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Women and Men of my country;
Since its constitution, our country, except for a few exceptions, has only known misfortune and setbacks even with learned development plans, valuable human resources and means, which were frequently minimal.
From this unfortunate observation, attributed to the State governance, a mentality of complete mistrust toward all institutions took root.
Education has left our public schools, high schools and universities;
Health care was looked for, haphazardly, in the private sector;
The territory has been organizing itself with anarchy outside city hall control;
Justice was practiced outside the Courts;
Agriculture responded merely to farmers’ basic needs;
Commerce became informal;
Industry migrated elsewhere;
Private security has supplanted the police forces;
Arm forces have left their responsibilities to a vacuum;
The economy chose to become hidden and international aid non-governmental;
Even worst, nine months after the January 12 disaster, the victims estimated at more than one million children, women and men continue to show their misfortune in streets, tents and public squares: our failure.
How can we remain an accomplice of this revolting situation? How can we not "seek justice, help the oppressed, defend the orphans and fight for the rights of the widows?" (Isaiah 1:17)
Yesterday still, around a same popular culture, we were one; right now, join me in recreating again this indomitable and unbeatable nation under our national flag!
Toward that historic task of renewal and rebirth of our country, my team, as well as each and every one of you, will take on this challenge of inspiring, into each sector of our country, unflinching confidence. This confidence will be the vector of our economic development and rebirth, in an all-out national collective effort, the sole and unique generator of success and prosperity.
In our shared homeland,
Michel Martelly
Presidential Candidate
To achieve the aforementioned goals, our priorities are axed around the following two poles:
The improvement of primary needs (fundamentals) of the Haitian citizen (consisting of employment, health, education, and housing)
The economic development plan shall be based on the following points:
- Upturning the country general state with respect to the large macro economic and financial parameters through the development of a responsible monetary and fiscal policy capable of stimulating growth.
- Creating a secure and stable economic environment ensuring private sector business investment.
- Promoting and developing projects capable of stimulating the various sectors pillar of our economy such as agriculture, agro-industry, breeding, fishing, craft, assembling, construction
- Setting large road construction sites to facilitate urban center commodity supply and the repair of major streets in various cities.
- Protecting and managing the environment (protecting watersheds, reforestation programs and reinforcing the forest rangers responsible of national parks management and various urban and rural wastes management).
- Creating a secure environment allowing citizens to freely perform their daily life tasks.
We will also:
- require the formulation of limpid and transparent governance, through choices focusing on
sectorial and thematic skills, where nepotism shall be banned; - build up a development strategic vision, shared way beyond the traditional circles, that is a
necessary break with bygone practices; - initiate attractive incentive systems aimed toward priority productive fields;
- set up an institutional environment securing the links, so far missing, to the economy
forward progress; - supervise the achievement of the established and agreed goals.
Audacity, unflinching determination, innovation and rigorous discipline will be the basis of all our actions, to be immediately implemented.
POST DISASTER CRISIS EXIT MODULE
The hundred thousands of children, women and men piled up, since January 12, in temporary tents, will need to progressively get out of them, since the epidemic Russian roulette has been overplayed. Promiscuity, theft and rapes, indecent acts against children and teenagers, breach to human dignity, are compelling us to take action.
- To those residents, holders of identified job, a deductible tax credit will be negotiated with their employers allowing them to take charge of their lives subject to their freeing occupied spaces.
- To the unemployed, an alternative to occupying public squares and private lands will be offered, respecting human dignity.
An entity named "Post disaster crisis exit module" will make ample room to the Haitian diaspora, until now relegated to the role of far away spectator of our national daily life. Its mission:
- Coordinate and spell out with the NGOs and the large local and international financial groups, short-term projects capable of correcting, now, the post disaster chaos.
- Find ways to allow business and socio-professional local groups, and the Diaspora, to get directly involved and invested in these projects. This involvement will offer them an incentive plank to promote their products, services or know-how to the contracting institutions.
- Establish a huge Haitiano-Haitian solidarity project.
- Undertake a vast program of national consciousness of the geographic natural constraints, the seismic and cyclone risks, the evident overpopulation, the low natural resources, the Republic limited budget, the world economy uncertainty;
- Reduce anarchic urbanization, and initiate, in cooperation with city halls, shanty towns environment planning to make them less deadly to natural disasters, adverse weathers or earthquakes;
- Establish a solid and liquid waste management system and valorization;
- Address the suicidal hill deforestation issue, the anarchic constructions in ravines and dry river beds, obsolete material use, overexploited sand pits;
- Implement in wet land areas and flooding areas of the at risk cities, emergency evacuation areas on pilings.
- To finally allow the Diaspora to play the important role that they deserve in the economical and political Haitian life.
PEOPLE AND PROPERTY SECURITY
Progress is impossible without a reliable security system ensuring the strict respect of life, of mores and private property. Ensuring its application is a stately duty, the fundamental condition to local and foreign investment.
Consequently we must:
- Fight against the Republic Courts inefficiency;
- Reduce the unacceptable and inexplicable delays in court appearance process;
- Formulate proximity and traveling judicial system, notably in rural areas, too often forgotten.
- Reorganize the prison system;
- Improve the business legal environment as it is totally out of synch with the new technology requirements;
A real gangrene in our society, organized crime, multifaceted, corrupting and corrupted, sowing death and heartbreak within families, inciting to immigrate a slew of executives forever lost to the Republic, destroying entrepreneurs, condemning workmen-farmers to hide crops and keep their livestock inside, to this criminal group, our message will be clear: "Your heyday is finished".
The constitutional institutions responsible to maintain order should recover their real vocation.
The public peace and security hoped for by everyone, from the farthest rural areas to the biggest urban centers, cannot become a reality without a professional police force, disciplined and law abiding as envisaged in the present constitution, our Lex Mater.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT
Reinforced by its geographic situation and the exceptional quality of its labor force, Haiti commercial and industrial potential is very considerable.
The following actions are to be undertaken:
- Modernize legislations on investment to facilitate investment and proceed to reopening all of our maritime ports;
- Encourage through public and/or private partnership, the development of industrial zones and duty free zones close to port installations capable of being used as transfer zones (70% of maritime commerce in America travel close to Haiti coasts);
- Properly exploited our mineral resources will become a source of income and prosperity.
At the same time, our government will ensure of:
- reducing the isolation of production areas through the road network expansion;
- valorizing artisanal tradecraft through the reinforcement of professional training;
- creating a small business assistance and financing office;
- implementing in cooperation with CIRH a recapitalization fund to help restart the private sector impacted by the January 12 seismic disturbances;
- promoting simultaneously the endogenous entrepreneurship, creator of employment, and exogenous economy, favouring establishment of foreign entrepreneurship;
- exploiting emerging segments, source of future employment and development, namely agriculture, TIC, innovative textile, tourism and tradecraft.
EDUCATION
In an already anachronistic situation in this segment: (barely 15% of children who start school get to the bachelor level and only 1% goes to university) January 12 was simply the killing stroke. (More than 1,300 schools destroyed just in the metropolitan area).
Consequently we will have to take useful measures to free valuable human resources by:
- rehabilitating free fundamental learning which should reduce, among others, the rural exodus;
- reconsidering teachers pay scale;
- searching funding ways and means to minimize constraints affecting the rural school system and deducting from income tax any assistance and support plan provided to this segment;
- modernizing and re-equipping national schools and high schools
- supervising and inspecting school and university programs;
- recycling teachers on a recurring mandatory basis ;
- reinforcing the certified fundamental training cycle giving officially access to arts and trade schools;
- creating in each large urban area a reputable arts and trade school;
- integrating effectively physically handicapped and other impaired in Haiti politico-economic life.
Universities, notably the Haiti State University shall not be forgotten. It shall benefit from all our efforts to favor its expansion, while respecting its autonomy and with the intent of bringing it to an enviable rank within the region. Private universities with certified global program, will also be encouraged; this should allow them to become affiliates with the associated benefits and prerogatives. The designation of "Grandes Écoles" will be granted to those also certified by their international counterparts.
Priority will be given to efforts to implement education programs, through seminars and workshops, involving students from senior high school and college class. Such efforts will be accompanied by intelligent up front incentives (fundamental requirement for university registration: a minimum social involvement).
HEALTH
The goal of minimum health insurance for everybody, an ambition of my team, will need also to integrate the most vulnerable social groups, until now left aside. The capitation of the peasants, the reengineering of the existing protection system into a global social security system should allow, at the same cost if not a lower one, to provide for or benefit from a more significant protection coverage.
Restructuring and reequipping hospitals, health care centers and existing clinics, under the responsibility of skilled medical and paramedical teams, shall be our first step in decentralizing health care while awaiting the building of clinics, in each rural area presently without such facilities. Up to date ambulance services shall also be created, without forgetting the indispensable birth control program.
University hospitals, finally back in operation, will again play their real role of state of the art teaching and research center.
Tackling such a challenge is certainly possible with initially a national effort, but also through this extraordinary international solidarity generated in this field by the recent deadly earthquake. It will be imperative to better coordinate this generous international assistance with an intelligent, transparent planning corresponding to our real needs.
Our program calendar shall also include the training of skilled teams necessary to provide maintenance of these infrastructures.
AGRICULTURE / NATIONAL PRODUCTION
Exporter of numerous commodities in the past, Haiti, exports today its misery, and its production capacity is left in idle. The country natural resources are way too significant not to be valorized: "Haiti is too rich to be poor!"
Our government will do the outmost to address the various issues of this economic sector:
- The excessive fragmentation of land will require essential consolidation, without prejudicing property rights;
- The reduction in land productivity, its overexploitation, the inadequate use of fertilizers, seeds, in addition to the improper water management, will have to be set aside with the considered agriculture programs;
- Lack in material and human resource limitations will be overcome;
- The inaccessibility to credit will be dealt with through discussions with dedicated and customized financial institutions;
- The discrepancy between the cadastral system and the land legislations, a source of never ending conflicts, will be reviewed;
- Home consumption arising from handicapping demographic pressure may justify in this sector, for the first time, the implementation of sexual and responsible paternity education programs;
- The needed transition to agribusiness will be an essential step without which any attempt in promoting the rural communities will be in vain; unfortunately, to this day, in Haiti, the countryside has been socially underestimated;
- The biologic product field, searching for niche market, fair trade benefit will be favored;
- Even more attractive, will be the benefits offered in the field of livestock production which will be organized, encouraged, energized, protected;
This is the necessary cost to achieve food self sufficiency, our real freedom from our disgraceful economic dependency.
DECENTRALIZATION
Successful decentralization through an implemented reinforced regional administrative management effectively under the responsibility of local elected authorities will be needed. The local authorities will be responsible for developing, executing and managing local development project, designed and customized on the basis of regional characteristics.
They will be responsible for reporting periodically, to their electors, on the trust given to them. The central administration will consequently have to provide to them, on a daily basis, a budget autonomy framework.
Only such an approach will allow for an effective and efficient decentralization. Each department, from now on having a coordinate regional listening post, will be able to work in close collaboration with the elected local government members.
These local “governments” will harmonize with the central administration their policies, and this regional competition can only be beneficial to the Republic.
The diaspora will also find in this structure, opportunities for implementing and setting up some projects they wish to support in the region they came from, and also a chance to transmit their know-how.
ENVIRONMENT
Only 20% - 30% of the 12 million m3 of rain is absorbed each year. The balance of rainwater slides on hillocks to create impetuous torrents, carriers of imminent disasters. Erosion is a major problem in our country.
Haiti is an environmental disaster! The country, formerly forested, has now barely 3% of natural forest and about 17% of agroforestry in the national agriculture segment. It remains possible still to transform this catastrophe into a success by implementing an aggressive promotion program of forest rehabilitation and protection, by immediately adopting strict standards and taking concrete actions which combine economic development of the most vulnerable population segments and the basic social services.
In the short term, we must:
- Initiate a school civic program to drastically reduce massive tree cutting, with from the start the hiring of workmen-farmers who do not own cultivable lands and the adoption of mandatory legislation to protect reserves and natural resources, and the creation of a forest ranger corp.
With climate changes and the growing energy demand worldwide, alternative energy represent a future leading sector. We must:
- Encourage (solar energy, wind power and hydro electricity power) through a subsidy policy of propane gas and subsidy to a maximum of 30% of the selling price of these other sources, to drastically reduce the use and trading of coal, and convert this economic sector to the sale and consumption of alternative energy source.
Clean Air: Protect and improve the nation's air quality
Clean Water: Regulate the discharge of pollutants from point sources to waters of Haiti
Solid Waste Management: Reduce solid waste generation and promote recycling
Toxic Controls: Regulate new and existing chemicals when they pose an unreasonable risk to health or to the environment, and regulate their distribution and use
Waste to Energy: Develop new ways to recycle waste by generating electricity from landfill waste and pollution.
Natural Resources: Protect natural resources (land, waters…) that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form.
Renewable Energy: Promote the use of renewable energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat.
TOURISM - CULTURE
Through its landscapes beauty, its cultural diversity, its plastic arts and its culinary traditions and its people natural hospitality, Haiti was, in the 1950s, one of the first tourist destinations in the Caribbean. We will be again!
To do so, we must:
- Create an atmosphere of security able to attract tourists, an economic growth vector;
- Valorize the country historic patrimony. Create the "Fort Road", to exploit the 34 fortifications and other historic monuments of the country; resume the project "The Slave¡¦s Road" in an old sugar residence in cooperation with the involved countries of the region; create an office to recapture our national patrimony. Build our "Rum Road and other island alcoholic specialties".
- Remodel completely Haiti image worldwide;
- Favor investment in accessory sectors, notably those of national production, road and airport infrastructures, energy and security;
Original through its cultural crossbreeding which is evidence in our language, cooking, architecture, carnival, tastes, beliefs, crafts, dances and paintings, in our physical characteristics and mores, Africa remains alive; the United States, Europe and particularly France can be found in a happy Creole marriage.
Any activity, creation, initiative to showcase our culture will be encouraged and protected.
DIPLOMACY
Our diplomacy will structure political strategies to favor our economic upturn and sustainable development by reasserting:
- The principles of our independence and national sovereignty;
- Haiti solidarity with countries fighting for the same ideals, world peace, human rights respect;
- The strict compliance with signed international agreements, treaties and conventions;
- The will to tighten, in compliance with our national interest, our links with all countries of the world;
- The stated desire of regional integration and good neighbor relations.
This is our future government summary plan.
Many will object that with pitiful public finance, doing everything at once is impossible. In fact, how can the education and judicial system budget be increased, how can the public servant salaries be improved, and how can we build ports and airports while reducing the nominal tax rates?
It is true that the international State loan funding mechanism is subject to pre-established format, I would like, for example, to provide two answers to these legitimate preoccupations: First, transparency in the republic administration process, ground to reestablish funders trust, should quiet the scruples in supporting, in the short term, our budget by providing funding; second, an incentive per se, the tax rate reduction, the simplification of the tax code and the unequivocal application of custom tariffs, will incite taxpayers to pay their assessments, thus enlarging significantly the tax base and increasing in proportion the State revenue.
Be confident: the shepherds will not be wolfs. No one will say that Haiti will die!
I am anticipating your active participation at the poles on February 7 to rebuild together the country of our dreams!
Michel MARTELLY
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