THE MONTHLY GLEANER | MARCH 14 - APRIL 13, 2024 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 2 Kimone Francis/ Senior Staff Reporter EMBATTLED HAITIAN Prime Minister Ariel Henry has resigned as leader of the violence-torn nation. THE ANNOUNCEMENT was made by CARICOM Chairman Mohamed Irfaan Ali during a press conference held at the end of a lengthy day of high level talks at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in the island’s capital on Monday. Ali, the president of Guyana, told journalists and others gathered for the press conference that a transitional presidential council had been established which will be responsible for naming an interim prime minister ahead of a national election to determine a new head of government He said the transitional presidential council would be comprised of seven voting members and two non-voting observers. The seven voting members will comprise representatives of Haitian political parties as well as the private sector, while the non-voting members will be represented by one member of civil society and one member of the interfaith community. He stressed, however, that, excluded from the council would be anyone currently on a charge, indictment or who has been convicted in any jurisdiction, as well as anyone under United Nations (UN) sanction or who intends to run in the next election in Haiti. Also excluded is anyone who opposes UN Security Council Resolution 2699. “The transitional presidential council will, together, with the interim prime minister, appoint an inclusive council of ministers. The transitional presidential council will hold the relevant and possible powers of the Haitian presidency during the transition period until the elected government is established,” Ali said. The agreement on the way forward for Haiti came hours after France declared that it would not support any negotiations with gangs that have paralysed the country’s capital, Portau-Prince, with violence, amid regional support for a presidential council to facilitate the holding of a national election. Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, the French minister of development and international partnerships, said the European country would not support any system that facilitates those against the rule of law. “Let’s be clear, any compromise with gangs and their supporters is [antithetical]. It is a redline for us,” Zacharopoulou told CARICOM heads of government and other regional leaders during Monday’s high-level meeting on Haiti at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston. She said compromised actors who lack integrity must not form part of efforts to curtail the turmoil mounting in the French-speaking country. Regional leaders spent hours locked in several “intense and extensive” meetings with Haitian stakeholders, including faith-based organisations, civil society and the business community, hard-pressed to get consensus on possible solutions to the conflict-battered country. THERE IS a growing level of anguish in Jamaica about the United States Department of State’s February level-3 travel advisory which urges Americans to reconsider travel to the island. AN ESTIMATED 2.1 million Americans visited Jamaica in 2023, which included scores of spring breakers who are now packing their bags to take off for stunning beaches and culinary delights in resorts such as Negril, which is regularly featured as a top destination. Judging from the reaction of industry officials, there is a sense that, with the advisory coming at a time when murders have gone down by 20 per cent over last year, the elevated level 3 is not the objective and unbiased assessment expected of the US Embassy. Added to that, crime against visitors remains very low, according to official statistics. Of course, advisories are not viewed by Americans only, potential visitors from all over the world are likely to be influenced by such information. Contrast the level-3 advisory for Jamaica with the State Department’s treatment of Mexico, which is categorised as “other” and is not assigned any level, as is the case with countries in the region such as The Bahamas, at level 2, and Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana at level 3. Regarding the State Department warning about Mexico, it said one of its primary concerns is crime, citing: “homicide, kidnapping, carjacking and robbery as widespread and common in Mexico”. For Jamaica, the State Department warned: “violent crimes, such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults and homicides are common. Sexual assaults occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts”. These descriptions could aptly describe many big cities in America, where visitors would be well advised to exercise situational awareness. A simple Internet search of the most dangerous cities in America will list Atlanta, Georgia and Chicago, Illinois. Despite random shootings at schools, malls, nightclubs and churches, people continue to travel to these cities, and the average Jamaican would not hesitate to visit, say Atlanta. EXAGGERATION Reference to “frequent” occurrence of assaults at all-inclusive properties may be an exaggeration in the absence of supporting evidence, but this should not be ignored by the industry. This suggests that there is work to be done by hoteliers. There needs to be constant monitoring and vigilance to repair that perception, for if visitors do not feel safe in all-inclusive hotels, then they may decide not to come to Jamaica at all. Having clawed our way back to preCOVID-19 levels of performance, the economic implications for an industry that employs thousands of Jamaicans to be faced by widespread cancellations would do untold damage to brand Jamaica. The police, too, have been criticised in the advisory for not readily responding to reported incidents. This, too, ought to be taken seriously, and the leadership of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) needs to demonstrate that it has the capability to be more responsive and thorough in investigating crime, whether or not visitors are involved. Reference was also made to inadequate medical facilities. Jamaicans themselves complain about this and, if the Ministry of Health were able to improve facilities for the population, then visitors would feel confident that, if they fall ill, they would get the requisite treatment. Getting Jamaica removed from this level 3 should be the main priority of the Ministry of Tourism and all the agencies and departments of government associated with the industry. We appreciate that the State Department’s top priority is the safety and security of American citizens and interests abroad. But to say in reference to Jamaica: “Government personnel are banned from taking the bus completely and cannot drive at night in certain parts of the city”, is gambling with the truth. One social media commentator summed up the advisory in this way: “If you follow what the US government says about travelling to other countries, you’d never be able to leave the US.” Those travel advisories Haiti PM resigns Henry AP Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and Chairman of the Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government listening as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken makes an announcement during the high-level CARICOM Heads of Government meeting about the Haitian crisis, at The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Monday. RICARDO MAKYN EDITORIAL moya.thomas@gleanerjm.com Moya Thomas anthony.smith@gleanerjm.com Anthony Smith - Chief Executive Officer
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