The announcement came as a surprise: Minister Kathia Verdier, in charge of Haitians living abroad, was declared persona non grata at the Journées Internationales de la Diaspora Haïtienne in Montreal.
A stinging slap in the face for a representative of the French State who, instead of being welcomed as a legitimate interlocutor, was kept at a distance by the event’s organizers.
This decision reveals much more than a simple ceremonial sidelining. It reflects a deep-seated mistrust, a rift between the Haitian government and its diaspora, which is essential to the country’s reconstruction.
Kathia Verdier embodies a weakened administration.
Read also: Kathia Verdier and the MHAVE: a useless minister for a dysfunctional ministry
While the Haitian diaspora keeps the national economy at arm’s length via remittances, the ministry it heads is struggling to come up with a clear vision.
By excluding all official representatives, the organizers are sending an unequivocal message: they refuse to offer a platform to a power deemed ineffective, or even complicit in the current chaos. They are asserting their refusal to be associated with a failing state.
Minister Kathia Verdier would do well to learn from this. Her ministry needs to move from declarations of intent to action: clarify its policy towards members of the Diaspora.
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