The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Perry Christie said he was concerned for his safety when he visited Haiti earlier this year, connecting his experience to the Davis administration’s commitment to sending 150 Defence Force officers to that country as part of a potential multi-national force.

Mr Christie is a member of the CARICOM Eminent Persons Group (EPG), engaging Haitian stakeholders to develop a political consensus that would pave the road to elections.

“The night before we were to go to Haiti,” he told reporters yesterday, “we understood that the Americans or the Canadians who would meet us would only collect us from the airport and take us to the hotel and we were concerned about safety.

“I called the Prime Minister of The Bahamas on behalf of my group to tell him that we were concerned about safety. He understood and when we landed in Haiti, we met a contingent of Defence Force officers flown at the instance of Prime Minister Davis to guarantee our safety insofar as one can guarantee safety, but it was a magnificent effort. 

“They were very effective in terms of representing and most certainly providing the security for us and representing The Bahamas. And I was very impressed. My colleagues were very impressed.” 

The Davis administration said sending Defence Force officers  to Haiti depends on the United Nations Security Council passing a resolution establishing a multi-national force.

Other countries that have pledged troops in that scenario include Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Kenya.

Mr Christie expressed concern about the prevalence of violence and gangs in Haiti, saying all stakeholders are compelled to bring about action. 

“The intention is to bring in an environment that will enable them to have free and fair elections, set up re-established institutions, and born to have a vibrant democracy,” he said.

“Haiti is the oldest black republic in the entire world. What happened in Haiti influenced what happened in The Bahamas, what happened in the region, what happened in the world, when it came to the fight for freedom of countries and independence. 

“And so, there is absolutely no doubt that the people there who have suffered so long are deserving of the best. And we were appointed by CARICOM to try to assist them in arriving at a consensus and bringing about a desired result of the democratisation of Haiti and its stability.”