The Nation Must Come Together

The prosperity of a nation depends wholly on the ability of its people to come together and join forces to work and build an appreciated environment for all. Such an environment is based on the common interest of the inhabitants, according to law and order and mutual respect. Haiti needs to come together. Haitians need to come together. The nation must begin to act as one, as an entity in order to prosper in the world of nation states.

Haiti is a very minute place. The entire island of Hispaniola is only 29,530 square miles (76,480 km2). The Dominican Republic occupies much of it, 18,705 square miles, and Haiti 10,714 square miles, just enough to raise a couple millions of animals. Over 10 million Haitians are huddled on this little piece of land, and the population is increasing. And, like it or not, we are condemned to live together there.

If we are condemned to live together, we must live together. The problem is. Haiti remains too shattered. We don’t feel that we are one. We don’t feel that we belong together. We don’t feel that we share one cause. We don’t feel we belong to our nation and must take position to build it and make it something for all of us. We all want to leave. But, sadly, only a few would leave. And, many of those would return after much nostalgia; and, not forgetting those who would be deported. Generally, the other nations do not want us.

Author, Thomas Madiou said, when he told his father of his intention to write a history book of Haiti, his father asked him what about the “division.” His father was worried that he may render the situation worse by telling the truth. I have a similar problem with my friends. They want to know if I believe that Haitians could really come together. I said to one of them, “They have to; or, else…” He adds. “If we don’t do it, nobody is going to do it for us.” The point is. We are condemned to live together. And, we have a responsibility to work together to make our lives better. Other than that, Haiti is going to remain that poor, old, dirty, nasty, trashy, contaminated, desolated nation that no one respects; and, Haitians would remain the restavec people, a subject of repugnance to the world society.

What do we do then to change our course of history? We must take a stand to put an end to the divisive nature of the Haitian. We have to stop the tearing and come together. We must come to agreement: All Haitians Together For A Better Haiti. All on board: (Black, Mulatto, and White, rich and poor, literate and illiterate, urbanites and peasants, no one is left behind).

I mean, we are all belonged, as members of the group. We only need to find a way to come together to help, share, promote, and live with each other. The bourgeoisie does not have to be an enemy of the poor. They need each other to have a prosperous country. The rich people need to invest their money in the country to create work, to create a fair environment for all. The poor men need to appreciate the generous investments and work productively to contribute to the successfulness of the nation. Everybody wins. It is when the rich take their wealth abroad; it is when the poor break and tear down everything; that’s when everybody loses.

We could collaborate and live together productively. The other nations do it, even the small nations around us. Haitians go to the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, and all the smaller islands out there, looking for scraps. The people in these smaller nations are working collaboratively to better themselves. We could do the same. We simply need to start seeing our Haitian brothers and sisters as members of our entity and not just isolated beings. We simply need to start embracing each other and work collaboratively. The bourgeois could bring investments. The poor could provide labor. The urbanites could produce skilled workers. The peasants could work the fields. Everybody has a function.

The next time you see another Haitian, don’t think of him as an adversary or something strange and isolated; think of him as somebody to collaborate and work with - if our people should ever cease to be the laughing stock of the world. Join the call for Haitian national unity. Join our Facebook group: MKNA – All Haitians Together For A Better Haiti.  Or email, granmoun@hotmail.com. Join the conversation

By E.C. GRANMOUN

E.C. Granmoun is the Author of: "Bully: A Novel"  ebook, on amazon.com

A Shattered Nation

If the Haitian nation would come out of the quagmire, the pieces would have to come together. Having said that, I find my mouth trembling, and my heart pumping hard, recognizing the almost impossible task that I am asking. Yet, I recognize, unless the Haitian people come together, and join forces to live and work as one nation, one people, to build their nation, Haiti would never succeed. Thus, I want to borrow the propaganda from President Obama’s first campaign, “Yes we can.”

I mean, the Haitians can come to unity. I recognize, however, it is going to be a tough battle. A little overview of the country’s past would produce a sense of the challenge. Christopher Columbus arrived on the Island that was then called Ayiti Boyo Kiskeya to find the native islanders there. The newcomers overcame the aboriginal people, overworked and abused them, and exterminated them. They brought in Negros from Africa. After about 300 years of abuse and struggle, the black slaves won their freedom from France by much shedding of blood and lost of lives.

This victory was not obtained easily and cleanly. There were much mistrust and betrayal among all groups. And, the strife that emanated from colonialism ended up embedded into the new nation with two faction groups, the Mulattos and the Blacks, defending different interests not advantageous for the whole nation. From there, you have a nation always struggling, deteriorating, moving back in time, to reach the point of the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, and having been declared a “failed state.” Now, a contingent of the United Nations is on the ground, claiming trying to hold the pieces.

The blame is always on as well. (1) The Mulattos, the bourgeoisie steal everything. (2) The poor black mass destroys everything. (3) There are invisible hands maintaining the chaos. Those are the three common antagonistic reasonings. Basically, everybody is blaming somebody.

But, who is really to blame? Some people may not agree with him. Yet, if we would accept the rationale of Felix Morisseau Leroy, everybody is to blame. I would understand it if you should choose to exempt yourself from Tonton Morisseau’s generalization. But, Jesus Christ said the same thing when he declared that anyone not considering himself a sinner should throw the first stone. It is up to every Haitian to decide how he or she fits into this square.

The followings are some of the common sentiments that we are either perpetrators of, or victims thereof:

•      The bourgeoisie, the mulatto, and the elites do not care for the country. They are pillaging, taking everything for their families and friends, and be ready to flee abroad when things get out of control. Therefore, they are not worried about building a nation, or maintaining an environment to help advance the cause of a prosperous Haitian society.
•       The governments are thieves, filling up their pockets. Governments in Haiti have been generally considered kleptocratic. They usually are not concerned about their people and the nation. They are associated with the rich people and indulging in frauds, while stealing from their own people.
•      The poor black mass is ignorant, violent, and ready to destroy. The poor people have an inclination for revenge. Having been victimized, poor, uneducated, and have nothing to preserve; governments don’t protect them and steal from them; the rich do not do anything to ameliorate their conditions; the poor people often become violent, when the bullets of the government are not able to stop them.
•       The invisible hands are always working to disturb the environment. In the history of Haiti, white people have always been a conflicting force. The most important fact to consider, is that, they are always brought in to support a particular group of Haitians.

It does not end here. The fragmentation pierces every joint of the Haitian society. (1) Mulatto versus Black – Some people consider Haiti one or the most racist place on earth. (2) Rich versus poor – Some people consider Haiti one of the most stratified. (3) Port-au-prince versus the provinces. Port-au-prince is the thing. If you are not from there, it is like, you are nothing. (4) Every region is like a little country. It is a common thing for one Haitian to ask another, what country he is from. (5) People from a big city versus a smaller city; people from a smaller city versus a smaller village; people from a smaller village versus the countryside; and, it does not stop here.

What we have here is the shattered nation. It is like every Haitian is in his own little world. We are not in it together. We don’t care for each other. We don’t come together to make that little place that we share together a favorable environment for all. If Haiti should come out of the chaos, Haitians must look deep into those issues, come up with strategies to fight them, and start implementing nation building and national unity.

Please join the Mouvman  Kolektivite Nasyonal Ayisyen (MKNA) - by Join this conversation on this blog or Facebook or Twitter @ecgranmoun. Or email, granmoun@hotmail.com

By E.C. GRANMOUN

E.C. Granmoun is the Author of: "Bully: A Novel"  on amazon.com

The Question Of A State Funeral For Baby Doc

When it was announced that Jean Claude Duvalier was on his way to return to Haiti from his long exile in France after the earthquake that is believed to have killed some 300,000 Haitians, people were astounded. To many, this was the worst that could happen to the devastated nation, next to the earthquake. During his stay in Haiti, Duvalier maintained a conflicting profile. He was the subject of human rights violations and fraud allegations. He was placed under house arrest. He was summoned to court several times. Many would like to see him prosecuted, particularly those whose rights were violated or had relatives suffered under the dictator. Baby Doc, who always appeared old, sick, and frail, did not seem to worry much either. The new government of Michel Martelly was a sympathizer and protected him. A Haitian judge voided all charges against him based on status of limitation.

In fact, Baby Doc felt very at home. While those who remembered the reign of terror under him and his father abhorred him, a great majority considered him a victim of his father’s system. They disassociated him with the evils of his regime, and they nostalgically searched for the false sense of security and prosperity of his days. Further, the Haitian youth that did not live his moment, they have been led to believe that during his period everything was right. Hence, they hold no grudges against him, and in fact would like to return to his system of ‘tonton makout’ rather than the freedom and insecurity of the moment. Duvalier therefore experienced no fear roaming the filthy and insecure terrain of Haiti. Plus, the present government provided him security, unlike the former President Aristide, who is fighting for his existence in the country.

Now, the former dictator is dead. The question is whether he should receive a state funeral or not. His protégée Sweet Micky, had first inclined for that. However, it appears that after much criticism from all about, he has reneged. The Miami Herald has reported that the dictator may end up undergoing a regular funeral at his alma mater Saint Louis de Gonzague.

Personally, I did not pay much attention to this at first. I was more occupied with the issue of the tarantula that bit him. I was wondering whether the spider poisoned and killed him. For, I remember these beasts well and clearly during a two-year stint in Haiti and the city of Cap-Haitian. They look so creepy and terrifying! I really did look at them as something that could kill somebody. And, for an environment so spoiled and filthy to accommodate creepy creatures, as to the result of bad governments, Duvalier would reap the consequence of his leadership. This is not important, though.

I have arrived to realize that as a Haitian citizen working for a Haitian national unity, and a writer who has written considerably about Haiti, I should offer my position to my readers, followers, and whosoever. In reality, I did not support the idea of a state funeral for the Dictator. Yet, I did not make a big deal about it either. I simply heard that the Haitian president was leaning on giving it to him, and I thought nothing would stop him. I thought. What difference would it make anyway? If there is no law and order, a funeral makes no difference.

I decided to write this blog after having viewed the article from the Miami Herald that Martelly had reneged. Why is that important to me?

I think Martelly has taken a major step into Haitian reconciliation. I sympathize with those who would prefer the president to have a state funeral. You have your rights. Yet, I encourage you to support Martelly in this decision. For a man that people consider a dictator in the making himself, Martelly has made a bold move. I did not expect that from him. I thought he was going to utilize his penchant for pleasure and disrespect to give his patron the state funeral. He has greatly surprised me.

Now, to both Duvalier’s protagonists and antagonists, this is what is important. It is not whether the former president receives a state funeral or not. It is where Haitians are willing and ready take the nation in this 21^st century. Are we going to continue to fight one another? Or, are we going to work collaboratively in legality for the prosperity of the nation? It is a shame that in this world of civilization, we cannot take control of our destiny. We’re living as “dog eat dog.” We are having an occupation force on our ground to keep us from murdering each other. And, our leaders are living large!

I applaud Martelly for this decision. It would not really make much difference to me. Yet, I recognize it as a sign of acknowledgment to the other side. The international world has considered the Duvaliers as major devastators of the Haitian nation. Many Haitians today are still living what they and their relatives had suffered under the regimes. And, Haiti reemerged from the Duvalierism as the most corrupted, unstable, and poor nation in the Western hemisphere. It would be heartbroken for both those miserable Haitians living in the filthy slums of the country, and the international communities to witness a pompous state funeral for Baby Doc. It would be a remaking of the sarcastic marriage of the obese dictator and the party-girl Michelle Bennett.

Wise move, Martelly! Now, the elections?

Please join the Mouvman  Kolektivite Nasyonal Ayisyen (MKNA) - by Join this conversation on this blog or Facebook or Twitter @ecgranmoun. Or email, granmoun@hotmail.com

By E.C. GRANMOUN

E.C. Granmoun is the Author of: Bully: A Novel  onamazon.com
Join E.C. Granmoun on Facebook and Twitter 

The Social Worker

Denis Renel Bellevue is the Social Worker. He arrives into child welfare in Miami to make a difference, a big difference. However, before long he realizes that instead of him changing DCF, he was the one being transformed. DCF is ruthless, chaotic, a hellhole for the families and the social workers.

Denis suddenly finds himself trapped in a romantic affair with Darlene, a beautiful sixteen-year-old female. She was supposed to be bad, but she got captivated by his  laissez-faire attitude. The cruel organizational environment never gives him a break, either. He cannot improve the condition of the children. The job is merciless. He suffers utter depression. He laments “Children will continue to be abused, lost, and even murdered in here; and, I could see us workers just drop down dead.” Then Maria, a coworker that nothing seemed to annoy, succumbs to the pressure of the job - dead of a heart attack. Denis wonders who’s next.

http://www.amazon.com/THE-SOCIAL-WORKER-E-C-GRANMOUN-ebook/dp/B00B97XLR2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1401722177&sr=8-2&keywords=e+c+granmoun

By E.C. GRANMOUN
Other Books by the author on amazon.com:
Where Is Baby X?: The Little Girl Trilogy, Book One
Baby X Isn't Anywhere: The Little Girl Trilogy, Book Two

The Chaos Of Child Welfare: Revelation By X-DCF Social Worker
Bully: A Novel 
Join E.C. Granmoun on Facebook and Twitter 

A Nation Divided Cannot Stand

The Wild Terrain

I consider a wild terrain to be an open space, not cultivated, not managed in any manner, and is generally left to the mercy of the savage nature. I like to refer to it more accurately in the Haitian Creole term Savann. You may look at it as a space where wild animals run. During the early history of the United States, the settlers found the western portion of the land volatile, violent and dangerous. Individuals who ventured there were subjected to all types of insecurity: a violent nature, bad weather, wild animals, rough terrains, unfriendly Native Americans, and more. And, there were no laws, and unscrupulous people would conduct their own justices and act according to the level of their greeds. It was referred to as the “wild-wild-west.”

I refer to Haiti as a ‘wild terrain’ because that’s the type of mentality that I have considered materialized out of the revolution for Independence. The nation has experienced a perpetual nature of instability and insecurity similar to that of the Savann. Leaders have killed each other; the people are divided; the elite classes have continued to exploit mercilessly, with external mercenary supports; the mass has maintained its violent tendency; and the nation has deteriorated to naught. At the moment, the nation is at the bottom of the pit. It has been declared a “failed state.” A contingent of the United Nations, (MINUSTAH), is on the ground to keep the people from slaughtering each other, and to attempt to create some stability.

So far, the verdict remains gloomy. The international political world has called on Haitian leaders themselves to lead the way to start healing their internal wounds and to take strategies for national prosperity. At this moment, there appears to be no real effort.

The two major political forces in the country are literally in the throats of each other. Whichever first severed the neck of the other would presumably be the winner. It is the same old ancient politics. Toussaint is betrayed; Dessalines is murdered; Christophe is pressured to suicide; Petion is pushed into his deathbed. And, it had remained a tradition of betrayal and deceit. Let the most wicked man win. You may call that “Machiavellian” or, “survival of the fittest.” Which, generally is translated to bestial. It is to say, the Haitian man has not matured to societal civilization yet. We remain in the wild, in the Savann, where no man is concerned about the collectivity of the whole, but living as if tomorrow would take care of itself.

The Wild Must Be Tamed

If the wild is not dominated, there is no society. As of the moment, Haiti is considered a “failed state.” That means the Haitian man has not been capable to build a civilized society. In other word, the environment remains a wild-wild-west, where, the worst is prone to happen. That is why the United Nations are on the ground, to help the Haitian turns away from his wild destructive mentality. Some people may not agree with the U.N., but it is not for no reason that Haiti has also been called the “poorest nation” in the Western world.

A house divided in itself cannot stand. The fact is. The Haitians must leave the mentality of the wild and come together as members of a group, a community, a nation, a society, or whatever could glue this nation. This means that the Haitians have to understand that there is a group interest to fulfill, for the members to be happy and not destroying the environment. The first major step is the Unity of the People. Haitians must come together and start nation building. There should no longer be a matter of “I, I, I, I”; it should be WE, US, WE, US. We are a nation. And, the interest of the nation should be preeminent. Our Country should be a place where reasonable, rational, logical, and decent human beings live. The rule of law and order must be implemented.

What exactly does that mean? In real term: A Lavalas and a Duvalierist should be able to function in legality in the country without one trying to destroy the other. However, in order to accomplish that, certain prerogatives must be in place. (1) Recognize all legitimate political parties. (2) Organize free and fair elections. (3) Don’t persecute oppositions. (4) Don’t malign government in place. (5) Absolutely no coup-d’etat! (6) Organize legitimate political interest groups. (7) Minimize external influence within internal politics. To put it simply, follow the words of Jesus: Do into others as you would like them to do into you.

The Haitians must be human beings with a sense of what is right or wrong just like any other national beings. It is shameful what Haitian represents today in the global society. Everybody is ready to run out of the country. We should be ashamed of ourselves. Our children are walking with their heads down because of what we are doing. We should be ashamed.

Let us start to right things up, with the “I” first. Then, let US reach out to the others and teach them how to make a difference. Join the call for Haitian national unity.

Any Haitian, anybody reading this blog, who is interested in the prosperity of the Haitian nation, please join the Mouvman Apel Rasanblman Ayisyen (MARA) - by Join this conversation on this blog or Facebook or Twitter @ecgranmoun. Or email, granmoun@hotmail.com

By E.C. GRANMOUN

E.C. Granmoun is the Author of: Bully: A Novel  onamazon.com
Join E.C. Granmoun on Facebook and Twitter