The History of Political Corruption in Haiti

The history of modern Haiti began with Spanish settlers arriving on the island of Hispaniola in 1492, bringing a myriad of diseases with them and using Hispaniola for its natural resources, the Europeans cultivated sugar, coffee, and timber.  However, the Europeans plagued the native Hispaniola population, the Tainos, resulting in a need to import slaves to support labor efforts. They kidnapped people from west Africa, bringing them across the Atlantic to perform forced labor. By the early 1600s, Hispaniola had proven to produce lucrative exports, and world powers began setting up trading posts on the island. France, in particular, found itself profiting from Hispaniola's exports so much that it annexed “as the colony of Saint-Domingue” (Labrador & Roy, 2021).

 Nearly a century later, during the Age of Revolution, two former slaves “led a rebellion against French rule that culminated with the creation of Haiti in 1804” (Labrador & Roy, 2021). Haiti is, to this day, a result of the only successful slave revolt in world history. It was the “first postcolonial Black republic” which stood for progressive ideas such as abolition, racial equality, and self-determination (Labrador & Roy, 2021). 

Since its inception in 1804, Haiti has had consistent government corruption. After Haiti declared its independence from France, revolutionary leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared himself emperor, only to be assassinated two years later (BBC, 2019). This left Haiti in a disarray, dividing the Black and mulatto populations along the north and south of the island, respectively. For nearly a century, the societal unrest was left unattended as Haitian leaders failed to bring their fractured nation together. After declaring itself a Western hegemon, the U.S. occupied Haiti in 1915 under President Woodrow Wilson. While occupying Haiti, U.S. economic interests benefited due to cheap labor, an abundance of natural resources, and access to the Môle- Saint-Nicolas harbor. By the time the U.S. left Haiti two decades later, Haiti was left in disarray and blamed for the injustices caused by the U.S. The U.S. left Haiti with a slew of problems: racial tensions, unjust policing, government corruption, and extreme poverty.

On the other hand, the U.S. left Haiti with the perfect conditions to support a dictatorship. Despite withdrawing its troops from Haiti in 1934, it maintained fiscal control until 1947 (BBC, 2019). During this time, racial tensions between the Black and mulatto populations continued to rise until they came to a head with the election of Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier in 1957. Papa Doc successfully executed a coup d’etat in 1958, gained military power, and implemented himself as President for Life in 1964. He was succeeded by his son Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier after his death in 1971 (Krebs, 1971). During the 28-year Duvalier regime, Papa Doc and Baby Doc were responsible for the killings of “between 30,00 and 60,000 ­Haitians, and raped, beat and tortured countless more” (Henley, 2010). They also bankrupted the government because they “were at times embezzling up to 80% of Haiti's international aid, while the debts they signed up to ­accounted for 45% of what the country owed” in 2009 (Henley, 2010). The effects of bankruptcy left the country “short on investment, and desperately short on most of the infrastructure and apparatus of a functioning modern state” (Henley, 2010). The Duvalier regime has affected the prospects for democracy to this day. It set a precedent of government corruption, nepotism, extreme poverty, racial tensions, and an overall lack of governance.

Since the Duvalier regime, Haiti has had difficulties maintaining a stable government, as many Presidents have had short terms, been assassinated, or been reelected repeatedly. The most recent Presidential transition was on July 7, 2021 with the assassination of  ​​Jovenel Moïse (BBC, 2022). The Haitian government is known for its nepotism, and many government officials are known for appointing close friends or family members into positions of power. And because Haitian government officials have been known to embezzle money into their personal accounts, these closely integrated friends and family are the richest in the nation. Government ministries may have goals they want to accomplish that are indefinitely paused due to political instability and a lack of funding. Haitian citizens continue to advocate for fairer policies despite the government’s lack of means to make any progress.

References

BBC. (2019, February 11). Haiti Profile - Timeline. BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19548814

BBC.(2022, March 3). Jovenel Moïse Murder: Suspect handed over to Haiti. BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-60601710

 

Henley, J. (2010, January 14). Haiti: A long descent to hell. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jan/14/haiti-history-earthquake-disaster

Krebs, A. (1971, April 23). Papa Doc, a ruthless dictator, kept the Haitians in illiteracy and dire poverty. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1971/04/23/archives/papa-doc-a-ruthless-dictator-kept-the-haitians-in-illiteracy-and.html

Labrador, R. C., & Roy, D. (2021, September 17). Haiti's troubled path to development. Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/haitis-troubled-path-development