International affairs specialist Iván Gatón warns that the Dominican Republic must lobby to create an awareness at the international level on the worsening of Haiti’s political crisis. Gatón is of opinion that there are not the domestic forces in Haiti to resolve the situation. He advocated the involvement of the international community.
Ivan Gaton, an economist and foreign relations expert, warned on Monday, 8 February 2021, that the solution to Haitian political problems will have to come from abroad. When interviewed for the TV program El Día. He emphasized: “The Haitian problem has no solution in Haiti. There is no ruling elite capable of articulating a project that can take Haiti forward; that will have to come from the international community. Haiti’s problem will have to be solved from outside.”
He called on the Dominican Republic to make the international community aware of Haiti’s crisis. “We have to raise the alert. We have to raise a level of awareness in the international community of what is happening in Haiti,” he said.
Gatón argued that what happens in Haiti will be reflected in the Dominican Republic. “Whatever can be in Haiti’s best interest is in the best interest of the Dominican Republic. There is no way that Haiti will not pass on to the Dominican Republic the problems it has because Haiti is the country’s closest neighbor.”
The economist explained that after the overthrow of dictator Jean Claude Duvalier in 1986, there was a polarization of social classes. Haitian elites were seen as a kind of oppressors and what is called a social coexistence was lost, he said. “Those elites feel they don’t fit in Haiti because if they don’t kidnap them, they destroy their businesses. Haiti has been left in the hands of sectors and gangs that exercise control like what you see in Cité Soleil,” he said.
Haitian President Jovenel Moïse announced Sunday, 7 February 2021 that police have arrested more than 20 people he accused of trying to assassinate him and overthrow his government, including a Supreme Court judge who was named transitional President.
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Diario Libre
9 February 2021