Members of the Leadership team of the
Democratic National Alliance had the recent opportunity to travel to Haiti for
the Inauguration of the country’s newly minted President Jovenel
Moïse who was elected
to the post after a prolonged and tumultuous electoral process.
Over the past many decades, the Bahamas
has had its own, often tumultuous relationship with Haiti. In fact, the Illegal
migration of Haitian Nationals to the Bahamas remains one of this country’s
most pressing issues. It’s an issue which has been exacerbated by growing
turmoil for Haitians in their own country and a lack of political will in the
Bahamas to fully address this very nuanced issue. The pressures, which this issue
continues to exert on local resources at all levels, demand that the leaders of
our respective countries establish a clear way forward. That much is
inevitable.
The DNA believes that the development and
sustainability of a meaningful dialogue with Haitian authorities is the first
step to ensuring that both our countries can work together for the common good.
Such a plan should include frank discussions about mapping out ways to
effectively address immigration concerns, and work on creating business and
trade opportunities for both Bahamian and Haitian entrepreneurs.
As the next government of the Bahamas, The
Democratic National Alliance is committed to building the kind of relationship
with the Haitian government that not only assists our brothers and sisters to
the south but protects the interests and sovereignty of the Bahamas now and
well into the future.