not be the outcome of just the force of the tremor. It is due to an excessively dense population, a lack of adequate building standards, the disastrous state of the environment, disorganized land use and an unbalanced division of economic activity. The capital city (Port-au-Prince) accounts for more than 65 percent of the country’s economic activity and 85 percent of Haiti’s tax revenue.” Part of the long-term plan is to redistribute population to other parts of the island nation. That requires success in achieving one set of its goals: “…We must create jobs, re-house disaster victims, open schools and higher education institutions in preparation for the new school year, provide access to health care, prepare for the hurricane season, bridge the gap in state tax revenues, restart the administration and boost the economic channels.”

It took a 35-second earthquake to force the Haitian government to move in the direction it should have been for years of politicians more interested in deposing each other, an elitist class that has done little for the poor who inhabit areas like Cite Soleil and all that “where’s mine?” attitude that has inhibited legitimate trade.

Now a 55-page plan of action and impressive words from Preval, whose term ends in February 2011, are what we have. That and prayer.