Michel Martelly defends First 2 Years in Office, event cost 40 million HTG or $1 million

Updated June 9, 2013 10:32 AM

The Martelly government completed 2 years in office and this was marked by a gala celebration that is estimated to have cost 1 million USD which when converted to Haitian currency accounts for 40 million HTG. Place du Champs de Mars was the venue for celebration. The place was once the place for thousands and thousands of families who lived in tents. However, with Canadian aid, the place turned into a cheering ground for thousands who shouted for and cheered the Head of the State, Michel Martelly.

There was no aid provided by the Martelly administration for relocating the families that once lived there in tents. However, an anonymous source informed to Haiti Press Network that while no aid was provided to the troubled families, the government spent $1 million approximately to celebrate the second anniversary. There is in fact, no proper records or the total expenditure but some other sources anonymously reported that the expenses were not $1 million but was close to $2.5 million.

Envelopes containing 1000 HTG or approximately $25.00 were distributed in various districts of Port-au-Prince to ensure that the citizens attended the meetings and cheered for the Head of the State. People from different provinces were brought to the celebration by mobilizing bus services. The celebrations included music and food while security was looked after by the Haitian National Police.

President Martelly justified these expenses by boasting about the achievements of the government in two years. On stage, he ad-libbed for 30 minutes about revival of tourism, social projection projects, national school-tuition program etc. and also held aloft, a book of 500 pages that speaks of the achievements of the government.

Reply to this article

Michel Martelly defends First 2 Years in Office, event cost 40 million HTG or $1 million

Leave a Reply

Recent Comments

Recent Articles

Photo Stories