ARTICLE - SECURITY FORCE - DIVISION

THE PROJECT OF A SECURITY FORCE, DIVIDES POLITICAL ACTORS
(Haiti Libre) -

The "Policy of Defence and National Security - The Great Axes" project, dated August 2011, produced by the Commission of Defence and National Security of the Presidential Cabinet, raises a number of reactions in the political class.

Senator Moise Jean-Charles (INITE) is against this project. "Why would the international community fund an army? We don't have anyone we're going to war with. We need to strengthen the national police and build departments inside it to secure the country."

The former Colonel Himmler Rébu, the leader of the Grand Rally for the Evolution of Haiti (GREH), declared on Wednesday that this project should be discussed within the various sectors of the population. "We must analyze the causes of the absence of an armed force in Haiti and conduct evaluations to integrate the new army into society so that it is not a foreign body subject to political manipulation," noting that Haiti is facing an embargo on weapons... he believes that the establishment of a new security force will take at least 18 months to become a reality.

Senator Francois Lucas Sainvil, President of the Senatorial Anti-Corruption Commission, considers that it is not a bad thing,... noting that the Constitution recognizes the existence of two security forces in the country: the police and the army. However, he is concerned about the presence of unsavory elements in this new force. According to information that he claims to have, several military who served under Duvalier and under the National government of Henri Namphy were approached in the context of this project. He fears that this new military force that the Head of State wants to constitute will be worse than that disbanded in 1995. In addition, he criticizes the Head of State as handling this case only within his clan, while it is a national issue.

Senator Youri Latortue (AAA), President of the Senatorial Justice and Security Commission, said that "we must have a new army but not like before, which was involved in politics, elections..."

Antonal Mortimé, Executive Secretary of the Platform of Haitian Organizations for the Defence of Human Rights (POHDH), believes that there is no situation in the country that justifies the presence of an army. In addition, he considers that the development of such a project should not be only the responsability of the Head of State and his team. The issue of security with its various social, economic and political dimensions should be the subject of a national consensus.

René Civil, Responsible of the Commission Mobilization of of Fanmi Lavalas estimates that the country does not need an army and it is sufficient to increase the number of staff of the National Police of Haiti,... to train and to equip them.