One option out of Haiti's current political crisis
We all agree that Haitian society is plummeting deeper into the abyss. This crisis comes at a time when there are very few people to whom the population would give credit as the deficit in leadership widens.
The President has lost all credibility. The opposition is not trusted. Idem for the church and the political parties. Moreover, we do not want nor can we afford another occupation. We need people who can calm down the game and give the country and the actors time and space to reset the clock.
Moreover, whatever solution out of this crisis will require that the antagonists lose. The opposition and the president must lose in order for Haiti to win. It is important to the solution that each party pays a pound of flesh because Haiti needs stability to build the memory muscle of Presidential transition. As a result, the current President stays in office but his power has to diminish, otherwise this rise up – loss of lives and property and the collective trauma we have all suffered – would have been pointless. The opposition does not get power otherwise it becomes normative to overthrow a President in order to ascend to the presidency without going to the people for a mandate.
As people of African ancestry, we have kept a number of cultural norms and values including respect for our elders.
One option out of this crisis is to have a council of the wise « conseil des sages »
This council of the wise would accompany the President in the way that a board would a CEO.
The potential board members would have to respond to three criteria:
They have to be elders that everybody knows. That is are reputable and trustworthy
They have to have the capacity to serve. That means it is just their age but also their wisdom, intellectual capability and moral integrity
They must have a clear track record of service
A selection based on these criteria does in no way diminish the capacity of the younger generation but kind of track record as well as the sacrifices that will be asked of the members are more appropriate for someone who is writing their last chapters. Some of the potential names that immediately come to mind include people like Odette Roy Fombrun, Mr. Gérard Gourgue, Frank Étienne. Although I have some reservation about listing these names, I believe it’s worth the risk to illustrate the kind of people –bigger than life personalities – that can fill these roles. They are among our last few remaining icons.
The council members would have a cadre of professionals who would publicly agree to not seek any office (elected or nominated) for a minimum of 10 years. The President would stay in office and seek the advice and consent of the board on key policies. They would all report periodically to the public on all major decisions.
Despite what the opposition might claim, the last few days could never have happened were it not for the energy of young people who have essentially had enough of the status quo. To account for and channel that energy, I’d make following recommendations: the council's mandate would last for the remainder of the President's mandate (3 years). It (the mandate) would include the creation of a special court made up of Haitian judges supported by national and international experts; working with the President the council would put in place a new socio-economic plan that respond to current needs but a longer term social contract; and finally, it would hold the long-talked about national conference from which would come out a new constitution.
Surely, there will be many other options but I hope that whatever we finally settle on will reflect the core of what I think are important for us as a country: we need to have normal transitions of power but the President must ask and keep the trust of the people; the opposition must gain power legitimately through the ballot box and continue to serve as a check to whoever is in office; finally and more importantly no more occupations.