Michelle Pierre-Louis: Being Pushed Out of Power?

Just over three weeks ago, the internet was set abuzz by cautiously optimistic chatter that Haiti had finally achieved a level of stability that would pay dividends to its most vulnerable citizens.  Hopes were sparked as former US president Bill Clinton hosted an international trade mission in Port-Au-Prince.  The get-together served as a platform for Clinton to plug the country's investment potential, highlight its continuing needs (such as a beefed-up program to combat HIV/AIDS), and tout its bumpy-yet-successful ascent out of chaos following the violent overthrow of Jean-Bertrand Aristide nearly six years ago.

Yet developments this week suggest that internal power struggles amongst Haitian lawmakers threaten to stall, and possibly undo, hard-fought gains recently made. Over the weekend, it became clear that a handful of senators were preparing the lead an effort to eject the country's prime minister, Michelle Pierre-Louis, from office. Speaking with the Miami Herald on Monday, Senator Jean Hector Anacasis accused Pierre-Louis of not acting swiftly enough in ameliorating the country's extensive list of problems.  "The situation is critical," he told the Herald's Jacqueline Charles.  "We are the ones on the ground who hear the people's cry, who hear them criticizing us, the government, saying nothing has been done. We have to replace the woman."

The Senate has called the prime minister onto the congressional carpet to account for her actions, a session that is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.  While all indications signal the Senate's intent to remove Pierre-Louis from power, they may not get the opportunity.  According the Herald, Pierre-Louis "has said she will fight, but has no plans to go before parliament and be humiliated. That has some wondering whether she would resign before Thursday." Whether she resigns or gets the boot, Pierre-Louis' departure would mark the second time the Senate forced out a head of government in just over a year. 

The move to oust Haiti's prime minister would be a major setback for the struggling island nation.  In the short term, Pierre-Louis' removal from government would further deepen the political schism dividing president René Préval's ruling Lespwa party, which holds a two-third congressional majority. Préval made a point of distancing himself from Lespwa following national elections earlier in the year, a contest marked by unusually poor turnout, isolated incidents of violence, and widespread accusations of fraud.  Since then, questions concerning Préval's influence over the party have been raised, and this most recent move to unseat his friend Pierre-Louis exhibits all the hallmarks of a power play to determine the frontrunners for next year's presidential election. 

The long-term consequences, however, could be quite a bit worse.  The senators expressed willingness to "invite a crisis to avert another crisis," will certainly succeed in scaring off investors -- actual and potential -- who, along with the Brazilian-led UN peacekeeping mission, have proved a vital lynchpin in Haiti's recent period of economic growth.  But more importantly, Pierre-Louis' ouster would further erode Haitians' confidence in their country's political institutions, a frustration expressed this week during at least one protest where marchers carried placards announcing, "We are tired of changing governments." 

The situation did not pass unnoticed in Washington.  Over the weekend, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Préval personally to express her concerns, and made plain US support for Pierre-Louis.  According to the Herald, Préval quickly covered his own behind, assuring "Clinton that he was not behind the move to oust Pierre-Louis and has no control over the lawmakers."  Now that's leadership! 

Whether he had a hand in this mess or not, it would be nice to see Préval stand up for his government -- which, after all, and despite legitimate criticisms, has done an impressive job under Pierre-Louis' tenure in steering the country away from the precipice of collapse after the country was battered by successive hurricanes and food riots in 2008 -- and make public the argument expressed by Haiti's commerce minister, Patrick Delatour.  "Solving problems by any government is a process, a slow process," he said. "Firing this government does not mean the next government will be able to solve the problems any faster. It definitely means the process of solving problems will stop and will have to start again."

Thus far, the people and helping hands from abroad have demonstrated a willingness to be patient in working towards a more promising future for Haiti.  Will the country's politicians? Or will the senate disrupt the road to securing the national interest in the name of safeguarding their personal interests?