Drelin Laguerre

The Haitian Dilemma Drelin Laguerre

What does The Haitian Dilemma say about Haiti? The country's main problem can be defined as a lack of internal cohesion among Haitians after Haiti's independence. This problem manifests itself in two primary ways. First, one can see it in the absence of a social contract between the various components of the nation to pursue their common interests. Secondly, it is epitomized in the system of the "Republic of Port-au-Prince" that was put in place to monopolize all the country's resources to serve the purpose of a few. For Haiti to develop, it is, therefore, pivotal to revamp the current inadequate political system by establishing a new permanent and legitimate forum for social dialogue, as well as halting the economic and social marginalization of the various provincial areas. To this end, Haiti must dismantle the structure that centralizes all powers in Port-au-Prince and grant autonomy to the various regions in a federal-state model. Any Haitian reader of The Haitian Dilemma should take away its two crucial messages. The first being, one cannot solve a problem that one does not understand, nor act on a concept that is foreign to oneself. Therefore, we Haitians must develop a deeper understanding of our current situation. The second message is that we are all both guilty and victims of the present dilemma of our country and thus, we can all become healers or agents of change in this regard. The latter is a personal choice in many ways.