People walk among damaged buildings in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit the country leaving thousands dead and many displaced. (Photo: AP)
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) – Haiti is Monday marking the fifth anniversary of the powerful earthquake that killed an estimated 300,000 people and left more than a million others homeless with the Organization of American States (OAS) pledging its commitment to the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country rebuild its battered economy and infrastructure.
But even as the government continues to seek assistance from the international community, hundreds of opposition supporters took to the streets Sunday demanding the resignation of President Michel Martelly, who is seeking to resolve a standoff over elections.
Late last month, President Martelly may have averted a political crisis in the French-speaking Caribbean Community country after reaching a tentative agreement with the heads of the two houses of Parliament.
The accord was expected to have resulted in the approval of a “consensus” government that could include Evans Paul, the president’s new choice for prime minister to replace Laurent Lamothe, who resigned in December..
The agreement would also extend the terms of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, due to run out on January 12, but only if an electoral law is passed first.
In recent weeks, Martelly has been meeting with several social and political groups in a bid to pave the way for the holding of the long-delayed election to renew two-thirds of the 30-member Senate, the entire Lower Chamber and hundreds of local government bodies.
Out of the 30 senate members, only 20 remain in office, and amendments to an existing electoral law are required to facilitate the vote.
The new agreement could extend the terms of the deputies until April 24 next year and senators until September 9.
But political observers say the new agreement is likely to be favourably received by Haiti’s foreign donors, particularly the United States and the United Nations, who had expressed concern that the impoverished Caribbean nation was on the brink of political chaos again.
Martelly’s critics have accused him of stalling the elections and the Senate is yet to vote on the proposal.
Meanwhile, the OAS has reiterated its commitment to Haiti with Secretary General Jose Miquel Insulza indicating that “our sincere thoughts go out to the 230,000 victims, their families and friends and all those who were injured or left homeless.
“The commemoration of this sad anniversary is an opportunity to honour the courage and perseverance of the Haitian people, as well as the efforts of their government to improve the living conditions of the population,” he added.
OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin, who is also chairman of the Group of Friends of Haiti, recalled that, since 2010, at least 94 per cent of the households displaced as a result of the earthquake have been relocated.
He said the removal of debris has given way to reconstruction, improvement of infrastructure, economic growth and the creation of jobs.
“More children now attend school than before and health indicators are improving. The hard work that has been done in recent years has produced concrete results, which should be celebrated, while, at the same time, we must not lose sight of all that remains to be done in unity,” Ramdin said.
Insulza said that “for the benefit of the population, it is imperative that all the actors of the Haitian nation unite in their efforts to make the agreements necessary to preserve the achievements that have been made and to ensure sustainable development in Haiti”.
He added that “this is all the more urgent as the deadline for resolving the political crisis afflicting the country´s democratic institutions approaches”.
In this regard, Insulza said the OAS applauds the intensive efforts from President Martelly and the Parliament over the past weeks to agree on a way forward.
He, however, urged all political actors to “work together to create the necessary conditions for the holding of free and transparent elections in 2015 that are essential to the preservation of the democratic gains that have been made and the political stability of the country.
“The best way to honor the thousands of victims of this catastrophe is to overcome the political and other forms of difficulties with courage and in unity, in order to continue without delay the work needed to allow Haiti and its people to reach their full potential,” the OAS Secretary General said.
