Cabinet Reshuffle: A False Solution for a Real Crisis

As the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) privately discusses the idea of a cabinet reshuffle just months before the end of its mandate, the disillusioned population wonders: will changing faces be enough to salvage a decaying country? Between internal divisions and a lack of vision, Haiti seems trapped in a cycle of endless transitions. Haitians, like several members of the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), agree that this thirteenth post-1986 transition is the most disappointing of all. The consensus is unanimous: the population is disillusioned, the country is doing poorly, even very poorly. Corruption, political bargaining, widespread insecurity, cronyism, clientelism, poverty, nepotism, impunity, unemployment: nothing escapes the crisis except the crisis itself. The gap between the CPT and a distressed population is dangerously narrowing. Yet, some continue to believe that a simple cabinet reshuffle could reverse the trend. But is that truly the solution? A Disappointing Record and Directionless Governance For nearly two years, the CPT has struggled to convince. Its actions remain unclear, its record almost nonexistent. The Provisional Electoral Council, meant to pave the way for credible elections, is bogged down in hesitation. As for the national security plan, promised for over four years, it remains a dead letter. Meanwhile, three general directors have successively headed the National Police without managing to restore order. The army, undergoing reconstruction, has not yet managed to make itself understood. Disillusionment is widespread: entrepreneurs, professionals, farmers, teachers, schoolchildren, students, civil servants all express their exasperation. Trust erodes as the government accumulates missteps and the CPT proves daily incapable of outlining a clear political direction regarding the dual mission entrusted to it from the outset. A Divided and Paralyzed Council Adding to these failures are deep internal divisions. The CPT does not form a homogeneous bloc. Divergent visions and power rivalries undermine its effectiveness. Disagreements, instead of being resolved behind closed doors, are now aired publicly. Four months before the end of its mandate, and having failed to fulfill its dual mission: to restore security and organize the constitutional referendum and general elections, the CPT seems to have been considering the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle for some time. An idea that elicits skepticism and weariness from the public. Reforming the Government Will Change Nothing In such a fragile context, replacing a few ministers will change nothing. Each newcomer would need time to adapt to their ministry, while the country demands immediate results. A reshuffle would more likely worsen the situation than restart the governmental machine. Haiti's real problem does not lie in the names of the ministers, but in the absence of vision, coherence, and collective leadership. As long as political actors continue to prioritize their partisan interests to the detriment of the common or public good, no government will be able to steer the country back on track. Rebuild, Rather Than Reshuffle Haiti does not need yet another cabinet reshuffle, but a political and institutional rebuilding. Change will not come from the rotation of elites, but from a genuine will to reconstruct the state on solid foundations: transparency, competence, credibility, integrity, honesty, nationalism, and responsibility. As long as politics remains a field for sharing interests instead of a space for public service, transitions will follow one another without ever transforming reality. Haiti's salvation will not come from a new cabinet, but from a new social contract. Pierre Josué Agénor Cadet