Opinions, Opinions

The World Cup (WC) is some kind of distraction for haitians. For a couple of hours, they forget their problems, cheer for their teams, kick back with friends and so on. 

Brazil is one the favourite teams in Haiti and Brazil losing their chance to win the WC was not well taken for sure. Now add the gas price potentially going up, all of this just reminding them that once again, life is hard and someone decides to make it even harder.  

Contrary to popular beliefs, and may I add, denial from the people that know the real issues. This was not just protests for the gas price, one of the biggest problems in our country still exists. This was the protests of the “have-nots” against the ones that do.

There's no “middle class” in Haïti, they've been trying to instore one for years but the reality is, it’s either people are really really poor or really rich. Those that should fit in the “middle class” are just considered rich because they still are able to afford the same basic education rich people get, also they almost can afford the same lifestyle. They have to work twice as hard but its possible. 

When I say lifestyle I'm talking about the basics.

If we get into properties, travel destinations, etc you'll see the difference.

Bottom line is, in Haïti, its either you have money or you don't.

Social class in Haïti is defined by last name, hair type, skin colour, proprieties etc. 

I, for example, is considered a bourgeois because of my last name and the other factors that define it. However, I know I’m in the “middle class” because my parents are not rich, both of them went through a lot and made many sacrifices and efforts to reach a certain position in life but still, they are not bourgeois.

Try explaining this to people that believe if you can afford the bare minimum, well you’re “rich”. 

With the slave system that still resides in people’s mentality,  skin colour, hair type and so on sure doesn't help the situation.

Can you imagine? There are actually people that think that they are better than others just because they have lighter skin. (Hysterical laugh)

Even worst, this is the part that breaks my heart, many people think they are lesser than someone else because they have darker skin.

How do you erase a system that's been rooted in people’s minds for hundreds of years?

I blame the rich people of the country honestly, they went to the best privates schools, lived the most exciting travel experiences, met so many foreigners, witnessed peoples reactions when they said they were Haitian and come back to the country just to look down on their people because of SOCIAL CLASS. At this point, my question is

“Sa edukasyon nou an sevi’n si se mantality kokorat sa nou genyen?”

Like really? What’s the point of being so well educated if at the end of the day acting like a complete low life is all you do? They know this social sh** only matters in Haïti 

because if they moved to other countries they would be considered as HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS and yet they 

continue with this fake idea of being better than the rest of the population. 

In a way, that's what the population has been trying to fight against for years and everyone pretends to care for a second then get back to their life. The truth is, we cant blame rich people for being rich, someone worked to get where they are today. What we can blame them for is not denouncing the social injustice, feeding off poor people and not knowing when to stop and start giving back. 

I hope they understand that one day they’ll be the ones to pay for those years of silence. When the population will finally put two and two together and realize they are the majority and they can destroy that 5% if they want, it’ll be too late! 

I keep telling people to open their eyes and take action but hey what do I know right? It's just my opinion. 

I've had the opportunity to talk to Rudolf Roux a civil engineer who took footage of the riots and I asked him a couple of questions. 

Instead of reading my opinion over and over, here’s his. 

Where were you when the riots started?

Had just gotten home when I received the messages of the tires burning near the old Pétion-Ville cemetery.

How did you take the videos?

I have a drone and used it as a tool to see what was happening nearby. 

Care to share your position on what happened?

My position:

No matter who you are, or social standing, having access and securing the basics (Electricity, water, roads/transportation and security) is an everyday struggle in Haiti. #Fact

I'm convinced that good intentions or good will aren't sufficient to actually deliver results; let alone make you qualified to run a country. Otherwise, we'd be having a much different conversation today.

In any business, vision and accountability go hand in hand, and running a country is no different. However this evades many, and it's a process of repeating the same procedures and expecting a different outcome.

It doesn't take a Ph.D. in economics to know that any government that subsidizes food, electricity, and fuel coupled with an aggressive currency inflation rate is sitting on a time bomb.

What do you think can be a solution?

Compared to many problems that other developing countries face, I don't believe Haiti's issues are complex. 

We all want change but are unyielding to change.

1) vision, perseverance and continuity

(instead of always having to destroy to start over)

2) Accountability.

(Result driven, and zero tolerance for "se pa fot mwen"-“it’s not my fault”)

I thank Mr. Roux for answering my questions and allowing me to share the videos he took of the riots.

Next week, I’ll do an overview of what was damaged and how we can help. 

Thank you for reading this article and I thank my faithful readers for always staying updated with my posts.

This was “Opinions, Opinions” written by Tiff.