InterPress Service
The dismissal of Michele Pierre-Louis came as no surprise to many of South Florida’s Haitian leaders, while some feared the move could be a setback for the troubled nation.
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Haiti calm after firing of Prime Minister Michèle Pierre-Louis
BY TRENTON DANIEL
tdaniel@MiamiHerald.com
When dozens of Haitian leaders mingled at a luncheon fundraiser on a cruise ship docked at the Port of Miami, one topic kept popping up over and over: The imminent dismissal of Prime Minister Miche`le Pierre-Louis.
“That was the scuttlebutt,” Marie Bell, a city of Miami employee, said during the Saturday event. “Oh, no, this cannot be happening again — this was the collective thought.”
Since Haitian lawmakers issued a summons last week for Pierre-Louis to appear before the Senate, Bell and other South Florida Haitian leaders have followed the twists and turns of efforts to oust the premier. Blogs, Internet chatrooms, local radio, and the teledjol — or Haitian rumor mill — have churned out news and gossip.
Lawmakers eventually dismissed Pierre-Louis late Thursday.
The views emerging are mixed: Some say her dismissal shouldn’t come as a surprise given the revolving-door of rule in Haiti. Others say a shake-up would mark a critical setback at a time when the country enjoys an almost unmatched period of political stability — when overseas investors and others have expressed interest in doing business in Haiti.
“I would hope [the senators] would agree with us in the diaspora and with the people in Haiti that we need stability at this point,” said Andre Pierre, mayor of North Miami, noting that he met twice with Pierre-Louis when she visited South Florida this year. “We are crossing a high river, and you do not change course mid-stream.”
Others say Pierre-Louis’ dismissal shouldn’t have come as a shock.
“To me, nothing’s really happened to her,” said Lavarice Gaudin, a longtime supporter of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. “There is no surprise. There is no change.”
Pierre-Louis, the former executive director of an education program funded by billionaire George Soros, carried some gravitas among South Florida Haitian leaders because of her efforts to engage the diaspora in ways few of her predecessors did. In the year she oversaw the Haitian government, she made two official visits to South Florida — one in June, the other in August to attend a diaspora conference where United Nations Special Envoy Bill Clinton spoke.
Local Haitian leaders point out that she focused on dual citizenship, tourism and investment opportunities, and that her removal could be a setback for any progress in those areas. They also note that wobbly governance could spook needed investors.
“I think it would be very bad timing for us to go about any change of government,” said Munir Mourra, a Haiti-born shipping vessel owner. “Politics is taking over instead of the reality that Haiti cannot afford instability again. The international community is going to get fed up with Haiti.”
Filed under: Haiti
