Haiti’s President assassinated

…assassination has no place in contemporary Caribbean – President Ali

…flags on Govt buildings across Caricom being flown at half-staff

President Dr Irfaan Ali has strongly condemned Wednesday’s assassination of President of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, saying that such acts have no place in the contemporary Caribbean.

According to interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, President Moïse was killed in an attack on his home in Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince. Joseph said the Head of State’s private residence was stormed by unidentified armed men in the wee hours of Wednesday, who shot the 53-year-old leader to death, while injuring his wife, First Lady Martine Moïse.
The First Lady has since been flown to the Jackson Health System’s Ryder Trauma Center, South Florida, for treatment and is said to be in a critical condition.
In a statement, Prime Minister Joseph described the killing as a “hateful, inhumane and barbaric act.”
He said, “The country’s security situation is under the control of the National Police of Haiti and the Armed Forces of Haiti… Democracy and the republic will win.”

Shocked and stunned

President Ali, in a statement on Wednesday, said he is shocked and stunned by the tragic news of President Moïse’s assassination. He posited that this horrific act is a tragedy for both Haiti and the Caribbean region.
“Those responsible for this indefensible and cowardly execution must be brought swiftly to justice. Political assassination has no place in the contemporary Caribbean. It solves nothing nor resolves anything. Such murderous actions are repugnant to the values of the regional integration movement and incompatible with democratic values and constitutional rule,” the statement from the Office of the President detailed.
Moreover, President Ali went on to tell reporters on the side lines of an event on Wednesday that, “…Violence and killing and assassination is definitely not a means to an end in resolving any issue. It is a cowardly act. It has no place in our region and we condemn it totally.”
Further, the Guyanese Head of State went on to outline in the missive from his office that the assassination of President Moïse compounds the already disquieting political and constitutional crisis in Haiti.
Nevertheless, he stressed that Guyana will continue to work with the Caribbean Community (Caricom) in seeking to engage with Haiti in order to ensure peace and stability.
“On behalf of the Government and people of Guyana, and on my own behalf, I extend deepest condolences to the Government and people of the Republic of Haiti and to the wife and family of President Moïse. I ask all Guyanese to pay respectful homage to the memory of the late President,” President Ali said in the statement.
Meanwhile, as a show of respect for the late Haitian Head of State, President Ali on Wednesday ordered that the national flags at all Government Ministries, agencies, and institutions, be flown at half-staff.
Starting on Wednesday, the Golden Arrowhead will continue to be flown at half-staff today, Friday and on the day of the funeral of the late President Moïse. That date is yet to be announced.

Caricom
This move was adopted by the Member States of the Community and the Caricom Secretariat. Beginning immediately, they will fly their national flags and the Caricom Standard at half-mast for three days, as well as on the day of the funeral.
After news of President Moïse’s assassination broke, Caribbean leaders have come out condemning the act.
In fact, Heads of Caricom Member States convened a Special Emergency Session on Wednesday to discuss the current situation in Haiti and the grouping’s response.
According to a statement from the Caricom Secretariat, the regional body has expressed its willingness to play a leading role in facilitating a process of national dialogue and negotiation to help the Haitian people and their institutions to craft an indigenous solution to the crisis.

They also called on the people of Haiti to remain calm, and to overcome their differences and unite at this moment of national peril.
“Heads of Government strongly condemn this abhorrent and reprehensible act that comes at a time of deep turmoil and institutional weakness in the country. They called for the perpetrators to be apprehended and brought to justice, and for law and order to prevail. In accordance with its values, as expressed in its Charter of Civil Society, the Caribbean Community does not settle its differences by violence which undermines democracy and the rule of law, but peacefully through dialogue and recourse to democratic institutions,” the missive from the Secretariat stated.
Further, the Caricom leaders also expressed concerned about the condition of Mrs Moise and wished her a full and speedy recovery.

Pain inflicted on Haiti
Also extending his condolences, current Chairman of Caricom, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne, said the entire region feels the pain which has been inflicted on Haiti by President Moïse’s killing.
PM Browne posited that that the Haitian leader’s assassination further complicates the jostling for power that has characterised the French-speaking Caricom Member State and its future.
President Moïse had led Haiti since 2017 after his predecessor Michel Martelly stepped down.
According to BBC, Moïse’s time in office was rocky as he faced accusations of corruption and was challenged by waves of often violent anti-Government protests. There were widespread protests in the capital and other cities earlier this year, as people demanded his resignation.
It reported that Haiti’s Opposition said that Moïse’s five-year term should have ended on February 7, 2021, five years to the day since Martelly stepped down. But there had been a year’s delay to elections after that, and Moïse insisted he had one more year to serve as he did not take office until February 7, 2017.
In February, on the day the Opposition wanted him to leave office, Moïse said an attempt to kill him and overthrow the Government had been foiled, the BBC said.
Chronic instability, dictatorships and natural disasters have left Haiti as one of the poorest nations in the Americas. (G8)