CARICOM did not ‘sell out’ Haiti; Eminent Persons Group remains on standby – Dr Ali

Last Updated on Monday, 29 July 2024, 7:58 by Writer

Outgoing CARICOM Chairman, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali addressing the opening of the 47th CARICOM Summit.

Outgoing CARICOM Chairman, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali on Sunday said the regional grouping did not sell out Haitians in easing tension and improving governance in that troubled Caribbean nation. 

“I want the people of Haiti to know: Never, ever reduce the role CARICOM played in this situation. Never be led to believe that we were in any pockets. The only pocket that we were in were the pockets of the people, for the love of the people, the freedom of the people and the return of normalcy to Haiti,” he said at the opening of the 47th regular summit of CARICOM leaders in Grenada.

Sections of the Haitian community as well as a number of other activists at home and abroad had accused CARICOM of taking instructions from western nations to derail the will of Haitian people in finding home-grown solutions. However, CARICOM had always maintained that those were Haitian-led. 

The Guyanese President said CARICOM played a major role that was “hard work, sustained work” by the regional bloc that does not deserve news headlines.

In urging Haiti to place a high value on CARICOM’s role in addressing its problems, he announced that the Eminent Persons Group was on standby to continue assisting that French Creole-speaking nation where efforts were underway to crush heavily armed gangs and prepare the country for long-delayed elections. “We are prepared to support Haiti with this group continuing its work alongside you in support of you; not to lead…The Eminent Persons Group remains a mechanism to help and support you on this journey to democracy and good governance,” he said. 

The Guyanese leader credited the Eminent Persons Group – former prime ministers of The Bahamas, Jamaica and St Lucia, and Elizabeth Solomon, former CARICOM Assistant Secretary General for Foreign and Community Relations – with working “relentlessly” to resolve Haiti’s political crisis.

Earlier this year, it had appeared that then Prime Minister Ariel Henry was reluctant to give up power, even as armed gangs had threatened to kill him if he had returned to Haiti from an official visit to Kenya to sign off on a United Nations-backed security stabilisation mission for his country.

Against that background, Dr Ali thanked Dr Henry “because he was part of the process of resigning” along with his administration.