JAMAICA’SWILLINGNESS to send police and soldiers to be part of a multinational force to help return public order and security to Haiti has the general support of this newspaper. BUT JAMAICA must not merely be an appendage to another Great Power initiative on its neighbour. Rather, as should have happened months ago, this must be a project in which Jamaica and its partners in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) exer t leadership, in a coordinated effort with the Organization of American States (OAS). And having taken the public on the matter, and as of a close neighbour that could bear the spill effect from Haiti’s instability, Prime Minister Andrew Holness should be CARICOM’s point man on the programme. And if necessary, appropriate a role akin thereto. Even before the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, Haiti faced one of its not infrequent periods of political instability. There were disputes over when President Moïse’s term should actually have ended, and the absence of an elected Assembly was not in place, essentially meaning president rule by decree. President Moïse’s killing, however, pushed the country deeper into crisis, teetering on becoming a failed state. The government of Mr Moïse’s unelected successor, Ariel Henry, has, at best, a tenuous grip on the country. Armed gangs behave with impunity. Law and order in Haiti have almost completely broken down. Nearly 80 police officers have been murdered since Mr Moïse’s assassination, including 15 in the last fortnight of January. Police and their civilian, paramilitary-type supporters of ex-cops have taken to the streets to complain about the state of affairs. There are fears that the police might drop their hands all together, worsening the crisis. IDEAS FLOATED As Haiti ’s security situation deteriorated, ideas have been floated at the United Nations and the OAS on how to cauterise the crisis. Nothing has been agreed upon, in part because of lingering memories of how badly wrong previous interventions in Haiti have gone, including the one after the 2010 earthquake when billions of dollars flowed into the country, with little to show in development. Internal corruption notwithstanding, much of the money flowed out via foreign NGOs and the consultants and companies of the countries that provided much of the aid. Yet, it is clear that Hait needs help with a reset. Last October, Prime Minister Henry wrote to CARICOM’s leaders, requesting, according to the community, “assistance to alleviate the deepening humanitarian, security, political, and economic crises” in his country. CARICOMwas sympathetic, but said its heads of government “recognise that these initiatives could not be effectively realised until the security situation is addressed”. “In that regard, heads of government take note of the appeal by Prime Minister Henry for the urgent assistance of Haiti’s international partners for short-term assistance to address the security and humanitarian crises,” CARICOM said at the time. What CARICOM ought to have done, as we argued then, was not “take note”, but aggressively take leadership of efforts to fashion a credible coalition in support of Haiti. As a hemispheric problem, initiatives to help Haiti rightside itself are better grounded in CARICOM, of which Haiti is a member, and the OAS, rather the UN’s Security Council, from which a resolution of condemnation emerged last October when gang leader Jimmy Chérizier sealed off the main port and blocked the movement of petrol. WIDER ROOTS The fact is, while Haiti’s problem currently manifests largely in terms of security, its roots are much wider and far more complex, demanding fixes that are not likely to be in the immediate competence of the United Nations, especially its Security Council. These institutions, as well as the powerful countries that command vital resources needed for the enterprises, have important roles to play in the project, but cannot credibly front its leadership. Their track record in Haiti causes suspicion and adds credence to those who feel that a new approach, with new faces at the helm – especially of people who better appreciate, and are more empathetic to the nuances of Haiti’s social, political history – makes sense. According to Prime Minister Holness, Jamaica “would be willing to participate in a multinational security assistance deployment to Haiti under the appropriate jurisdictional parameters” in support of a return to a level of stability in which democracy can take root. Jamaica and CARICOM should be forcefully articulating what those parameters should be and working with the Haitians and other partners on the initiatives that will help the revival of democracy. 2 Daniel Carthy, grade two student of Homestead Primary and Infant School, prays for Education and Youth Minister Fayval Williams during a visit to the institution on Tuesday. Daniel also gave a vote of thanks to the minister. Williams met with administrators, teachers, and others to assess a monthslong dispute that sparked protests at the school. IAN ALLEN/PHOTOGRAPHER Christopher Barnes - General Manager Moya Thomas - Editor-in-Chief moya.thomas@gleanerjm.com Christopher.Barnes@gleanerjm.com Take lead on Haiti, PM THE MONTHLY GLEANER | FEBRUARY 5 - MARCH 2, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS MEMPHIS, TENN. (AP): TYRE NICHOLS’ family and friends remembered him with songs of faith and heartfelt tributes Wednesday, blending a celebration of his life with outraged calls for police reform after the brutal beating he endured at the hands of Memphis police. Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, fought back tears as she spoke lovingly of her son. “The only thing that’s keeping me going is that I truly believe that my son was sent here on assignment from God. And I guess now his assignment is done. He’s gone home,”she said, urging Congress to pass police reform. The Rev Al Sharpton and Vice President Kamala Harris both delivered impassioned speeches calling on lawmakers to approve the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a broad package of reforms that includes a national registry for police officers disciplined for misconduct, a ban on no-knock warrants and other measures. Harris said the beating of Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, by five black police officers was a violent act that violated the stated mission of police to ensure public safety. “It was not in the interest of keeping the public safe, because one must ask, was not it in the interest of keeping the public safe that Tyre Nichols would be with us today? Was he not also entitled to the right to be safe? So when we talk about public safety, let us understand what it means in its truest form. Tyre Nichols should have been safe,”she said. Nichols was beaten after police stopped him for an alleged traffic violation January 7. Video released after pressure from Nichols’ family shows officers holding himdown and repeatedly punching, kicking and striking himwith a baton as he screamed for his mother. Sharpton said the officers who beat Nichols might have acted differently if there were real accountability for their actions. He also said he believes that if Nichols had been white, “you wouldn’t have beat him like that”. “We understand that there are concerns about public safety. We understand that there are needs that deal with crime. But you don’t fight crime by becoming criminals yourself. You don’t stand up to thugs in the street becoming thugs yourself. You don’t fight gangs by becoming five armed men against an unarmed man. That ain’t the police. That’s punks,” he said. Family of other black men and women killed by police – including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Botham Jean and Eric Garner – also attended the funeral and Nichols’ mother called on officials to prevent more tragedies. “We need to take some action because there should be no other child that should suffer the way my son – and all the other parents here have lost their children – we need to get that bill passed,”Wells said. “Because if we don’t, that blood – the next child that dies, that blood is going to be on their hands.” Attorneys for two of the charged officers, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr, said they will plead not guilty. Blake Ballin, the lawyer for Mills, told AP that the videos “produced as many questions as they have answers”. Lawyers for the three other officers have not provided comment to the AP. Nichols’death was the latest in a string of early accounts by police about their use of force that were later shown to have minimised or omitted mention of violent encounters. Calls for police reform at Tyre Nichols’ funeral Flanked by Rev Al Sharpton (left) and her husband Rodney Wells, RowVaughn Wells speaks during the funeral service for her son Tyre Nichols at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tenn, on Wednesday, Feb 1, 2023. AP Christopher Barnes - General Manager Moya Thomas - Editor-in-Chief moya.thomas@gleanerjm.com Christopher.Barnes@gleanerjm.com EDITORIAL
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUzNTI=