World News
Haitian “Leaders” Sold Out the Haitian People
By Joe Gonzalez,
OTP Contributor
This week marks eleven years since the January 12, 2010 massive earthquake that rocked Haiti killing over 300,000 people. The earthquake measured 7.2 on the Richter Scale.
The eyes of the world were transfixed on Haiti. People the world over were horrified at the pictures and videos of the sheer scale of destruction and human suffering of Haiti and the Haitian people. Immediately, relief efforts went into overdrive. Food, water, blankets, medicine and medical supplies were collected from the four corners of the earth and were shipped to Haiti.
Also, vast amounts of money was donated and collected by the United Nations, governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses, faith groups and individuals.
The public record reflects that upwards of ten billion dollars was collected worldwide for Haitian earthquake relief. it is now abundantly clear that little if any, of the ten billion dollars actually got to the poor Haitian people who needed the most help.
The public record is replete with instances where questions were raised about the missing funds.
Two things remain though: first, the Haitian elected public officials, Haitian Clergy, Haitian educators, Haitian legal and law enforcement officialdom, Haitian professionals of every stripe failed to date to loudly and aggressively fight on every level to track down the missing ten billion dollars owed to the Haitian earthquake victims. Second, eleven years later the people of Haiti still desperately need help.
In 2015, president of Haiti Michel Martelly publicly stated: “We never got the [ten billion] dollars donated for Haiti earthquake relief.”
In 2013, Jonathan M. Katz, the Haiti Bureau Chief for the Associated Press authored a book entitled: “The Big Truck That Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster.”
In 2015, Justin Elliot of Pro Publica and Laura Sullivan of National Public Radio (NPR) co-authored a book entitled: “How the Red Cross Raised a Billion Dollars and built Six Homes.”
In 2012, Michele Mitchell produced an acclaimed film at Eleven Media entitled: “Haiti: Where did the money go?”.
Thru all this, still no answers from the putative Haitian leaders as to where the money went, the blood of 300,000 dead Haitians is on the hands of these Haitian elected public officials and other assorted Haitian professional.
Collectively, they have spent their waking hours attacking Republican President Donald J. Trump and insisting the Trump finances be investigated. All the while Haitian professionals in general and Haitian elected public officials in particular have remained silent and failed to demand former Democratic President Bill Clinton’s finances and those of the Clinton Global Foundation be probed.
This failure of leadership is perniciously galling given the public record clearly documents that the Clinton Global Foundation received billions of dollars for Haitian earthquake relief and to date have failed to account for these monies.
It’s time for all people of good will in general and the Haitian people in particular to rise up and confront the Haitian “leaders” and demand they address the matter of the missing Haitian earthquake relief funds. The sooner, the better.