HAITI’S LATEST horror experience with massive physical destruction and a rising death toll unleashed, this time by Hurricane Matthew, poses new challenges for CARICOM as well as for departing President Barack Obama.
With an estimated 1 000 dead, and confronting destruction of private and state-owned properties, the people of Haiti, the most poverty-stricken and poorest nation in the Caribbean-Latin America region, urgently need practical help, not mere expressions of sympathies with token assistance.
Still slowly recovering from the nightmare national destruction from the 2010 earthquake which killed over 300 000, Haiti’s distress over Hurricane Matthew represents a challenge for enlightened practical humanitarian responses from CARICOM and other nations.
More so from the United States with direct personal initiatives by Obama as part of his lasting legacy in the White House.
Obama, after all, is the first African-American president, and quite familiar with the prevailing social, economic and political challenges facing Haiti – the first black independent nation of the western hemisphere and which sadly remains its “poorest”.
When the 2010 earthquake challenges emerged, then United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan quickly moved to involve then American President Bill Clinton to play the lead role in mobilisation of international financial assistance for national reconstruction and humanitarian aid.
It is to be expected that the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown will become quite active in mobilising Community governments in coming forward with relevant initiatives – as distinct from rhetoric – to help Haiti to overcome at least some of its immediate humanitarian needs while planning later help for national reconstruction.
The region’s private sector should consider their own active involvement with CARICOM governments, along with established regional non-governmental organisations in an overall strategy to help Haiti cope with its nightmare challenges that have emerged from Matthew and the 2010 earthquake.
Let us all hope that CARICOM governments become imaginatively and passionately involved in responding to the new challenges facing our region, in particular Haiti.
This could prove quite helpful in influencing Obama to come forward with a meaningful, practical initiative to help Haiti.
I would not be surprised to see Obama show up in Haiti, given his people-oriented approach at times of crises.
• Rickey Singh is a noted Caribbean journalist.
