Where Will You Be When Haiti is Free?  

The poorest nation in the hemisphere is our neighbour Haiti which shares its island with the Dominican Republic, another country with which we wish to trade.  The differences between the two countries are easily seen, even from the air.  One is lush and green while the other is a brown dust bowl.  Guess which is which?

Independence, since January 1, 1804, has not worked well for Haiti, and legitimate forms of government have been overtaken by ‘petit’ dictatorships over the years.  But Haiti has millions of decent law-abiding, albeit poor people, who have similar aspirations like you and me.

The country has come under renewed international focus with the recent celebration of the bicentennial of its independence from France.  Roman Catholic leaders within Haiti are pushing a compromise plan calling for the country's congress to name a broadly-representative council to advise the president, and pave the way for new elections that will see participation by the opposition.

 U.S. diplomats are pressing both Mr. Aristide and his political opponents to work with the church leaders.  So if the latest initiatives result in a legitimate form of government, what opportunities would there be for our group?  Here are few thoughts -

• There would be a massive inflow of foreign aid for a wide variety of projects from international donor agencies and developed countries.  

• Remittances for the relief of poverty may eventually decrease.

• Remittances for buying, repairing, and investing, may soar.

• What will need to be reconstructed?  Everything from housing, roads, sewers, farms, factories, security, hotels, supermarkets, to cold storage facilities and the list goes on.  Services like insurance, banking, credit unions, mortgage companies, venture capital, education, and health will all have to be reconstructed, and in many cases, reinvention will be possible. In this way Haiti may move immediately to a modern state, without the agony of change.

• Will a massive inflow of foreign capital transform the landscape and outlook for Haiti?  Will there be room for non-Haitian companies in the restructured Haiti?

These are the things that I believe that we should think about as part of our innovation and expansion overseas.  To a lesser extent, the same is true of Cuba, and Central and Southern America.  

• Do we have any thoughts or plans?

• Have we done any research?

• Do we have appropriate goods and services?

• Is this potential boom going to bypass us?

The thoughts are bold.  The opportunities are great. The final outcome for us?  The actions are for your urgent attention.