Originally: Official urges Haitians not to leave country
The executive director of the Civil Society Initiative (GISC) expresses concerns about the number of people and all the money that are leaving the country due to the deterioration of the climate of insecurity. While acknowledging the complexity of the current situation, Rosny Desroches believes that Haitians should not give in to panic. He is convinced that the international community will help Haiti put an end to the bandits who want to destabilize the country. Here is Professor Desroches:
“It is a situation that is extremely worrying. Naturally, we can understand that fathers and mothers, businesspeople and professionals do not feel safe because most of the time, when a member of a family is kidnapped or murdered, this can cause a crisis in the family. It is the whole family that is destabilized. And we understand that for family reasons some people have to leave the country, send their children to school in other countries, or go and invest their money overseas. We can understand that.
“However, I believe that we should not give in to panic because, in my opinion, this situation should not last forever and should not last too long. I think that it is a bad time to go through. How long will it last? We just cannot tell. But I believe that today, there is a better understanding of the Haitian situation on the part of the international community.
“At the same time, I believe that the determination is there, and they will somehow put an end to the actions of the bandits so that we may live peacefully. And I hope that they will not do so just to facilitate the holding of the elections but that they will set up structures within the national police to enable it to confront the current situation of insecurity.”
“What attitude do you think the people should adopt today? Do you think that these families should stay in Haiti instead of going abroad?”
“I think that if there is a situation that is really unbearable then it is normal for people to decide to leave. But I would encourage them to leave temporarily and not forever. Because some people are selling their houses and everything they have so that they can leave the country.
“I really believe that people should not give in to panic. They can go away for some time, take a break. But they should not say that there is no hope for the country and that they will leave it completely. No, they should not do that.”