When The Poor Die of Hunger Who Speaks For Them, The Fascists?

January 31st, 2008
Editorial: When The Poor Die of Hunger Who Speaks For Them, The Fascists?
By: Wadner Pierre - HaitiAnalysis.com
For several months there has been a new twist in the history for the poor in Haiti, but the story has been enveloped in silence. The standard of living has been declining, with rising costs of basic goods and a continued lack of social programs. People cannot afford to eat.
Haiti has become a 'republic of NGOs' long dependent on outside aid because of the methodical destruction of its own civil enterprises and popular alternatives.
Around the new-year a huge march against poverty and unemployment took place in the capital of Port-au-Prince. The protestors demanded reparations and that the government represent the interests of the poor.
The most pressing issue for the poor is the most basic commodity of life, food. This week, particularly in the poorest districts, such as Cité-Soleil, people go starving and bathe in muddy streets. In Cité-Soleil, a woman sells small plots of eroded land for a living. She says it "is my life, this is where I earn my daily income."
Haiti's wealthy in the hills of Pétionville, where most foreign journalists spend their time, have profited from the growing gap in wealth.
NGOs more and more fill the abyss, an abyss left by the eroded state. But one must ask: Should NGOs replace the state? Why is this happening? What is the plan of the government? Is the government folding in on itself for the sake of global capitalism?
The Fascists Are Still Capable
A new blow is always being prepared, afraid of what the popular winds might bring. "Resignation", investigation, imprisonment, interpellation of the rich, we must wait for the results. They will tell us what happens. A "democracy" only in rhetoric.
The Catholic church too is following a path of silence when it comes to the life of the poor and the possibility of building an alternative. The homily of the head of Haiti's bishops, at the celebrations of the 65th anniversary of the consecration of the country at Notre Dame du Perpetual Succor and the 165th anniversary of the miraculous cure of people infected with the Vérole (Verrette), was a reminder of where the top religious hierarchy stands. After people had chosen their leaders with dignity, these sons of the Haitian upper and middle classes in the religious hierarchy now appear as an arm of fascism.
They are silent when it comes to unconstitutional governments, jailing, killing, firing, privatization, and coups. This is the structural reality we face in our society.
In the district of Fort-Dimanche one can see the high rising platforms of factories of wealthy Haitian families. Duvalier once used this site to torture his impoverished victims. Next to these sites sit the homes of little children made from piles of garbage. They seek their daily lives in this maze.
A man with a sack over his shoulder who I spoke with in Fort-Dimanche explained that "Life is very difficult, there is no option, we can not stay at home to die, we come here to find life."
We are told over and over that everyone is full, things are improving, the wheels are turning, the United Nations is here, but this is hypocrisy. The living situation is worsening and it is clear to those in the slums. In the public markets one can hear the small merchants analyze the situation.
We are told by the big media that Aristide was an elected dictator, maybe because he cared for the poor? The loads of subsidized rice his government brought into the poor districts hurt the profits of industrialists like Apaid Jr. So today we must eat dirt to let the mansions grow. The cost of food rises by forty percent. Pregnant women eat mud cookies.
Go into the poor neighborhoods, see where the poverty is deep and tell the world what is going on. It is our duty. There is a need for truth. We must tell people the truth.
Visit Wadner's Blog de Port-au-Prince


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