We cannot abandon Haiti again

By BARBARA MCDOUGALL
Thursday, December 15, 2005 Page A21

Haiti, the running sore of the Western Hemisphere, is once again struggling to put together a functioning democracy. Voters will choose a new government early in the new year. This time, if the international community remains sufficiently committed, the outcome could be different.

The island nation faces so many challenges, it is hard to know where to begin. Haiti was descending into chaos under Jean-Bertrand Aristide before his ouster in early 2004; it has since been governed by an interim prime minister, Gerard Latortue. But life remains chaotic and dangerous. On recent visits, my colleagues and I were treated to security arrangements worthy of Baghdad: We travelled in armoured vehicles with private guards from the moment we stepped off the plane until we departed.

"We" are the Haiti International Assessment Committee, a non-partisan multinational group of four established by the International Republican Institute in Washington. Our purpose is not only to assess the election process, reporting to international agencies and interested governments, but to define the country's needs after the election and to press the international community to stay on until Haiti has achieved at least a minimum level of stability.

The process for managing the election has been a nightmare. Voter registration cards failed to arrive, or arrived with the wrong photograph, or didn't get into the hands of actual voters. As a result, the election date has been postponed several times. The most recent target for the first round is Jan. 8. And it may actually happen. The recently appointed head of the country's Provisional Electoral Council seems to have brought the logistics under control, and some 3.5 million voters are now said to have their voter registration cards.

As well, the candidates' list is being purged of drug dealers and other criminals. On my most recent visit, I heard a story about one candidate who gave motorcycles to new supporters. Some of the original 56 presidential candidates have been barred by the council, but it is hard to tell whether all the criminal elements have been eliminated. In any case, there are so many candidates -- for congress and local office as well as for president -- that the electorate has every right to feel confused.

There's also a strong international presence: The United Nations, the Organization of American States, the European Union and the United States are all working to ensure that the election takes place and that it is free and fair. Canada is prominent among those nations funding the vote, and has also contributed advice and support through Elections Canada. Its presence in the UN peacekeeping unit is minimal, but it is strongly represented in the UN police contingent, with 80 officers, largely from Quebec.

Assuming the election lurches to a conclusion on the specified dates, with the new government scheduled to take office on Feb. 24, what happens next? Haiti's challenges go well beyond elections. The sound of gunfire is normal in Port-au-Prince; violence is the usual dispute-settlement mechanism for all forms of disagreements.

Since the end of the Duvalier days in the late 1980s, Haiti has held four elections, of which only one (1990) could be described as free and fair. In every case, international agencies and non-profit organizations offered pre-electoral assistance and acted as monitors. This is essential as far as it goes, but the real problems start the day after the election, when the helpful outsiders pack up and go home.

Each time, Haiti, a country with virtually no institutional structures, a dysfunctional economy, and the highest rate of illiteracy in the Western Hemisphere, has been left to struggle forward on its own. Every passing year has brought further urban decay, increased poverty and corruption. There's almost no foreign investment, little reliable electrical power, few jobs, and minimal education. The streets are full of potholes that rip tires to shreds in weeks, and piles of garbage that reek of decay and breed diseases.

This cannot be allowed to continue in the heart of our hemisphere. The Haitian people deserve the continuing support of outsiders such as Canada, no matter who wins our own election.

Barbara McDougall, an adviser with Aird & Berlis LLP, was Canada's secretary of state for external affairs from 1991 to 1993.