Twenty-five years after its first democratic elections in decades, Haiti has become poorer, more fractured and less trusting of the outside world.
There have been coup d’états, economic restructuring and earthquakes, all of which have crippled the country’s ability to sustain consistent economic growth. But the biggest impact has been the loss of hope for the future.
On December 16, 1990, a Catholic priest named Jean-Betrand Aristide became the president of Haiti. He was voted into power with over 50 per cent of the vote, ending years of rule under dictatorships that had alienated and impoverished most Haitians.
Aristide campaigned as a spokesperson for the marginalized and poor. He promised them a better life.
“There was a lot of excitement and a huge sense of hope,” said Marylynn Steckley, who lived and worked in Haiti as a food policy analyst in 2007, and then returned for two years after the devastating earthquake in 2010.
“He was put on a pedestal as someone who would help people, lessen the divide between rich and poor and make their lives better. That is gone now”
Despite the hope that fueled his rise to power, Aristide’s government did not fulfill its promises. Over the next 15 years he was exiled twice, overthrown by the military, and placed the country on an economic path that crippled its development.
“The popular movement lost its momentum,” says Ron Blunschli, who was an activist during the Aristide’s first presidency, and has seen the public sentiment in the country change over the last 25 years.
“By the end of the 90s, the mood was very depressing. People lost faith. People have lost faith”
This loss of faith has been reinforced by the fact that Haiti no longer receives the attention that it did at the time of the elections or the military takeovers. Haitians believe that the world has moved on without them.
“The light was on this country before, but it’s gone now,” says Blunschli.
Haitians are struggling to survive in a global economic system that punishes island states with chronic under-development and weak leadership.
“The liberal policy being imposed on Haiti is strangling it,” says Blunschli.
Developing countries like Haiti depend heavily on aid from other countries to provide essential services and maintain infrastructure. However, to receive this aid, governments are required to liberalize their economies, making it easier for foreign companies to do business there. The hope is that the process will bring money, stability and provide the foundation for a stable economy.
The reality is that countries need strong, accountable governments for economic reforms to be effective. It is a quality Haiti has lacked for decades.
“They knew the structural adjustment programs weren’t going to work in Haiti,” saiys Blunschli.
Haitians are still poor despite these restructuring efforts, and they have become increasingly distrustful both of their own governments and international governments that are trying to help them.
These feelings were reinforced after the devastating earthquake in 2010 which killed more than 200,000 people. The underdeveloped infrastructure was ill-equipped to recover from the damage the earthquake cause, and the international aid and support that was supposed to help Haiti recover never made its way there.
Haitians have become increasingly cynical towards the outside world as a result.
“Before, the cynicism was focussed inwards,” says Blunschli. “There was a general recognition that the culture and history had put them in a particular position. Since the earthquake they believe that NGO’s in all forms are a bunch of thieves.”
Documentation:
Haiti’s Leftist Priest-President Faces Economic Quagmire
This is a Reuters article published days after Aristide was first elected into government. I obtained it from Factiva. It gave me a good sense of the mood of the country right after Aristide won the election in 1991. There was optimism and hope in the country, but there was also wariness from the outside world at a leader who won on such a populist platform.
This is a recent USA today article about the state of Haiti following the earthquake and efforts to rebuild. This was also obtained through a Factiva search. It helped me to get a sense of what have been happening since the media attention on the earthquake moved elsewhere. It was useful because it discussed the challenges that still have to be overcome despite the money donated.