CARICOM and Haiti
Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
March 13, 2004
OVERTHROWN Haitian president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is reportedly going to Jamaica next week, for a stay for up to ten weeks, at the invitation of the Jamaican Government.
Jamaica's Opposition doesn't think that's a wise decision. It isn't against Mr. Aristide spending some time in the Caribbean island, only that he shouldn't stay that long. A maximum of three weeks, it says, is good enough.
Haiti has been a priority topic on the agenda of CARICOM governments for some time. In Guyana, in addition to Government pronouncing on efforts for the Aristide administration to reach a compromise with opposition forces for the restoration of a peaceful climate in order for democracy to flourish in the impoverished nation, we looked at the situation in Haiti in an editorial on February 24 we titled, "The Haiti Factor."
We lamented, in that editorial, the violence that was engulfing Haiti at a time when Guyanese were celebrating the 34th republican anniversary with "pride and passion," as President Jagdeo had urged, and hoped that CARICOM'S ongoing efforts to return civility to Haiti will bear fruit - and that the people of that French-speaking CARICOM member state would soon put into practice what Guyanese were striving to do: work and live in unity to move their country forward.
With Mr. Aristide having been forced to demit office and go into exile, and now being invited to spend a few weeks in Jamaica, how does the Jamaican citizenry as a whole feel about the former Haitian President's upcoming visit, especially in the light of opposition to the time he's expected to stay there?
Here's how the Jamaica Observer answers this question: "Prime Minister P J Patterson should not in the least be bothered about the Government's decision to allow Mr. Aristide, the ousted Haitian president, to come to Jamaica and to accommodate him for up to two months.
Indeed, during the entire period of the Haiti crisis, Mr. Patterson and his Government have behaved honorably and with a decency and respect that are sometimes missing in international diplomacy.
The Prime Minister has maintained that quality by keeping his Caribbean Community (CARICOM) partners abreast of Jamaica's decision to allow President Aristide to stay in the island. No one can claim to be taken by surprise by Mr. Aristide's visit when it happens.
It seems, though, that despite Jamaica's and CARICOM'S entirely principled position on Haiti, Mr. Patterson and the community have begun to prepare the region to adopt a pragmatic position on the issue...
The Prime Minister has also signaled that he will entertain the newly installed prime minister of Haiti, Gerard LaTortue, who has asked for a meeting ahead of the CARICOM Summit in St. Kitts/Nevis later this month.
But while the region must embrace pragmatism, it must not be devoid of principle. Anything less would be to shame the Caribbean people and to diminish a leadership that has recently displayed courage and character.
The region made the error in 1979 of embracing coup leaders in Grenada, a decision that ultimately led to that country's fratricidal horror nearly four years later.
We have argued before that Haiti should not be allowed back to the regional table unless, and until, it fulfills a series of strenuous tests to verify a clear return to democracy. The Haitian Opposition, legitimate and otherwise, must be clear that this region will not reward violence and coups.
Indeed, those who encouraged the putsch against Mr. Aristide should not be easily let off the hook by the region. It is a hard lesson, this matter of democratic compromise.