Guest blog: Dris Prophete on Haiti's hangover
| 13:50 UK time, Thursday, 2 September 2010
The disastrous and anarchistic environment that prevails reminds us this city hasn't recovered from that deadly day, when so many thousands of lives were destroyed.
It's the weekend, and like most cities in the world, the dwellers of the capital are having fun: men are having cheap moonshine in an effort to numb their pains and fool their reality, young women are selling their misery to desperate males in need of an illusion of well-being, children are trading their innocence for sweets to monsters wearing the masks of philanthropists. The city is hell-bound.
But these aren't the stories that are making the headlines these days, the elections are; mostly Wyclef Jean's candidacy.
The ruling of the Provisional Electoral Commission rejecting his bid for president on the basis he wasn't a permanent resident of Haiti for the past five years, as required by the constitution, wrecked the hopes of the megastar to be at the helm of things in his country.
Too bad - on top of being the first black republic in the world, we would also have become the first hip-hop nation.
The poverty-stricken island would be on the front pages of People Magazine and the Sunday Tribune more often than being the poster country of the World Food Programme and Unicef.
The rejection of Jean leaves the door wide open for Preval's favourite, Jude Celestin, the former head of the National Equipment Centre, who resigned so he could stand.
Celestin, an engineer trained in Switzerland, has no political experience. But in a country like Haiti, where experienced politicians are seen as inefficient and corrupt, this apparent handicap can in fact turn out to be an excellent asset.
Yet the real advantage of Mr Celestin is the financial and political backing he'll receive from the government as the official candidate of INITE, the president's party; which all meetings have been held in the ruins of the National Palace.
The president's protege should nevertheless expect a fierce competition from the other frontrunners. Some of them being very experienced politicians who are used to the Haitian slippery political turf, and are ready to deal all blows to achieve their political goals.
What are the big names who are standing? Two ex-prime ministers: Jacques Edouard Alexis and Yvon Neptune, the first evinced by parliament after the food riot in 2008, the second imprisoned after the ousting of Aristide in 2004; Charles Henry Baker, an industrialist, member of the traditional Haitian bourgeoisie; Mirlande Manigat, a respected academic and former first lady; Chavannes Jeunes, a Baptist leader, with strong support among the evangelicals.
So far none has presented their plan four the country; they're running mainly on their personality and influence.
But there is still a star and youth candidate in the race - Sweet Micky, also known as the "President of Kompa", the most popular musical form and rhythm in Haiti.
One of his albums was titled 100% S**t - after the success of this unorthodoxly titled record, he reoffended by releasing one called 200% - of the same substance.
Don't ask me what kind of republic he wants to create. Kompa nation or hip-hop nation? Tough choice for music lovers.
Now a clear shift of focused can be observed, the living conditions of the internally displaced population are no longer the main priority. But for how long can they be neglected?
The tents are wearing out, viruses and epidemic diseases are spreading in the camps; rapes and pregnancies are reaching unspeakable levels.
It only takes a quick look these days to see an excessive number of pregnant women, among which an inordinate number of teenagers. If this trend continues, we will face a major baby boom, adding another burden to the challenges this country has this to deal with.
The other big issue is that the displaced are being kicked out by the owners of some of the lands squatted after the quake, sending them to wander in this lost city.
However the real impending danger for Haiti is the hurricane season, which has already wreaked havoc in several parts of the country.
If the hurricanes turn out to cause a lot of devastation - very likely considering the precarious state of the infrastructure and the appalling living conditions of the people - the political agenda would have to be redefined, to adjust to the new reality that might emerge.
Even without this prospect, many practical questions remain unanswered, with serious doubts over the organisation of the elections on 28 November. Some areas still have no voting centres, it's not clear what options will be given to the displaced to vote in the districts where they're now living, and what logistics they intend to implement to insure the process is fair and transparent.
The metropolitan area, where more than 4.000.000 people live, is almost completely destroyed; some cities like Leogane, the epicentre of the earthquake, is 90% destroyed.
There are so many steps to be made before this country rises again.
This month, the series of national exams are being held. More than 43, 374 students are taking part in the Western, Southern, and the Nippes departments. The most affected regions are tested last, because of the delay occasioned by the quake; schools were closed in those areas for three months. Saving the academic year was a real accomplishment, when we consider that most of the schools were destroyed, and scores of teachers and students perished.
I look at these young people with a mixed feeling of admiration and concern, walking with confidence toward such an uncertain future.
They wear their best attires, their clothes are impeccably cleaned and ironed; an appearance that belies their living conditions: most of them are living in tents in very inhumane conditions.
The sons and daughters of this land have been looking for a new dispensation for years, a new covenant made of social justice, economic opportunity, and political stability.
Many died with this dream in their hearts. Today my generation is heading toward the same pit.
The leaders who'll come out from this electoral process will have the moral and historic responsibility to build a new country, and lay the foundations of a new society. Let's just hope these elections are not too controversial.
