Letter of the Day | What about Haiti?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

It has been voiced repeatedly that the situation in Haiti calls for serious involvement from CARICOM. In fact, it seems that every country, in the immediate proximity of Haiti, should get involved. Military personnel from Kenya, over 7,000 miles away from Haiti, have led the initiative, much to the general dissent of the Kenyan populace, an attitude that can hardly be labelled unreasonable.

Jamaica sent 20 personnel in 2024, which they withdrew earlier this year after they had sent another team of 21 persons comprising Jamaica Defence Force and Jamaica Constabulary Force members.

Clearly the mission in Haiti is dangerous, and particularly so if the combined contingent is not large enough to be overwhelmingly dominant in the ongoing effort. And it is all very well for us onlookers to make suggestions in this regard, while the brave military and police face up to serious threats.

At the same time, given the involvement, it would be wise that this be implemented at a magnitude with the maximum likelihood of success, usually implying the maximum level of safety.

It appears that the US does not want to contribute personnel. But if they were to fund an initiative containing an adequate number of CARICOM personnel, carefully planned, and strategically implemented, it seems that success might be attained. After that, there would need to be a follow-up support period to establish sustainability and continuity, which would contain its own challenges and complexities. However, as remote as it seems, success may be possible.

Wishful thinking? Overstretched optimism? Maybe so. But as Jamaican wisdom tells us, “nothing beats a try like a try”.

To begin with, maybe the US Government via the US Embassy in Jamaica can be approached. And further dialogue be can had with the Caribbean nations.

Haiti, with a history punctuated by externally imposed conflicts and pressures, certainly deserves a full-fledged initiative of this sort. And every country in the region, regardless of their standing in the power hierarchy of nations, US to St Kitts and Nevis, stands to ultimately benefit.

DAVID ABRIKIAN