Kòb la nan bouda w, mizè a nan bouda m
Welcome to the latest edition of Woy Magazine’s biweekly newsletter, providing you with must-know news and commentary on Haiti and our Diaspora.
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“Kòb la nan bouda w, mizè a nan bouda m” - K-Lib Mapou
The fight for 1,500 Gourdes minimum wage
The movement demanding an increase in minimum wages has not slowed since the initial strikes previously reported in Caracol. This week has seen large protests from the workers of the SONAPI Industrial Park, located in Port-au-Prince. They have been met with tear gas from the Haitian police.
As it stands, the minimum wage is 500 Haitian Gourdes (HTG) per day, the equivalent of approximately $5 USD. Workers are requesting that it be increased to 1,500 HTG to keep up with rapidly rising inflation. The National Center for Haitian Workers has denounced what they say are attempts by the Superior Council of Wages to thwart the movement.
Le coordonnateur de la Centrale nationale des ouvrières et ouvriers haïtiens (Cnoha), Dominique Saint-Eloi, dénonce une note du Conseil supérieur des salaires (Css) comme une tentative de casser la mobilisation ouvrière.
Des dispositions sont en train d’être prises pour fixer le salaire minimum dans les différentes branches d’activités du secteur privé, a fait savoir le Css.
Ce Conseil supérieur des salaires défend uniquement les intérêts des patrons, depuis plusieurs années, contre ceux des ouvrières et ouvriers, critique la Cnoha, annonçant la poursuite de la mobilisation ouvrière jusqu’à la satisfaction des revendications." (Source: Alterpresse)
Haitian economist, Enomy Germain explains how the Haitian government has chosen the side of the businesses over workers. Though the council is legally required, according to the Haitian Labor Code, to revisit minimum wage as inflation increases, the minimum wage has not budged since 2019.
Le code du travail haïtien, en son article 137, prévoit un ajustement du salaire minimum à chaque fois que l’inflation augmente de 10% au moins sur une période de l’année. Cette disposition n’est pourtant pas respectée depuis 2019. Les employés sont donc pénalisés. (Source: Enomy Germain)
We stand in solidarity with Haitian factory workers in their fight for fair wages and better working conditions. To learn more about their plight, watch this compelling documentary by Haitian feminist organization, Òganizasyon Feminis Dantò, entitled "San ak Swè" (Blood and Sweat).
Fanmi Lavalas withdraws from the KNT
On January 29th, just one day before elections were to take place, Fanmi Lavalas published a letter announcing the withdrawal of its two delegates from the Konsèy Nasyonal Tranzisyon (KNT). The KNT is the organism charged with electing a transitional president and prime minister, as part of the Montana accord. This decision was tied to a concern, previously expressed back in December, regarding who would be eligible to run for president and prime minister in this process.
In an interview with Radio Magik9, a spokesperson for Fanmi Lavalas explained that while they continue to support the overall process, they have decided not to participate in the January 30th election, because they do not believe political party leaders should be in the running.
Fritz Jean & Steven Benoit elected to lead transition
The very next day, as planned, the KNT went forward with its elections, choosing Fritz Alphonse Jean as president and Steven Irvenson Benoit as prime minister. The proceedings were somber and broadcasted via Zoom. The president of the KNT, James Beltis, lauded these proceedings as an important step toward seeking legitimacy, since these efforts began back in early 2021.
With its two elected leaders, the Montana group aims now to continue to expand the consensus and to bring others into the fold, while negotiating with de facto prime minister Ariel Henry – who, in a speech on February 7th, made it clear that he was not going anywhere. We should note that constitutionally, Ariel’s term ended back in November of last year, where Jovenel Moise who nominated Henry claimed that his own term would end on February 7, 2022.
What are the chances that the Montana accord will provide a transition that Haitians deserve? We do not know, but its professed merits are the following: (1) it is Haitian-led without foreign mediators; (2) it sought to be as inclusive as possible, and (3) Fritz Alphonse Jean and Steven Benoit are viewed by many as capable, respected leaders.
Meanwhile, revelations regarding Ariel Henry's potential ties to the assassination of Jovenel Moise continue to surface and to wear away at his reputation. While the Montana accord is not a panacea, if it manages to provide a viable political offer to the prime minister, there is hope for a decent election following a transition.
That said, we must consider the legitimate critiques of the Montana accord process. For starters, communication has been a challenge. While an effort was made to speak in the press, notably on the radio—which is still a major source of news for most Haitians—many have not heard of these proceedings.
During a Space talk hosted by Farah Augustin on Twitter, James Beltis agreed with this criticism and attempted to address this shortcoming. He explained that the call-to-action to the individuals and organizations that signed the Montana accord was to spread the word themselves after signing. Beltis conceded that while institutions like Fanmi Lavalas and Mouvman Peyizan Papay have held forums about the accord in working-class neighborhoods and the countryside, communications to the population regarding the consensus has not been sufficient.
Access has been another major issue for the Montana accord. The verbal communication during the meetings and public events (including the debates and election) were in Kreyol. However, instead of publishing written communication in the language that all Haitians speak, many of the written statements and key documents have only been made available in French. For such a democratic endeavor, it is baffling to consider why folks in the Montana group would insist on communicating only in French.
In a piece for Woy published this week, our friends from Konbit Jounalis Lib issued a warning against the rhetoric being used by the international community on the various accords/agreements being proposed by different groups. This dismissive narrative has been picked up and repeated by prominent media like Le Nouvelliste. The article explains why this is harmful and suggests that Haitians should be allowed the time to negotiate a viable political solution.
It is clear that all the agreements are not the same. Meanwhile, the Cartel of Embassies (Core Group) has not stopped preaching for all actors to swiftly put their heads together to come up with just one overarching agreement. This notion gives the impression that unity is the one thing missing in Haiti’s political situation and that the international community is the one entity with good intentions. The rhetoric being carried by the Core Group and a major part of the Haitian press is disingenuous.
There seems to be no coherent US foreign policy toward Haiti other than to maintain its position as an empire. The main function of saying there are too many proposals/agreements is to undermine this process of political negotiations and minimize the efforts of Haitians. Emphasizing the existence of multiple agreements instead of carefully analyzing what is going on is intellectually lazy and banalizes the potential impact of the political offers that are viable. (Source: Woy Magazine)
Assassination investigation updates
Earlier this week, CNN released an exclusive report describing Ariel Henry’s suspected involvement in the assassination of Jovenel Moise. Among other things, the report highlights the suspicious ties between Joseph Félix Badio and Henry
This report also discusses his role in impeding the investigation, notably where questions regarding his involvement have been brought forward.
Multiple law enforcement sources told CNN one man lies at the center of much of that obstruction: Ariel Henry. We are not identifying them for security reasons.
Those sources say they have laid out a series of questionable actions that, they say, detail the Prime Minister's alleged involvement in the assassination: both in plotting Moïse's death and in helping orchestrate the subsequent cover-up. And, when two of the top judicial authorities sought potential charges against him, they were fired. (Source: CNN)
Central to the report is a recording dating back to the fall of 2021, where judge Garry Orélien — who you may remember was recently relieved of his duties at the head of the investigation — is heard affirming his position on Ariel Henry’s involvement in the assassination:
“Ariel (Henry) is connected and friends with the mastermind of the assassination. They planned it with him. Ariel is a prime suspect of Jovenel Moïse's assassination, and he knows it,” (Source: CNN)
The recording was obtained and released by AyiboPost. It is said to have been recorded between October and November of last year, and according to their source, the judge was not aware that he was being recorded.
The Trail of Tragedies
The Nation released a harrowing story about the dangerous journey Black migrants are undertaking to reach the United States border; a path the author has dubbed "The Black Migrant Trail of Tragedies". The article chronicles a journey filled with bribes, treacherous bodies of water, encounters with dangerous animals, and violent gangs. The article goes on to explain that discrimination against Haitians laid the foundation for what the United States immigration system is today.
In contrast with how the United States treated refugees arriving from Cuba—such as offering them a straightforward path to permanent residency after a short period—Haitian asylum seekers were met with visa rejections, detention requiring a $500 bond for release, and mass work-authorization denials. These harsh immigration policies became known as the Haitian Program.
Two important cases, Haitian Refugee Center v. Civiletti (1980) and Jean v. Nelson (1985), overturned many of the discriminatory immigration practices against Haitians. But the victories were short-lived: Instead of criminalizing only Haitians, the US government began to target all immigrants. “The Reagan administration, after this ruling in Jean v. Nelson, says, ‘Well, then we’ll just expand it to everyone. There won’t be a Haitian detention program; it’ll be an all-excludable-aliens detention program,’” said historian Carl Lindskoog, the author of Detain and Punish: Haitian Refugees and the Rise of the World’s Largest Immigration Detention System. “And so that’s a really tragic story about how successful legal resistance actually leads to a proliferation of this system of injustice. (Source: The Nation)
In the meantime, 2022 has not marked a new beginning for the Biden Administration's policies towards Haitians. Andrea Flores, the former director of border management on Biden’s National Security Council, saw firsthand the hypocrisy that exists in the Administration’s handling of Trump-era immigration policy.
According to a piece in The New Yorker recounting her experience, Flores had gone into the role to reverse Trump-era policies but found the Biden Administration resolving to have them left in place or reinstated.
This past fall, Flores left the Administration; other high-profile departures followed. According to three current and former administration officials, the resistance to easing Trump-era restrictions came from the very top of the White House chain of command: Ron Klain, the chief of staff; Susan Rice, the head of the Domestic Policy Council; and Jake Sullivan, the national-security adviser. “None of them is an immigration expert,” one of the officials told me. “The immigration experts who were brought in—all those people are not the ones controlling the policy direction. That should tell you something right there. The ones who are at the highest level are political people.” (Source: The New Yorker)
As the Biden Administration continues to back an illegitimate government mired in scandal — fostering times of unprecedented insecurity in Haiti — deportations back to the island continue. According to this ICE USA-Haiti flight tracker, 40 deportation flights have gone to Haiti since the beginning of the year.
Pou Listwa
Rapper and Petrochallenger, K-Lib Mapou released his sophomore solo album entitled “Pou Listwa” on February 7th, the anniversary of the ouster of Jean Claude Duvalier. This album features 18 tracks with poignant messages about the sociopolitical climate of Haiti, the PetroCaribe scandal, and the state of Hip Hop in Haiti. The lead single “Èske w te konnen” is a damning description of the last 10 years of PHTK rule in the country, “Kidnaping, kokayin, ti bandi legal yo bon sou nou.”