HAITI: IT'S TIME FOR A NEW DEAL
By La Rédaction · Port-au-Prince
· 5 min read · Updated 24 April 2026
Translated from French — AI-assisted and reviewed by the editorial team. The French version is authoritative. Read the original · About our translation policy
I fear it may be almost too late for Haiti, but I will exercise my ministry of free speech to the very end. I do this because my patriotic convictions far outweigh my personal ambitions or those of my political family.
To each their responsibilities before History.
There are times when our human conscience should overcome everything to get Haiti out of the quagmire. Rising to the dimension of the dream of the Founders of the Homeland should also be a primary leitmotif. Unfortunately, we are still fighting over the meager remains of a rich colony that became free, arms in hand, without caring about the sacrifices made. At a time when the world is going astray, favoring a rhetoric of force over law, the Haitian Republic still struggles to govern itself sovereignly and to work for the happiness of its people, or even to historically position itself as a mother Nation of Liberty.
All things considered, the United States and Haiti have achieved on the American continent the two most marvelous revolutions that have shaped universal history. These two nations represent two faces of America; one that imposed its military and economic power and the other that ignored the strength of its spirituality and culture. The continent has thus lost some of the mystique of its balance and the essence of the secrets of its great diversity. THE TIME FOR A NEW DEAL!
220 years after the publication of the Imperial Constitution of Jacques I in 1805, 110 years after the American occupation in July 1915, 80 years after the popular youth movement that led to the overthrow of Lescot in January 1946, and 40 years after the collapse of the Duvalier regime, we are still at a crossroads. René Dépestre would exclaim “the revolution of 1946 is for tomorrow” while François Duvalier would chant “the revolution of 1804 must continue.” I make no comparisons, much less tendentious allusions. I simply observe that we are still dragging old ideological burdens and worn-out, outdated intellectual refrains. To our detriment, we fuel old-fashioned sectarian quarrels that haunt our people's subconscious, exploited by blacks and mulattoes, by right-wing and left-wing leaders. In truth, we are destroying ourselves…
The usefulness of misfortune knocks at our door; it suggests that we stop being useful idiots manipulated against national interests. We must draw inspiration from the Louverturian, Dessalinian, Christophian thought and the progressive ideals of a Léon Dumarsais Estimé to put the country back on track. DIAGNOSIS OF THE SITUATION
In my opinion, we agreed on LIBERTY under Dessalines' leadership, but we never reached a consensus on post-independence. Thus, we are still paying for the consequences born of our glorious history, the aftermath of the Emperor's assassination, and we also suffer international ostracism, the disastrous result of our internal struggles, and especially the poor performance of governance in recent years, marked by intolerance, blatant corruption, and the rejection of the rule of law in the face of our dictatorial impulses. The country has often been governed with rare incivility and disconcerting nonchalance.
I do not claim to be a moralizer or a redresser of wrongs, but my patriotic duty compels me to get involved and say aloud what the majority thinks in whispers. Ladies and gentlemen, let's stop this mess! The collapse of the State only benefits petty criminals, buccaneers, traffickers, and foreign or local political extremists who turn Haiti into a hub for their lucrative trade. The dismantling of our republican institutions, including our Armed Forces, the weakening of our judicial system, the inoperability of our intelligence and information services are part of this grand plan concocted by proponents of the criminal economy and devotees of ideologies that have fallen into total disuse. Even the symbols of the State have disappeared. Currently, it is an administrative routine that keeps the government running without any vision or benchmarks. Let's say it: the national boat is adrift.
It's time for a New Deal! PROPOSALS
The CPT and its Government have run their course. After more than a year with no results, they must bow out. No transitional governance will be reliable with the same actors in power who will compete in the next elections. There are sacrifices and choices to be made. In the popular imagination and the tradition of republican governance, the State has been “orphaned” for four years. This is why I remain faithful to the repeated public expression of the Louverturian Reformist Force, its partners from the Middle Bloc, and the National Coalition.
I support the investiture of a Provisional President of the Republic or a Presidency of a Mission Government, headed by a Magistrate of the Court of Cassation. This institutional solution can have the virtue of compensating for the deficit of popular legitimacy. It is the presumed neutrality of the Magistrate that I seek to balance, if necessary, any other governance formula involving political actors, economic, intellectual, and social sectors.
At this difficult crossroads, it is truly a shame that we rely on the good offices of international bodies to tell us our full truths to our faces. It's time for a NEW DEAL! The roadmap awaiting our new leaders is, however, very clear and often expressed by the population:
. Restore security
. Initiate State reform
. Adopt an Emergency Program to relieve the population
. Combat impunity, corruption, and illicit trafficking.
. Organize elections.
But in truth, nothing will be possible without this saving New Deal, because the same causes will produce the same effects. The social divide is too great, and the Haitian State, as it is, does not serve the majority.
Haiti must take charge of itself.
TOGETHER, NOW!!! July 11, 2025
Dr. Emmanuel Ménard
To each their responsibilities before History.
There are times when our human conscience should overcome everything to get Haiti out of the quagmire. Rising to the dimension of the dream of the Founders of the Homeland should also be a primary leitmotif. Unfortunately, we are still fighting over the meager remains of a rich colony that became free, arms in hand, without caring about the sacrifices made. At a time when the world is going astray, favoring a rhetoric of force over law, the Haitian Republic still struggles to govern itself sovereignly and to work for the happiness of its people, or even to historically position itself as a mother Nation of Liberty.
All things considered, the United States and Haiti have achieved on the American continent the two most marvelous revolutions that have shaped universal history. These two nations represent two faces of America; one that imposed its military and economic power and the other that ignored the strength of its spirituality and culture. The continent has thus lost some of the mystique of its balance and the essence of the secrets of its great diversity. THE TIME FOR A NEW DEAL!
220 years after the publication of the Imperial Constitution of Jacques I in 1805, 110 years after the American occupation in July 1915, 80 years after the popular youth movement that led to the overthrow of Lescot in January 1946, and 40 years after the collapse of the Duvalier regime, we are still at a crossroads. René Dépestre would exclaim “the revolution of 1946 is for tomorrow” while François Duvalier would chant “the revolution of 1804 must continue.” I make no comparisons, much less tendentious allusions. I simply observe that we are still dragging old ideological burdens and worn-out, outdated intellectual refrains. To our detriment, we fuel old-fashioned sectarian quarrels that haunt our people's subconscious, exploited by blacks and mulattoes, by right-wing and left-wing leaders. In truth, we are destroying ourselves…
The usefulness of misfortune knocks at our door; it suggests that we stop being useful idiots manipulated against national interests. We must draw inspiration from the Louverturian, Dessalinian, Christophian thought and the progressive ideals of a Léon Dumarsais Estimé to put the country back on track. DIAGNOSIS OF THE SITUATION
In my opinion, we agreed on LIBERTY under Dessalines' leadership, but we never reached a consensus on post-independence. Thus, we are still paying for the consequences born of our glorious history, the aftermath of the Emperor's assassination, and we also suffer international ostracism, the disastrous result of our internal struggles, and especially the poor performance of governance in recent years, marked by intolerance, blatant corruption, and the rejection of the rule of law in the face of our dictatorial impulses. The country has often been governed with rare incivility and disconcerting nonchalance.
I do not claim to be a moralizer or a redresser of wrongs, but my patriotic duty compels me to get involved and say aloud what the majority thinks in whispers. Ladies and gentlemen, let's stop this mess! The collapse of the State only benefits petty criminals, buccaneers, traffickers, and foreign or local political extremists who turn Haiti into a hub for their lucrative trade. The dismantling of our republican institutions, including our Armed Forces, the weakening of our judicial system, the inoperability of our intelligence and information services are part of this grand plan concocted by proponents of the criminal economy and devotees of ideologies that have fallen into total disuse. Even the symbols of the State have disappeared. Currently, it is an administrative routine that keeps the government running without any vision or benchmarks. Let's say it: the national boat is adrift.
It's time for a New Deal! PROPOSALS
The CPT and its Government have run their course. After more than a year with no results, they must bow out. No transitional governance will be reliable with the same actors in power who will compete in the next elections. There are sacrifices and choices to be made. In the popular imagination and the tradition of republican governance, the State has been “orphaned” for four years. This is why I remain faithful to the repeated public expression of the Louverturian Reformist Force, its partners from the Middle Bloc, and the National Coalition.
I support the investiture of a Provisional President of the Republic or a Presidency of a Mission Government, headed by a Magistrate of the Court of Cassation. This institutional solution can have the virtue of compensating for the deficit of popular legitimacy. It is the presumed neutrality of the Magistrate that I seek to balance, if necessary, any other governance formula involving political actors, economic, intellectual, and social sectors.
At this difficult crossroads, it is truly a shame that we rely on the good offices of international bodies to tell us our full truths to our faces. It's time for a NEW DEAL! The roadmap awaiting our new leaders is, however, very clear and often expressed by the population:
. Restore security
. Initiate State reform
. Adopt an Emergency Program to relieve the population
. Combat impunity, corruption, and illicit trafficking.
. Organize elections.
But in truth, nothing will be possible without this saving New Deal, because the same causes will produce the same effects. The social divide is too great, and the Haitian State, as it is, does not serve the majority.
Haiti must take charge of itself.
TOGETHER, NOW!!! July 11, 2025
Dr. Emmanuel Ménard
