8704: Zenglendos and the Haitian government

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

>From Bob Corbett

Zenglendos are a very serious problem in Haiti and threaten lives,
well-being and everyone's sense of security.  They should be stopped and
dealt with severely.

However, I believe that even more than being rid of the threat of
zenglendos, even more than needing food, housing, health care, education
and jobs for the desperately needy masses, Haiti needs rule of law.

Social systems, economies, just decent living require a sense of security,
a sense that one knows the rules and the rules allow one to live and go
forward with life.  Then the climate is there for an economy, and in an
economy are jobs, and with jobs is the only secure food, housing, health
care and education people can have.

Unless the government itself is meticulously law-abiding it is extremely
difficult for these conditions to be achieved.

I would argue that any extra-legal dealing with zenglendos or any other
Haitian problem can only be misguided, attractive at the emotional level
for the short-term, attractive to almost everyone when faced by the
oppression of fear and bullies, of hunger, homelessness, illness and
joblessness.  But short-sighted and catastrophic when taken as policy by
government.

Haiti has had 197 years of relative government lawlessness with only few
exceptions here and there.  The thinking of those who are government
oriented seems to be extra-legal, both for noble and much less noble
reasons.

Haiti desperately needs lawfulness and the social order it brings.  To
have that order, the most law abiding institution in the country must be
the Haitian government.  I think the call for zenglendos to be punished
without full benefit of the protections offered by Haitian law (which are
quite attractive on paper and in the constitution of 1987) is the greatest
disaster that can befall Haiti for her long-term future.

Bob Corbett