Speech of Stanley Lucas at the Mass of Remembrance on the Second Anniversary of the Earthquake in Haiti at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington D.C.

Excellence Dr. Jill Biden, Wife of the Vice President

Honorable Cathy Russell, Chief of Staff of Dr. Biden

Ambassador Brutus

Ambassador Bocchitt,

Bishop Lafontant,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First, Monseigneur Lafontant, let me thank you for your prayers and kind words.

Dr. Biden on behalf of my country and President Martelly let me thank you for your prayers and support.

Every morning I wake up and count my blessings.  And every morning I wake up and remember the 320,000 souls who lost their lives on January 12. I remember my best friend a journalist Wanel Fils, we never met, we became friend over the phone and for three years we did together a radio talk show defending Haitian citizen interests. He died on January 12 and I did not have a chance to meet him before. I remember Magalie Marcelin, Myriam Merlet, Hubert Deronceray, Micha Gaillard and so many others...

There but for the Grace of God go I…  We all could have been in Haiti on that fateful day.  Many of us lost family and dear friends.  We keep them in our hearts every day, and look for ways to honor and remember them.  We owe it to them to honor and remember them.

For me, I honor my friends by finding ways to make them proud; by attempting day in and day out to restore Haiti to the country that we know it can be because of the country it once was.  We owe this to them so that their deaths and this staggering loss was not in vain.

Haiti was a country that fought for freedom and liberty for people all around the world.  After throwing off the shackles of slavery to become the world’s first Black Republic, Haitians actively supported the cause of liberty around the world.  Haitians fought alongside the Bolivarians in South America in their quest for freedom; we gave safe harbor to the Jews seeking refuge from the brutal Nazi regime; we fought alongside the American revolutionaries in Savannah, Georgia. In Greece and Belgium too, Haitian soldiers lent their support.  That is the type of country that Haiti was.

Haiti was also a country with a vibrant economy and a bright future.  Decades of an international embargo to punish the slaves followed by decades of corruption and selfishness and failed leadership, however, undermined our vibrancy and proud history.

The world was shocked at what it saw in Haiti in the aftermath of the tragedy.  How could we have invested so much in this tiny country and have nothing to show for it, they asked?  How can my brothers and sisters be living in these conditions, Haitians around the world asked? Haiti rarely makes the news and rarely draws the attention of the world, but the depth and scope of this tragedy put a spotlight on the problems in our country.  January 12 was a tragic and horrendous wake up call.

But did we wake up?  Are we honoring the fallen victims of the tragic disaster?  Two years later are we making them proud?

Everyone will have their own answer to this question.  Today is not a day to be political and the answers to these questions are complicated and somewhat political.  But I believe that everyone could agree that while recognizing some progress, that there is also disappointment about the slow pace of recovery. We still have 600,000 of our brothers and sisters still living in the streets among them two three months old babies, pregnant women and the elderly.  They are continually threatened by the next Hurricane season scheduled to start on June 1st this year. Many are pointing fingers at who is to blame for the slow pace of recovery.  President Martelly's Administration prefers to focus on solutions and provide what’s needed for our people. We also like to think the American people and the world for their generosity and prayers.

At the end of the day, if it is it is to be, it is up to us as Haitians to make proud the January 12 victims.  It is up to us to turn the tides in our country.  It is up to us to ensure that these deaths – while incredibly tragic and mourned daily – were not in vain.  The incredibly loss must propel us forward to restore our country so that this type of event would never take such a staggering toll on our country again.

From the Bible, Galatians 6:10 – “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”  Let us do good and restore our country.

Lets follows the path and the legacy left by our forefathers, lets follow their instructions "In Unity their is strength"

God bless you.

Stanley Lucas

January 12, 2012

Dr. Paul Farmer Talks the Talk, but Fails to Walk the Walk by Stanley Lucas

Dr. Farmer gets a lot of the issues right in his book, "Haiti After the Earthquake", including one of his central points: public and private aid has bypassed Haitian institutions further weakening the country and the government to the point where it was unable to even respond to the earthquake.  This is the primary reason why Haiti has come to be known as the "Republic of NGOs".  Dr. Farmer also correctly points out that some NGOs do this intentionally (to keep getting their funding) and some unintentionally.  This process of bypassing of Haitian institutions is truly the central reason that the more than $20 billion in aid Haiti has received over the past few decades has really left no lasting mark on the country.

However, Dr. Farmer seems to try to have it both ways.  While he recognizes that bypassing Haitian institutions is a critical problem and touts his and President Clinton’s efforts to promote greater direct support for the Haitian government, including financially, his organization, Partners in Health, is the largest healthcare provider in Haiti.  How’s that for bypassing Haitian institutions?  The senior representatives at the Haitian Ministry of Health note that Dr. Farmer’s group built a kitchen in the state hospital and some medicine and equipments, but that’s all he’s done.  His hospitals and clinics all operate under the banner of Partners in Health, and his funding goes directly into those institutions rather than through the Ministry.  His plans now include building a massive teaching hospital in Haiti, but will operate it as Partners in Health, rather than under the banner of the Haitian Ministry.  To the Ministry’s knowledge, he has never provided any sort of technical assistance or institution building programs for the Ministry. 

While he advocates for greater strengthening of and direct funding for Haitian institutions, he has not funneled any of the $80 million in donations for earthquake recovery that he was granted into the Ministry.  He received tens of millions of dollars in funding from USAID and the UN Special Envoy’s office, led by President Clinton, where he serves as the Deputy Special Envoy (seems to be a conflict of interest there?).  In short, Dr. Farmer talks the talk in Haiti, but does not walk the walk.

Finally, and most disturbingly, Dr. Farmer turns partisan in this book.  He is an unabashed advocate of former President Aristide.  Again, given his role as UN Deputy Special Envoy, this seems to be a conflict of interest.  The Haitian people actually forced President Aristide out of Haiti in 2004 because they were fed up with his corruption and violence.  The Haitian Government Accounting Office estimates that Aristide departed Haiti with more than $350 million in stolen government funds see: http://solutionshaiti.blogspot.com/2011/03/truth-about-aristide-mob-boss-or.html .  

Aristide has never been held accountable, and in fact, returned to Haiti shortly after the earthquake.  The people were so happy he was returning that they ransacked his home the night he arrived taking everything from the mangoes on the trees to the bed linens.  How’s that for a welcome home?  Dr. Farmer’s partisanship in Haiti is cause for great concern among many Haitians, particularly given his role at the UN and his dominance in the healthcare sector. 

Aside from Dr. Farmer’s questionable political intentions, no one can deny the sincerity of his humanitarian intentions.  Dr. Farmer quite clearly loves Haitian culture and the Haitian people.  He has done a lot of good in the country, including making an enormous contribution to combating AIDS and the provision of health services, particularly in remote regions.  He speaks fluent Creole and is married to Haitian woman who is truly a force of nature in her advocacy for women in Haiti and healthcare.  There’s no doubt that he’s made a real difference in the lives of thousands of Haitians. 

So in the end, it seems this review wants to have it both ways too.  As a Haitian, I admire and appreciate Dr. Farmer’s work – and am deeply touched by his love for my country.  As someone who is frustrated by aid organizations bypassing Haitian institutions, I am disturbed and discouraged by how he has operated his NGO in Haiti.  And, as someone who has personally seen and experienced the violence of President Aristide, I am outraged by his partisanship.