Pastor Feliciano Lacen: Haiti must take responsibility for crisis, not the Dominican Republic

[Dolores]

The Dominican government should provide a robust response to Haiti’s allegations blaming the Dominican Republic for the crisis. The president of the Dominican Evangelical Unity Council (Codue), Feliciano Lacen Custodio, affirmed that these accusations are part of an international campaign pressuring the Dominican Republic to take responsibility for Haiti’s crisis.

“Firstly, we reiterate that these allegations against the Dominican Republic are nothing more than the plan by international organizations to make our country responsible for the situation of the Haitian people,” he stated.

Lacen Custodio emphasized that President Luis Abinader has repeatedly declared that the Dominican Republic cannot bear the burden of the grave crisis in the neighboring country.

The pastor argued that Haitian authorities must recognize their responsibility in finding a solution to...

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[NanSanPedro]

Every Haitian I talk to echoes what this dude says. Their govt sucks and is only getting suckier.

 

[livio]

It’s not that Haitians are blind to their problems, it’s that the loudest, most visible narratives
often shift the blame outward. But meaningful change starts with internal honesty.
Until more Haitians collectively hold their own systems and leaders accountable, "vocally,
visibly, and consistently" the cycle is unlikely to break.

 

[Manuel01]

Blaming outside forces for the miserable situations worked pretty well for them for the last 50+ years.
They want change this MO so fast.

 

[CristoRey]

100%
Thank you Pastor Feliciano.
No more playing the victim card (with the help of the NGOs) and pointing fingers at others.
Take responsibility for your own actions and stop making excuses for behaving like a bunch of savages.

 

[NALs]

At least the Dominican government is opening its eyes. For many years the decisions the Dominican made (and said) about the issue of Haiti would had been appropriate if the DR doesn’t border a failed state that will not be going anywhere in the immediate future.

Nothing the Haitian government said this round is different from what they have said many times before. The difference is that the Dominican government is realizing the reality it’s dealing with vs wishful thinking.

That’s one of the problems of the DR government. It doesn’t fully recognize its reality, makes a decision which is great if its reality was like many other countries, then the problems get magnified or come to fruition, and finally they lament the situation. Had they made decisions on their reality and not if some country elsewhere not bordering a failed state that is going anywhere any time soon and much or all of the issue could had been avoided.

Then there is the issue many Dominicans, including many in power, don’t truly know Haití or where it’s coming from. It hasn’t been few the times either myself or someone else in an interview tell another a certain aspect of Haiti’s past and they think you’re exaggerating. I wish it was an exaggeration! This is a BIG problem in itself.

 

[CristoRey]

Then there is the issue many Dominicans, including many in power, don’t truly know Haití or where it’s coming from.

Nor do we care.
It's time for the Haitians to get their shit together and stop looking to the rest of the civilized world to continue wiping their asses.

 

[NALs]

Nor do we care.
It's time for the Haitians to get their shit together and stop looking to the rest of the civilized world to continue wiping their asses.

The issue is that some Dominicans don’t have a clue what becoming like Haitians is truly about (it also goes that given enough of them in a single place, that place will function more like Haiti than anywhere else.) These are the types tht think uniting the DR and Haiti = the DR for the entire island (sort of Dominicans will elevate the Haitians.) Even more delusional are the ones that think uniting Haiti with the DR will result in the USA.

This group has no idea how reality works. The basis of that is not only not knowing reality but rather make believe, but also they have no clue what exactly is Haiti. There are very entrenched cultural issues that make Haiti, Haiti. For example, in the Dominican country you will see agricultural areas with large land holdings and evidences that pragmatic concepts were applied to increase agricultural production. You will hardly see that in rural Haití where small landholdings are more common and things appear less structured. That difference doesn’t exist just because and it will not disappear by simply uniting the DR and Haiti. In fact, that type of Haitian way of agriculture will expand in the DR as the rural Haitian population moves east. That is only one of its examples.

That is one of the reasons why Dominican agriculture is in general more productive than Haiti’s.