Antihaitianismo - Haiti Observer Blog

I wish I coud hear what the two leaders were talking about. Dominican President Danilo Medina and Haitian President Michel Martelly met in Caracas for the Petrocaribe energy cooperation and ALBA summit. They probably talked about everything but the effect of the recent Dominican court ruling that could strip citizenship from people of Haitian descent.

A pictue is worth a thousand words. Take a look at the video below

Based on the video and picture of the two leaders seeing after their meeting, one can think that that there is no issue between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

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Demonstrating how ingrained the prejudice those from the Dominican Republic feel against their Haitian neighbors is, hundreds of placard bearing demonstrators took to the streets of their capital to show their support for the Constitutional Court ruling made on September 23, 2013 that would see many thousands of people of Haitian descent, who currently hold, and have held as far back as the 1920's Dominican Republic resident status, stripped of their citizenship.

Going further, the mass also called for the erection of a wall to permanently separate their country from Haiti, with whom they share the island of Hispaniola. During the gathering they sang their national anthem and waved their flag to show their patriotism. The coalition's intent was, perhaps, to give affirmation to their government that their constitutional change was in line with the want of the population, in the midst of international outcry that the move is offensive and contrary to the statutes of a civilized country.

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Officials in the Dominican Republic have decided no longer to meet with Haitian authorities to talk about the recent court ruling in their country. I don't know if the decision from CARICOM to cancel the recent application of Dominican Republic to join the organization has anything to do with it; however, this sounds like they really feel it.

Since the Dominican Republic has decided to remove the citizenship of some of its population because of their link to Haiti nothing have been effective in making them reconsider their racism act. The decision of CARICOM to defer their request to become a member of the trade bloc certainly catches their attention.

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The Dominican Republic is at it again, and with a ring of permanency this time as their Constitutional Court has ruled, in a move that cannot be appealed, that children born of Haitian parents without legal status in their country cannot be considered Dominican Republic nationals.

While claiming that the move is to provide these children with legal means of seeking their own, legitimate residency, the ruling has many humanitarians in the Dominican Republic and the United Nations up in arms about the implications of continued racism and the lack of human rights.

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Antihaitinismo isn't an abstract term that Haitians hide behind when they want to speak badly about their treatment in the Dominican Republic. Such an outlook depends on the thing being inchoate and not substantiated by decades of example and legislative proof.

When, in 1937, the Dominican Republic despot, Rafael Trujillo ordered the execution of somewhere between 9,000 and 20,000 Haitian immigrants, the world took scant notice, and the country, Haiti's closest neighbor, continued to fester in its anti-Haiti doctrines and practices. This wrong, not punished for what it was, helped shaped the minds that today, in 2013, have passed a cruel piece of legislature that would strip Haitians, born in or out of the Dominican Republic of the right of citizenship.

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I have decided to no longer take certain things for granted. For example, I have been living in the United States of America for many years. But once in a while, I will get these racist jokes in the streets like: "Go Home". Some of the people I meet, once they detect that I have an accent, they usually want to know if I am "Haitian", "Jamaican", "African", etc...

Regardless of all the economic, political, social difficulties, I am always proud to say that "I Am Haitian". To show that they know something about Haiti, my country, many would respond "Sak Passe","Map Boule".

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Why would anyone think the people of the Dominican republic are racists. We are tolerant, and welcome foreigners just like all civilized societies. We just don't like "Black Haitians"

Where do you think this statement came from. You wouldn't believe it but this is a true statement coming out of the mouth of a Dominican in Miami.

This is how we set this: A good friend of mine who is white asked the other day to a Dominican Immigrant why is it that Dominicans and Haitians are often in conflict? To his surprise, his Dominican friend came with the above answer.

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The Dominican Republic's (DR) Constitutional Court ruling descendents of illegal immigrants are not entitled to citizenship status has created an outcry among the international community (IC). Fears of mass deportations--as a result of the ruling--have led observers to declare many thousands of deportees will become stateless. They believe re-patriated Haitians will face obstacles negotiating Haiti's requirements for citizenship.

Suggestions the DR is engaging in ethnic cleansing have provoked a rebuttal from the Haitian Ambassador to the U.S., Anibal De Castro. She states the High Court ruling does not set precedence, only a reaffirmation of a ruling in 2005, which was amended in the 2010 Constitution. She adds the DR has every legal right to regulate immigration and develop transparent policies for obtaining citizenship.

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Since the late 1960s when Haiti and the Dominican Republic had similar economy, the Dominican has been implementing a policy focused on economic development. One major section of that economic plan was the development of their tourism industry.

It has worked!

Thanks to its booming tourism industry, the Dominican Republic has become an economic superpower in the Caribbean, leaving its neighbor Haiti still seating in that economic misery called poverty.

However, there is one error the Dominicans are in the process of making, something that usually happen to many as they are becoming used to prosperity which is entitlement.

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