The Western Hemisphere’s poorest country, Haiti, has a history filled with corruption within the government. In 2008, Haiti was ranked the world’s fourth most corrupt country. Over half of the country’s population lives below the poverty line. The nation is still rebuilding from Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
Six protesters have been killed and many others injured during protests across the country. These anti-corruption protests have taken place in response to an investigation released by Haiti’s senate in August. The report accused high-ranking government officials of mismanagement of public funds. Many Haitians find themselves tired of the system that does nothing to better the economic situation that many of its citizens live in.
In my opinion, I agree with the protestors and their actions. Their government, who is supposed to be taking care of its people, embezzled money. The money that could have helped many after the 2010 earthquake that left 230,000 dead and thousands infected with Cholera. The United Nations was asked to take responsibility for the outbreak due to the fact that it come from its Nepalese peacekeepers. Several years later, they found loopholes to avoid claiming responsibility and not having to give compensation for the people affected. In 2016, six years later, the UN admitted it played “some role” in the outbreak. In 2016 alone, 72,000 were still displaced from the earthquake.
Considering the awful aftermath of the earthquake, a corrupt government, and an outbreak brought on by foreigners that they never received compensation for, their actions are justified. In our own government, we have repulsive politicians belonging to every end of the political spectrum. Not aligned with one specific party or another. I think that what these people died for, was for the greater good of all Haitians. They did not do it for themselves. Hopefully, their deaths will bring attention to the atrocities that have happened in Haiti on an international scale. Also, what the United Nations did, was disgusting. Not the breakout, but the element that they evaded responsibility. The UN was there to help these people that lost everything within a matter of minutes; they disease with them instead.