A Government Worthy of its People

In all of the conversations I have with my family and friends of Haitian descent, I am hard pressed to find ONE that trust's the government. Everyone I talk to repeats the same refrain, "they steal, lie, protect the interest of the elite and cheat!" Needless to say, there is deep mistrust and sense that the government is just unreliable.
And now that the eyes of the entire world is on Haiti, the actions of the government are even more scrutinized; its shortcomings tallied and flaws obvious for all to see. I agree that the criticism is warranted, the government doesn't have a great track record. Basic services are not provided and corruption is rampant.

Since the quake, President Rene Preval appears deflated; a shell of a man; still in shock by the magnitude of the personal and national lose felt. He does not appear to have the wherewithal to muster the will and strength to lead.
I understand the deep seeded mistrust but in defense of the government, they have made modest improvements; the most notable being increasing security, attracting foreign investments and reforming the judiciary. Small steps, but steps nonetheless. The US government as a result downgraded travel warnings to the island last fall. The Preval administration does deserve some credit.

My point is this, the government has a very long way to go; if they continue to make improvements, put the needs of the Haitian people first, public trust can begin anew. If not, Haiti will sadly always rely on aid. The government will continue to be weak and the people will not have anyone to hold accountable. We cannot afford to continue to sidestep the government. A country cannot rely on Missionaries and NGOs alone. After all, they don't have to stay.

It upset me to drive around Cap Haitien (called O Kap by the locals) and see billboards proudly boasting that the road, school or water project was funded by the EU, USAID or one of the numerous NGOs on the ground. The billboard should have said "brought you to by the Haitian government."