Musician takes oath as Haiti’s new head of state

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – Haitians will forget the calamity caused by last year’s powerful earthquake that killed an estimated 300,000 of their fellow citizens as well as a cholera outbreak that has so far killed more than 4,000 to participate in the inauguration of their new president Michel Martelly.



For many ordinary Haitians, the 50-year-old musician represents the new beginning in a country from a past that has been dogged with political and economic crisis ever since the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country gained its independence from France more than 200 years ago.



The charismatic Martelly who does not have any government experience, made that aspect of his life the strong point of his campaign and appealed to Haitians to go forward with him.



Grenada’s Prime Minister, Tillman Thomas, the current CARICOM Chairman, who will be among the hundreds of regional and international dignitaries attending the inauguration, said the election of Martelly following the second round of presidential elections on March 20, is a “renewal of spirit and the rise of a new political generation” for the country.



He said CARICOM will continue to support Haiti in the international community and will work with the new president to transform the Caribbean nation, which the Prime Minister said has a “new chapter in its political life.



“We recognize the difficulties the country has gone through, especially the effects of the earthquake disaster on the people of Haiti. CARICOM is committed to assisting with the recovery effort,” he added.

The Prime Minister said this support is crucial if the Martelly is to succeed in his pledge to accelerate the reconstruction effort and to bring economic and political stability to the country.



The United States, which is also being represented at the event, is among international countries providing support for the future socio-economic development of Haiti, where two thirds of the government's budget is dependent on external donors.



Aid promised by donors, who pledged more than US$10 billion ity immediately following the January 12 earthquake last year, has been slow in materializing, and the outgoing top U.N. official in Haiti, Edmond Mulet, this week appealed to donors to make good on their pledges.



Martelly has promised to work to attract local and foreign entrepreneurs to invest in infrastructure and tourism projects, for example by having the state intervene to settle obstructive land disputes by taking over the land and compensating owners.



But observers now that in a poor country notorious for political upheavals and sporadic violence, maintaining security is a key factor in guaranteeing future stability for recovery and investment.



At least 12,000 U.N. peacekeepers provide security with the backing of a local police which is being expanded and trained. But the U.N. presence is seen as an "occupation force" by critics, some of whom accuse U.N. soldiers from Nepal for the cholera outbreak.



Martelly has proposed the restoration of the Haitian army, an institution accused of many past abuses, which was disbanded by former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in the mid-1990s.



Mulet says while he supports a Haitian "security force" to complement the police, the international community would have to equip and train the body before it replaced U.N. peacekeepers, and this could take several years.