The Reasons Underlying Failed States

The Reasons Underlying Failed States

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The Reasons Underlying Failed States

Introduction

Governance refers to the act of exercising administrative, political and economic authority in managing the affairs of a nation. Therefore the success or failure of a state lies squarely on its governance. The failure of states is attributed to the loss of credibility of their governments. The failure is also as a result of the nature of the state continually becoming illegitimate and questionable in the eyes and hearts of a large portion of its citizens. This research paper examines the reasons underlying the failure of Haiti, why specific actions taken by the leadership of Haiti as a country have failed and also discusses the prospects of success of Haiti.

a) Factors That Contribute to the Failure of the Haiti Government

Haiti is regarded as a failed state because of poor public health and sanitation, little public order and poor transport and education facilities in the country. It is also among the lowest ranking states globally in terms of life expectancy and per capita income. This was the condition of the country even before the 2010 earthquake which killed thousands of its citizens and destroyed its infrastructure.

Corruption in Haiti

Haiti has a legacy of corruption. The country is ranked fourth globally with regard to corruption. In the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, the country received massive foreign aid for reconstruction. However, the massive aid does not profit its citizens as a result of the many corruption cases in the country.

The country’s law is deficient in dealing with corruption cases (Pike, 2017). This is because the vice has a negative influence on the operations of the judicial system and the executive. Land tenure, real property procedures, insurance, and pension regulation procedures, as well as foreign investment regime, are also corruption infested. Therefore nearly all activities in the country have been undermined by the vice.

Corruption has undermined institutions in the country. This is because of the poor utilization of resources that are meant to develop institutions. The leadership utilizes the resources for their own personal gain at the expense of the institution. This results in the complete closure or bankruptcy of these institutions.

The law requires that corrupt government officials be arrested and charged but that has not been implemented. Top government officers have a series of corruption scandals raising questions about their ability to lead. The executive’s interference with the operations of the judiciary which attempts to curb the vice has been widely criticized. Prosecutors who objected this interference were fired or fled. Others have been assassinated including one judge who complained about the civil corruption of top government officials (Pike, 2017).

The worldwide governance indicators of the World Bank indicate that government corruption is severe. The indicators show that corruption remains widespread at all levels of government and in all its branches. The government and its branches also fail to monitor, track and assess their use of funds (O'Connor, Brisson-Boivin & Ilcan, 2014). According to the Constitution, top government officials and members of parliament involved in any corruption cases should be prosecuted before the Senate and not by the judiciary. This has undermined the role of the judiciary in fighting corruption cases. Unfortunately, the Senate prosecuted none of the senior officials.

In 2012, the Haitian president, Mr. Martelly decreed that the government should procure goods and services, not beyond a specified value. He further stated that the procurement should be through sole-source and closed bidding. Furthermore, they should be no-bid contracts. According to the government officials, these new measures were meant to expedite reconstruction projects. However, some observers such as the World Bank expressed concern that the measures would worsen corruption cases (Pike, 2017). This is because they would decrease the transparency and accountability of the government. It is as a result of increased corruption cases that the United States and other countries decided to modify the way they send aid money to Haiti. They decide to channel most of their financial aid through non-governmental organizations and not through the government. Moreover, these countries require the non-governmental organizations to carry out systematic evaluations of their expenditure (Ramachandran & Walz, 2015).

It is very sad that when the government decides to extend the arm of the law to arrest corrupt officials, only a few low-level public servants are arrested. Yes, it is true that they should also face the law for their actions, but they are not the only ones. Still, there are worse culprits that the government should focus on. That is, its top officials. There was a parliamentary and public criticism for the arrest of the director of the Financial Intelligence Unit for misuse of funds but the officials of the judiciary did not charge or arrest the director. They only questioned him. However, in 2009, Jean Rene of the Haiti Telecommunications was expelled and arrested on grounds of corruption (Pike, 2017). This was a good move and it showed that there are attempts to deal with corruption in the country by its own government. The Haitian government was congratulated for that by the United States and other nations.

Human Rights Violation as a Tool of Oppression

Violation of human rights in Haiti is not a new subject among the citizens. This is because it has been witnessed in the country from the early days of colonialism. For over one and a half centuries the Haitian rulers have oppressed to silence the masses. This is evident in the use of terror, illegal arrests, beatings and even assassinations of people in the country. One would not have expected these atrocities to have been there for such a long period of time. Even though most citizens sit by and watch the rulers oppress them, there are some who have been fighting for their freedom.

The oppression has led to the failure of the state. This is because of the injustice in the country. Constant rebellion and resistance by the citizens have undermined the success of the nation in that the people spend a lot of time and energy fighting for their rights instead of building their nation socially and economically.

Ignorance and Illiteracy

National illiteracy in Haiti is generally close to ninety percent. Illiteracy levels are even higher in the rural areas. Ignorance and illiteracy have greatly contributed to the failure of the nation. This is because these people repeat many negative aspects they have developed without questioning them from a logical and knowledgeable perspective. As a result, people still use traditional methods in agriculture, household hygiene and education. High levels of ignorance and illiteracy have also made it easier for the oppressors to silence the will of the people. Illiteracy in the country has led to increased levels of poverty because most people are not able to secure formal employment (Lundahl, 2015).

Under Development in an Age of International Economic Competition

In the present world, competition is severe. Most countries have made large strides in terms of development. This leaves the under developed countries in a disadvantageous position. The under development of Haiti in terms of social infrastructure and economy has contributed to its failure (Smith, 2016).

b) Reasons for the Failure of Specific Actions Taken By the Leadership of Haiti

There are a number of specific actions taken by the Haiti government in attempts to improve the state of the country. However, most of these actions have failed. To begin with, the attempts of the government to curb corruption have failed. The country records very high levels of corruption globally. These actions have failed mainly because the government has not put in place the appropriate legislation to deal with the vice. The Haitian laws concerning corruption have many loop holes which most government officials have taken advantage of.

It is also important to note that attempts by the government to oversee national affairs have failed. This is mainly because the government officials themselves have not led by example. Senior government officials such as the president and his advisors have been involved in a series of corruption scandals. Therefore, they find it very difficult to deal with corrupt officers who hold other positions.

Attempts by the government to improve the economy of Haiti through increasing employment opportunities for the Haitian population have also failed. This is because most citizens in the country are illiterate (Dorn & Ghodsee, 2012). Therefore, there is inadequate local specialized labor. The government is forced to import skilled manpower from other countries.

Attempts by the leadership of Haiti to improve the infrastructure and per capita income of the people have also failed. This is mainly as a result of inadequate funds to support these projects. The country lacks good income generating projects to support all its activities. On the other hand, foreign governments channel most of their financial support to the country through non-governmental organizations but not the Haitian government (Pike, 2017). This is as a result of high corruption cases. However, in the end, the leadership of Haiti finds it difficult to implement its actions.

c) The Prospects of Success in Haiti

Haiti as a country has succeeded in various ways. For instance, Haiti’s quake response is a prospect of success in that the country has greatly recovered from the effects of the 2010 earthquake that had crippled it. There have been no instances of the citizens rioting over food. The people have been provided with adequate food and water supplies to prevent them from dying. This is a success prospect that cannot be underestimated. Social networks have played a key role in the disaster management success (Li & Goodchild, 2012).

Haiti tourism is also an important success prospect. The country has greatly focused on improving its tourism sector. Haiti has a great tourism potential and the leadership of the country has invested a lot in tourism. In the past, Haiti used to be a Caribbean destination and the government aims at restoring that glory. It was described as tropical idyll by Graham Green in the twentieth century. Former U.S president Bill Clinton still has sweet memories of his honeymoon in Haiti. Mr. Clinton publicly reminisces of the awesome moments he had in Haiti.  

Conclusion

Based on the discussion above, it is clear that a number of factors have led to the failure of Haiti. The high levels of corruption have greatly crippled the development of the country. The vice is rampant, especially among the top country officials. High levels of ignorance and illiteracy have also undermined the success of the country. The violation of human rights through assassinations and the use of terror has also led to the failure of the country.

References

Dorn, C., & Ghodsee, K. (2012). The Cold War Politicization of Literacy: Communism, UNESCO, and the World Bank. Diplomatic History, 36(2), 373-398. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/dh/article-abstract/36/2/373/384244

Li, L., & Goodchild, M. F. (2012). The role of social networks in emergency management: A research agenda. Managing Crisis and Disasters with Emerging Technologies: Advancements: Advancements. E-pub ahead of print, 245. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=qPn2E3dsZIgC&oi=fnd&pg=PA245&dq=success+of+disaster+management+in+Haiti+earhquake&ots=KkUrkx8qJg&sig=oZnktpTJEbeJ5-gm3jmu_s5ND3I&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=success%20of%20disaster%20management%20in%20Haiti%20earhquake&f=false

Lundahl, M. (2015). Peasants and Poverty (Routledge Revivals): A Study of Haiti. Routledge. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=DbFhCQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=poverty+and+illiteracy+in+haiti&ots=pRp6Btjg3H&sig=2L23OIQAqx2b7tR_dBPaNmHEJes&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=poverty%20and%20illiteracy%20in%20haiti&f=false

O'Connor, D., Brisson-Boivin, K., & Ilcan, S. (2014). Governing failure: development, aid, and audit in Haiti. Conflict, Security & Development, 14(3), 309-330. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14678802.2014.923150

Pike, J. (2017). Haiti - Corruption. Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 1 September 2017. Retrieved from http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/haiti/corruption.htm

Ramachandran, V., & Walz, J. (2015). Haiti: where has all the money gone?. Journal of Haitian Studies, 21(1), 26-65. Retrieved from https://muse.jhu.edu/article/589696/summary

Smith, A. (2016). Haiti and the Historical Construction of Disasters. Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 1 September 2017, from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10714839.2010.11725505?journalCode=rnac20