Miami Herald - Haiti Observer Blog

Jacqueline Charles, the Caribbean correspondent with the Miami Herald, stated that the U.N. is in talks with the Haitian authorities about taking peacekeepers out of Haiti. They are negotiating how to maintain peace on on the Caribbean island without the U.N. It is not clear how they will be able to do that. Some Haitians want the U.N.'s presence to be replaced by a new Haitian Military force.

The U.N. has been in Haiti for the past 13 years or since the 2004 coup that overthrew former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Some of the soldiers have been involved in local sexual abuse. They are also responsible for bringing the cholera epidemic to Haiti

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The Miami Herald came out very strong with an editorial written against any possibility for Michel Martelly to remain in power after February 7 or to be involved in any transitional government. According to the editorial, "despite an unrelieved record of failure, Mr. Martelly suggested last week that he could prolong his tenure if no consensus for moving forward emerges". "The way forward is uncertain", according to the article. "But one thing is clear: President Michel Martelly must step down when his term expires on Feb. 7"

"Haiti's people have already paid too dearly for Mr. Martelly's disrespect for constitutional order and inept management. He never understood the notion of compromise, nor did he ever try to forge a national political consensus to make the most of the aid provided by the international community to recover from a 2010 earthquake. Whatever was good for "Sweet Micky" was good for Haiti, or so he seemed to believe.

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This is an interview that our President-Elect gave to John Yearwood, a reporter of Miami Herald this week. I would say that Michel Martelly handled himself pretty well. As you see in the video, there were several areas discussed in the interview.

Michel Martelly stated that the people of Haiti have chosen changes and because he was identified as such, he was selected.

In the area of job for the Haitian population, Martelly wants to focus on agricultural programs. "Haiti needs diversity", according to him. He intends to put peasants back to work.

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