In politics, nothing happens by chance. If the National Palace at the Champ de Mars in Port–au–Prince, which collapsed in the earthquake of January 12, 2010, has never been rebuilt, and no mobilization has taken place for that purpose, and the money for its reconstruction has gone up in smoke, there is a fundamental reason for this.
Of extraordinary significance, the National Palace is the symbol of the Haitian presidency, that is, of the executive branch. The official residence and office of the President of the Republic, it represents par excellence the place of work and reception of all Haitian heads of state since its existence in Port–au–Prince in 1881.
Since the advent of the Transitional Presidential Council and its installation in the National Palace, only to flee immediately afterwards to the Villa d‘Accueil in Musseau under the false pretext of temporarily settling in, nothing has been done for a definitive return to the historic center of the capital. This temporary has become something permanent, since no steps have been taken to rebuild the palace or restore it to make it accessible and functional. In a way, restoring the prestige of the function of the head of state. Nor is such an attitude the result of chance.
Given the political situation in Haiti, everything is well thought out and calculated according to the precise orders of one or more diplomatic missions in Port–au–Prince, meticulously executing their macabre plan. In this context, it is not important to recall the reflection in 2014 of Lucien Jura, then spokesman for President Michel Martelly. He stated that as part of the reconstruction projects of the country‘s public buildings, “the National Palace is not a priority. It is a choice of the head of state.”
Thus the dice were rolled and to this day, this symbol of Haitian power is still not the priority of the leaders. This illustrates that since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, the presidency no longer exists. And we can continue to talk about the Transitional Presidential Council, it will not change anything. The presidency has been put on the back burner in order to highlight the Primacy, as suggested by Pamela White, the former U.S. ambassador to Haiti.
Today, the survival of the capitalist and imperialist system in Haiti comes at the cost of the destruction of public administrations and state institutions. At a time when the country is sinking into dire situations of interference with disastrous economic, political and social consequences, the Transitional Presidential Council imposed by the United States is only further accelerating an even more marked deterioration of Haitian society. In fact, it is the very grave of the Haitian state.
The complicity of these neo–colonizers to the bone deserves to be emphasized. It is the U.S. ambassador in Port–au–Prince who has the inalienable right to lead the country. He is the one who decides everything. As we saw last week with the visit of the head of U.S. diplomacy to Haiti. Indeed, the most incredible, implausible, even occurred last Thursday, September 5 in Port–au–Prince.
But it is not surprising, when the U.S. Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, visited Haiti and did not go to any office or place symbolizing Haitian sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Haiti. Isn‘t this a scandal? On the contrary, it was the “visitor” who received Haitian political and economic leaders in the office of his embassy in Tabarre. What a humiliation for them! In this case, we understand the reasons why, there is no prospect, no interest for the ruling class of Haiti to rebuild the National Palace.
What good, indeed, to have a National Palace when the American Embassy in Haiti symbolizes the Haitian executive power and that all political decisions come or go through it? How far will the leaders of the political class and the Haitian elites in general go in this flattening, this avilification? Why, did the so–called President of the Presidential Council, Edgard Leblanc Fils, feel compelled to go to the Embassy? What about U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken? The same goes for Prime Minister Garry Conille. The whole world is wondering about these leaders ignoring their glorious history and their country‘s prestigious past. What about the self–proclaimed leaders of the traditional political class? Otherwise they are in continuity.
They have been transported to the place like cattle to expose themselves to the sight of the owner or as slaves to greet the master and report to him on the current situation of the colony. They have confirmed what has been known for decades, namely, that the American Embassy blithely tramples on the rights of the peoples to dispose of themselves. How far will the drift of this political class, the confused left wing and the right wing, who have gone to flatten at the feet of the imperialist powers, thus humiliating the country?
Faced with this macabre game of imperialism in which our leaders contribute not only as bereaved spectators but also as pawns that the Embassy moves according to their interest, the people must react to defend their dignity and sovereignty. This is a regrettable reality that the people must not ignore, since the solutions to our problems will never come from American imperialism or this rotten political class that exists only to legitimize the plundering of our resources by big multinationals.
Let us organize Haitian workers to fight this opportunist, anti–national ruling class as well as imperialism with its cynical and violent policies that are the antithesis of an enlightened, prosperous, free, democratic and sovereign Haiti.
source: Haiti Liberte