Since Saturday, August 10, 2024, a delegation from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) called the Group of Eminent Persons (GPE) has been in Haiti for a six-day visit. These are the three former Prime Ministers of the Caribbean, namely Kenny Anthony of Saint Lucia, Bruce Golding of Jamaica, and Perry Christie of the Bahamas.
What, in fact, motivated this visit to the country, just a few weeks after the 47th session of the Heads of State and Government of CARICOM in Grenada, in which the Chairman of the Presidential Council Edgar Leblanc Fils had participated?
The latter, upon his return to the country, in a press conference given on Wednesday July 31, 2024 at the international airport, was keen to emphasize that: “These eminent personalities will be in Port-au-Prince with the aim of inspecting and learning about the significant progress made by the Haitian Government in training and making operational the organs of the Transition.”
This visit, of course, is part of CARICOM’s ongoing efforts to assess the current political climate, support a resolution of the crisis in order to restore political and social stability in Haiti. The mission, within its sphere of action, will meet with the Presidential Transitional Council, the Prime Minister, as well as representatives from various sectors of national life.
Indeed, on Monday August 12, 2024 at the premises of the Prime Minister’s Office at Delmas 60, The CARICOM Eminent Personalities Group met with Prime Minister Garry Conille, flanked by his Chief of Staff Nesmy Manigat and the Minister of Justice, Carlos Hercules. Nothing has leaked out about what was widely discussed during this meeting between the Caricomian delegation and the tenant of the Prime Minister’s office. Except that the Office of the Prime Minister’s office let it be understood in an abstract note that ” Discussions focused mainly on the current political transition process. The Prime Minister expressed his support for CARICOM’s proposal to observe the upcoming elections.
In fact, if CARICOM is asking to come and supervise the elections, it is probably because the elections were the subject of discussions.
Will the CARICOM delegation also meet with the nine members of the Transitional Presidential Council? Certainly yes, since the Council must report on its activities. Of course, should we recall that it was this regional institution, hired by the imperialist powers, that played the role of moderator, if not of wise woman, who facilitated the formation of the Transitional Presidential Council on behalf of the guardian powers?
The Council will have a lot to say, for example, on the formation of the Provisional Electoral Council, which is still slow to take shape. Others will also have to say more on the decree published on Saturday, July 20, 2024 in Moniteur #36, establishing a participatory system called the “National Conference,” including Article 1 of this decree stipulates.
“National Conference” is an exceptional, participatory, time-limited mechanism, aimed at enabling all actors in society to actively contribute to the development of appropriate and accepted resolutions.
As for Article 2: the resolutions will serve as proposals for the development of normative texts and guidelines relating to three major projects which are:
1) The revision of the Constitution in force;
2) The development of a new social project for Haiti;
3) The establishment of new relations between the state and society, including civil society and political parties, as well as major reforms of the legal-political system.
One of the major objectives of this National Conference is to create a new Constitution.
The National Conference will also have to work on a new Haitian Society project.
A Technical Secretariat for the Organization of the National Conference is created whose mandate is to provide the Executive Secretariat of the Steering Committee.
All these proposals of the Presidential Council will undoubtedly be submitted for study and understanding to the Group of Eminent Personalities of Caricom. It is obvious that the Western community has no respect for Haitian leaders, although they are instruments at their service. That is why experts were sent to train them.
It is in this spirit that we must understand this Caricomian delegation currently present in Haiti which will in some way administer democracy lessons to Haitian leaders under the microscope of American imperialism.
