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Sunday, 14 September 2008 |
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Page 2 of 2
It has been widely reported that Haitian flood disasters are aided by the rampant deforestation that takes place on mountains in rural Haiti, as people strive to get fuel to cook, and lumber to build shacks to live in. Not able to cope with the high cost of living in urban areas, thousands build shacks along river banks that are swallowed up when it rains.
Haiti now needs more than reactionary relief. That country needs major long-term assistance based on a well crafted plan. In fact, Haiti needs the assistance of a United Nations Plan for the Development of Haiti - (UNPDH), possibly a department created within the existing United Nations, consisting of an international coalition of countries, including the Caribbean, structured and focused on implementing programs critically needed in Haiti. This includes reforestation, housing, business development, national security, education, community development, agricultural development and town planning programs.
This international coalition is imperative to save Haiti and its people. One cannot see the already beleaguered government, or any succeeding government, coping with all the setbacks that the country has experienced. The efforts of any government are certainly doomed without strong, meaningful, consistent international effort. The Haitian problem is not going to be solved overnight; neither is it going to be solved with sporadic assistance only when the need arises. The world, and particularly the Western Hemisphere, cannot ignore the plight of Haiti, a nation that sits plumb in the middle of the Hemisphere – its plight and suffering a tragic legend. Haiti, like a sick and lost child, needs to be adopted by caring guardians, an international coalition.
Hopefully, this latest tragedy in Haiti will awaken the conscience of the world beyond just sending temporary relief (albeit well needed) to Haiti. Hopefully, the tragic images and reports will at last result in a long-term united international coalition committed to work with Haitian governments to rebuild the country. This disaster must be the catalyst for building a new, different, less impoverished Haiti. If globalism is not just a meaningless word, then the responsibility for the real development of Haiti, although an independent country, must now be shared by the wider global community.
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