September 2024 News from Pignon

Oh ! Quel beau jour !  Oh! What a beautiful day!

This phrase reminds us of the importance of each day on earth. The love of Jesus Christ saves us from our sins and commits us to live for each other, although love is often not shared. We live in a community, however, where without the existence of love, everything would perish.

We find that life would have no meaning if we all lived just for ourselves.  The idea is to encourage you for your noble work done through Loving Haiti for the benefit of our brothers, sisters, and Haitian families who are destitute, desperate on many levels given economic, intellectual, educational and other hardships.  We would like to congratulate you, honor you, and encourage you for all your sacrifices in raising funds to help Loving Haiti support young entrepreneurs, students and even to undertake many more projects for the Pignon community.  We are all so grateful.

We want to draw your attention to the opening of classes for this academic school year (2024-2025), which should have begun this month but following the decision of the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP), this activity will be held the first week of October. Note that despite this postponement, parents still complain. They question every day about the ability to even be able to buy school supplies or pay school fees. During the week of September 9th, 2024, the town of Pignon experienced a fuel shortage. Entrepreneurs of all sectors do not know what to do. Materials and products are very difficult to find, and the transport process increases costs and lowers the level of consumption. There are few sales occurring.

We would like to share with you excerpts from news articles concerning the situation Haiti is experiencing regarding the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT).  (The CPT was formed in April 2024, tasked with the responsibility of bringing stability to the country, acting with presidential power until elections are held and a new president is inaugurated or until  7 February 2026, whichever comes sooner) :

Blinken Arrives Amidst CPT Blockage 

“After the attempt to establish the Indissoluble Majority Bloc within the Transitional Presidential Council and its initial attempt to unilaterally appoint a prime minister at the very start of this transition, there were voices raised against what was perceived as a power grab.

Following discussions, the Transitional Presidential Council amended the rules for a majority within the council, increasing the requirement from 4 out of 7 to 5 out of 7 votes.  It was believed that this supermajority would protect the country from the capture of power. A few months later, we find ourselves faced with another problem: the blockage.

Indeed, according to sources within the Transitional Presidential Council who spoke to Le Nouvelliste, the advisers are unable to sanction or set aside the three members of the council who are facing accusations of corruption. There is no majority act on the decision.

Those who thought that the 5/7 majority would preserve the Transitional Presidential Council had not expected the weight of a blocking majority of 3 out of 7, being just as effective. The blockage within the CPT comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected in Haiti during the first days of September.

The Secretary of State was the main actor in launching the Presidential Transition Council. Will Blinken be the one to give it the first turn of the key, winding up the mechanism that stuck us in the wrong direction?”

Frantz Duval, Le Nouvelliste, 8/30/24  https://lenouvelliste.com/en/article/249980/blinken-arrives-amidst-cpt-blockage

                   Haiti: Us Embassy Revokes Visas of Three Presidential Council Members  Accused of Corruption

“In a significant move against corruption, the US Embassy in Haiti has reportedly revoked the visas of three key members of the Haitian Presidential Council. The action, confirmed by journalist Valéry Numa, targets presidential advisor Smith Augustin and two other unnamed advisors suspected of involvement in the corruption scandal linked to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Credit Bank.

This decision by the US Embassy comes at a critical time, as several members of the presidential council are under scrutiny for corruption. The Embassy’s decision to impose sanctions, even temporary, underscores the United States’ commitment to combating corruption and promoting transparency and integrity in Haitian institutions.

The revocation of these visas sends a clear message that the US government is committed to addressing corruption, particularly among senior officials. This action also serves as a warning to other officials and is intending to reinforce the importance of accountability within the Haitian government.”

https://en.haitichannelnetwork.com/2024/08/26/haiti-u-s-embassy-revokes-visas-of-three-presidential-council-members-accused-of-corruption/ Published by HC Network, 8/26/24

We count on your spiritual contribution and all steps that you have taken to meet the urgent needs of the population of Pignon. The migrants coming from Port-au-Prince are now living homeless in Pignon. Pray that God deigns to bless them with a small house because we hope to be able to build small businesses to help widows, migrants, and other elderly people living a disadvantaged life.

We encourage you to guard your hearts according to the words of the holy scriptures.

Darling Seriphin, Manager and IT Specialist

 

Translated from the original French by Lauren Thompson