Analyses & Opinions

Wall Street Journal: Donors' Funds Vanishing in Haiti

If any investment is paying dividends, it is not being paid to the Haitian people, who remain without electricity, drinkable water and are dying of cholera.

Regarding Agustin Aguerre's May 27 letter in response to Mary Anastasia O'Grady's May 19 Americas column "Bill, Hillary and the Haiti Debacle":

Mr. Aguerre claims the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC) didn't "actually manage the funds"; however, in the same paragraph he states the IHRC assisted the Haitian government in prioritizing projects while providing a system of transparency in "commit[ting] donor funds." Either the IHRC controlled and managed the funds or it didn't. By saying that the IHRC didn't actually manage the fund, when it did, Mr. Aguerre sought to confuse the issues of accountability and transparency. There was no transparency and accountability when Haitian members of the commission were intentionally kept out of important decisions such as which consultants to hire and which programs to fund.

Citing statistics about Haiti's growing economy failed to address the issue that donor funds seem to have vanished with nothing to show for it. The Haitian government has been a "good partner" because it suffers from the same lack of transparency and accountability in managing public funds. Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe's government has been marred by scandals and corruption. Millions of dollars collected from the Haitian diaspora to fund Haiti's free education program also have vanished without trace.

Contrary to Mr. Aguerre's statement, if any investment is paying dividends, it is not being paid to the Haitian people, who remain without electricity, drinkable water and are dying of cholera.

Emmanuel Roy

Spokane, Wash.

(Mr. Roy is a former adviser to Haitian President Michel Martelly. )

Source: http://online.wsj.com/articles/donors-funds-vanishing-in-haiti-1402433883