ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada - Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders have welcomed the developments taking place in Haiti and remain optimistic that elections could be held in the country by the end of next year.
Photo courtesy of CARICOMThe issue had been discussed during their caucus meeting and the regional leaders received a report on the situation from the President of the Transitional President Councill (TPC), Edgard Leblanc Fils.
Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that the regional leaders, who are ending their three day summit here later on Tuesday, were encouraged by the report.
“Well, we are quite happy that we made some significant progress with Haiti. You know, CARICOM we had quietly and firmly worked on Haiti. we got their transition arrangement out of the way. We got the Council in place.
“And the Kenyans are on the ground in Haiti, fully supported by the resource base of the Americans and the Canadians. These were things that were not there before. And we literally had to fight a way to that position,” Rowley said, adding “I think we are in a much better place now even though there’s still a lot of problems there.
“But it’s not as hopeless, as it appeared when the gangs were roaming the streets,” he said, noting that no definitive timeline had been given regarding the holding of the elections.
“Well, we are now talking about the appointment of the Elections Council (and) .. there’s a step-by-step process. You have to put the Council in place now for the population to accept that these people are going to be honest brokers, in organising an election.
“If you try to organize an election before people are prepared to accept the credibility and the bona fides, it’s not going to go anywhere. So now that the government is in place, you’re going to put the Election Council in place, and then the plan for the actual elections,” he said, adding “so as of now there isn’t a timeframe or date, but we’re working towards that in some reasonable timeframe”.
Haiti has been without an elected head of state since July 7, 2021, when Jovenel Moise was assassinated at his private residence overlooking Port au Prince.
His murder and subsequent events led to CARICOM establishing an Eminent Persons Group comprising former prime ministers Dr. Kenny Anthony of St. Lucia, Perry Christie of The Bahamas and Bruce Golding of Jamaica in a bid to help solve the political and socio-economic situation in the country.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves told CMC he believes that the elections could most likely take place by the end of 2025, even as he acknowledged that the humanitarian situation “is still very dire, very difficult.
“Remember, you have over half of the Haitian population, which is vulnerable to the issue of food insecurity. And then they need more police, and who to pay for them. And what kind of additional support that CARICOM can give”.
Gonsalves said that the TPC and the Eminent Persons group would also have to define what role the EPG plays going forward.
“The Eminent Persons Group, they have done a fantastic job thus far in mediating and shepherding this process. They’ve started the process of having nominations for the Electoral Council. And I believe that the idea which they have in mind is that before the end of next year to have elections in Haiti, which is a lot of progress, which hasn’t been made,” he added.
But Gonsalves said that “its not an easy situation; it’s is complicated.
“The security situation though has improved is still fragile and the resources required have to come from somewhere. Other partners are putting in resources in addition to the CARICOM countries.
“But I think that Haiti is a better place today than it was two months ago, and CARICOM has been very instrumental in shepherding this process and having us making good progress,” he said, adding “I think that’s evident to everybody. But it’s still a work in progress.”
The caucus is reported to have discussed the crime situation in the Caribbean with Barbados slated to host the next regional symposium on crime, a date for which has not been disclosed as yet.
Trinidad and Tobago in April last year, held the inaugural symposium on crime as a public health issue .
“We discussed the legislative response to the criminal challenge, and interestingly, virtually all the territories had the same kind of problem,” Prime Minister Rowley told CMC.
“And we are considering another meeting to deal with focusing on the legislative responses because it appears as though there are some things which we can and should do. But there are some obstacles in the way which are common to all of us.
“And therefore, the Attorneys General will be looking at them to see how we can interface better with the judiciary and with the international community in deal with the realities of the crime problem.”
Asked what specifically were these realities, Rowley replied “ it has to do with the how the legislation applies to affording the police the opportunity to be more effective, and the courts to be more effective.
“I think the general consensus was that criminals are not respectful of the response. And we have to make it unpleasant while not being uncivil.”
Gonsalves said “we had a really good caucus discussion on security issues” noting also “we had the usual discussion on Belize, Guatemala, Guyana, Venezuela, you know, usual body issues and a couple of other issues.
“I thought it was a very fruitful discussion,” he said, even though it appeared that the 15-member regional grouping would not be issuing a statement on the elections held in Venezuela last Sunday.
“There was a brief discussion on it, but it was not conducive discussion, because time was very, very late,” he said.
Asked if that means CARICOM may not be issuing a statement on Venezuela,’ Gonsalves reposnded by saying “I’m not so sure, because one of the issues you have to remember, there are several prime ministers who are not present. And some persons will wish to defer to their prime ministers.
“Remember you have Jamaica, Bahamas. Well, Dominica was not there last night. Though Roosevelt (Skerrit) told me he was issuing a statement similar to the one I issued, and the one that (St. Lucia Prime Minister) Phillip Pierre issued, similar to what Antigua (and Barbuda)” issued.
“Dr. Terrance Drew is not there from St. Kitts-Nevis. So there are a few countries. So in those circumstances, you’re unlikely to have on an issue of that nature,” Gonsalves said.
