ARTICLE - MARTELLY - MESSAGE TO DIASPORA

MESSAGE OF MARTELLY TO THE DIASPORA
(Haiti Libre) -

In the interview made Monday on Radio Canada, President Martelly answered the question of the journalist, on how he intended to take advantage of the large diaspora [of Montreal], of their experience and wealth to help in Haiti. The Head of State answered as a message to the Diaspora of Montreal, but also to all the Haitian diaspora.

"...My advice for the Diaspora: do not wait until your country changes to return. Participate in the renewal, of the reconstruction of your country. For example, Denis O'Brien, of Digicel; he is not Haitian; he heard bad things about Haiti; he nevertheless came into the country and has invested. He dared to invest hundreds of millions of dollars and now his success is an example of success in the Caribbean.

We have the culture to complain and to wait for someone to do the work for us... It is us Haitians that must return home to rebuild our country. They expect that we rebuild Haiti for them! But we talk about whom? Canada, United States, France, China...? Have you already seen a country, rebuild another country? No, these are the sons of the country that must rebuild their country. So, we expect that the Haitians will be returning home to help us; to put at the service of their country the experience that they have acquired in your home [Montreal]. The other thing that I would to ask of them, is to sell a much better picture of their country, because we talk about job creation; we are talking about inviting investors to come and settle in Haiti. If you trumpet all day long we do not attract people, we reject them, so I ask of my Haitian brothers and sisters living abroad not to sell the weaknesses of Haiti; but the opportunities that represent these weaknesses. For example, when I go to Spain, I do not speak of the fact that we do not have electricity at home and that we live in the dark... I say rather... why don't you (Spanish), come with your experts in alternative energy? It is an opportunity for you to do business, to create jobs and we will take advantage of the light. This will reduce the insecurity... instead of saying... things are not working, we are in the dark... You see, there are different ways to watch a house... from different angles you will see different things, but we are still talking about the same house [...] when I talk about the weaknesses about Haiti, I present them as opportunities..."