The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) continues to monitor very closely, and views with deep concern, developments in Haiti as unrest mounts over demands for that country’s president.
In a statement released last week, CARICOM urges all stakeholders to be guided by the Constitution, respect for the rule of law and the electoral process and in that regard is heartened by the fact that an electoral timetable has been set.
“The Community is also deeply anguished about the security situation including the actions of armed gangs which threaten the maintenance of law and order in the country and disrupt the lives and livelihoods of its citizens,” The CARICOM statement adds.
The Community also encourages all parties to engage in meaningful dialogue in the interest of peace and stability and “strongly urges that action be taken to foster a safe environment, a return to normal life and the building of sustainable democratic institutions.”
There were rumblings of possible unrest in Haiti last week as that country’s president, Jovenel Moise, defied calls for him to step down because, according to the opposition, his presidency is not legitimate.
The BBC reported on Monday that thousands of people have taken to the streets of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and other cities for renewed protests against the government which started on Tuesday.
They lit barricades of burning tyres and debris, demanding the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse.
Some demonstrators were reportedly injured as police fired rubber bullets to disperse them.
The cause of the Caribbean nation’s fresh unrest is a bitter dispute over Moïse’s legitimacy.
Haiti’s opposition says that Mr. Moïse’s five-year term should have ended on 7 February 2021, five years to the day since his predecessor in office, Michel Martelly, stepped down.
Moïse, however, insists he has one more year to serve as he did not take office until 7 February 2017.
Caricom is a big boys club of wannabe millionaires!
Less than a week before Dominica 2019 general election caricom, to my knowledge never encouraged dialogue between the people of Salisbury and the authorities…. instead caricom swiftly dispatched the RSS to Dominica. The RSS descended upon the village of Salisbury in de early hours of the morning while the community was still asleep and massacred the people with expired teargas!!!
I call on de Haitian community to also resist any interference in their political affairs by that dubious caricom blight!
Remember how Dominicans were treated by de same caricom just days before our election….. foreign military boots on our ground during general election!!!!!
Stand and resist any dictatorship….. show us how to do for ourselves!!!
CARICOM should be more concerned about those allegations that Kenneth Rijock, has unleashed on PM Skerrit, than they are concerned about Hàitians that are fighting for their freedom. What bothers me is, to date PM Skerrit has yet to deny, defend or address anyone, especially those allegations Kenneth Rijock made on Q95 on January 2nd and Jan 28 2021. As a laborite I am very upset with Rijock for making these allegations on my PM but even more upset that my PM has yet to clear the air or threaten with legal threats. So CARICOM should step in to voice their concerns if they really want me to believe them
What, they are not bringing in the RSS to safeguard the constitution and and law and order? Those heroes, who assaulted the small village of Salisbury in Dominica to support the regime of a tinpot dictator now stand on the sideline, wringing their hands? How brave they are. Perhaps they waiting for the U.S. or the U.N. to intervene, only to criticise them later for interfering? Very sad, Caricom is not even a paper tiger but a toothless puppy. Shame on all of us.
I think they know that Haiti is a different proposition. The vast majority of Haitians have absolutely nothing to loose and they would kick ass of RSS. Let’s face it, in 2019 10 well trained guys would have send the RSS packing and the wannabe dictator and his private militia would have ended up somewhere in the Caribbean Sea.