The Reconstruction of Haiti must start immediately

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The Reconstruction of Haiti must start immediately

(21-01-2010)

Paul Gustave Magloire

Soon after the major earthquake of a 7.2 magnitude of January 12, I was already stating that all of us were going to be victims and after the rubble is removed, each one of us would have lost someone dear to us, either a family member, or a distant acquaintance or a friend.

As a result of this catastrophe, Haiti would become a land crying out, a land of despair and of tears.

We must not delay starting the construction efforts on behalf of the new, modern and prosperous Haiti.

This must happen based on the principles of "decentralization".

Based on the initial estimates, more than one million people are homeless and worse yet is the fact that tens of thousands injured people can eventually die for lack of timely medical care. Today, if we had three other regional capitals, such as one in the Grand-North, one in the Grand-Center and the third one in the Grand-South, the population, which is fleeing Port-au-Prince in mass, would find cities with the necessary infrastructures ready to nurture them.

Thus, while aid is being provided to the victims, while appropriate care is being offered to the injured and while we are in the process of burying those that lost their lives, let's get together to rebuild this country which is ours. It will not be useful at this time to attempt to assign blame for this carelessness, the cause of the tens of thousand of dead people.

Many lives could have been spared, had we already facilitated the movement of the population away from the capital of Port-au-Prince and towards the cities of the provinces.

Instead let's look to come together before it is too late, because frankly natural catastrophes can still hit us...

What I had proposed in my writings of recent past is still valid for today.

During my nomination ceremony as the "Ministre de l'Intérieur et des Collectivités" during the transition government in June 2004, it was stated in the nomination speech that my Plan for "Decentralization and Déconcentration" for the country was too ambitious.

Today, in retrospect, I would tell you that the plan was too timid.

Because only a major vision of the future, an exceptional courage and an unshakable determination are what is essentially needed to get us out of this disastrous set of circumstances in which we find ourselves.

With total certainty, we need the rapid and immediate deployment of medical and material assistance that are necessary to respond to this catastrophe.

However, while we still have the attention of the world, we must request a separate, special and urgent aid of $300 million from the international community in order to start the systematic work of "deconcentration and decentralization" so that the people, who have already started this spontaneous exodus out of Port-au-Prince, can find in the provinces a favorable environment that encourages them to stay.

The first portion of $30 million would be allocated for the purpose of reforestation of the mountains.

This fund would be used to launch the programs of reforestation while creating tens of thousand of jobs immediately in the creation of nurseries and the activities of seeding.

The second portion of $60 million would be dedicated to the universal education of children of schooling age. As such tens of thousand of young college graduates would be hired and be trained to teach these children.

Thousands of fathers and mothers in the diverse municipalities throughout the country would likely find an assignment in activities associated to this vast education program of our children.

The third portion of $90 million would go towards the creation of a fund that would train and finance entrepreneurs of the country and the Diaspora who want to establish small and medium businesses of production and of service in the cities of the provinces.

As such those that have migrated from Port-au-Prince will not be forced to depend solely on the central capital for their resources and the multiple services which they will eventually need.

And the fourth and last portion of $120 million would be invested in the basic infrastructures and in support of our municipalities, such as the reinforcing of the government administrative system, the secondary roads, the first aid services, the collection of garbage and others...

In the context of this plan, we could continue the construction program of the administrative buildings in the 10 departments of the country, which was conceived to house the offices of the central government and offer a modern work environment to the employees, so that in return they can offer quality service in the public administration offices of these 10 departments.

If eventually the $10 billion, which is being mentioned, does materialize, then we could effectively start the construction of the three regional modern towns that the MORN platform has been promoting.

Nevertheless, $300 million is all we need to right away start the work of survival.

Because, whatever the size of the fatalities that affect us, Haiti should not die

Paul Gustave Magloire

MORN PRESIDENT

Paul G. Magloire, March 22 2010, 2:34 PM

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