# What is the Haitian government doing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 19, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-haitian-government-doing/525555 "2010-01-19T14:35:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-haitian-government-doing/525555/1 "2010-01-19T14:35:12Z")
Most of the newspaper coverage of the Haitian crisis has focused upon the efforts of UN, American, Cuban, and European aid workers and peacekeepers. Haiti’s Ambassador to the US has recorded a message urging his countrymen not to flee to America, which is being broadcast regularly (helpful!), but beyond that, I’ve not heard of any action by the Haitian government. What is it doing? I mean, surely the entire government can’t be dead, can it? The President is still alive, and presumably government workers outside Port-au-Prince weren’t hurt, and offices there should be functioning. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-haitian-government-doing/525555/2 "2010-01-19T14:48:51Z")
You might be assuming a little more of the Haitian government that is justified. Even before the earthquake there was precious little the government could do. The CIA Factbook Entry for Haiti effectively calls it a basket case. Highlights: high inflation poor infrastructure lack of investment poor security high poverty negative migration severe trade deficit shortage of skilled labor unable to balance government books for basic functions without foreign aid In short, a nearly completely feckless government structure has been taken off the board, it looks like. I’m sure that when aid packages and troops are sent in there’s some sort of cursory request to a powerless UN mission or somesuch but it’s less than even a formality. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-haitian-government-doing/525555/3 "2010-01-19T14:48:51Z")
Given the lack of infrastructure and communications, and the reputation the Haitian government has for corruption (on a good day)… this is just my opinion, but I would wager that the UN and/or the United States have stepped in to reduce the Haitian government to a figurehead with very minimal power. The whole situation is just so grim, and the US/UN hold all the cards WRT supplies and military, I don’t see how their fragile goverment could be counted upon to do much. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Philosopher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Philosopher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Philosopher)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-haitian-government-doing/525555/4 "2010-01-19T14:49:49Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Most of the newspaper coverage of the Haitian crisis has focused upon the efforts of UN, American, Cuban, and European aid workers and peacekeepers. Haiti’s Ambassador to the US has recorded a message urging his countrymen not to flee to America, which is being broadcast regularly (helpful!), but beyond that, I’ve not heard of any action by the Haitian government. What is it doing? I mean, surely the entire government can’t be dead, can it? The President is still alive, and presumably government workers outside Port-au-Prince weren’t hurt, and offices there should be functioning. Most of their office buildings have been destroyed (numerous entire agencies have been completely wiped out - buildings, people, the whole thing) and communications and infrastructure have been crippled. Lots of government workers are dead and lots more are spending their time trying to find and look after their own families. The President himself is living in a tent. The Haitian people do seem to be blaming their government for a lack of response. It just seems to me that in circumstances where even the US army and international aid agencies, supplied with hundreds of millions of dollars, are struggling to have much influence, the Haitian government was not in a very good position to respond from the start. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-haitian-government-doing/525555/5 "2010-01-19T14:50:20Z")
The Hatian government has dedicated all of its resources to disaster relief, but there’s only so much you can do with $38.87, two chickens and a used band-aid. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-haitian-government-doing/525555/6 "2010-01-19T15:06:23Z")
News reports and analysis pieces in _The Washington Post_ over the weekend indicated much the same thing – the Haiti government isn’t strong enough to handle the present situation, not by a long shot. My understanding of the news articles is, the government lacks both the will and the internal capability for any amount of disaster relief. ---
**Author:** ![code\_grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@code\_grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/code_grey)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-haitian-government-doing/525555/7 "2010-01-19T17:00:14Z")
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**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-haitian-government-doing/525555/8 "2010-01-19T21:34:43Z")
It appears the real facts about Haiti are being glossed over and put in post-earthquake terms. “Haiti’s govt can’t help because they lost so much in the earthquake” “4,000 criminals from the old prison are looting and causing all the violence” Haiti was pretty much always a desperately poor and extremely violent place, regardless of any natural disasters. This CIA travel advisory was written _before_ the earthquake: [http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis\_pa\_tw/cis/cis\_1134.html](http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1134.html) "There are no “safe” areas in Haiti. There is a persistent danger of violent crime, which can be subject to periodic surges sometimes not obviously explained by other events or conditions. Haiti is among the four most important countries for drug transit to the United States. Law and order in Haiti has steadily deteriorated as a result. Kidnapping, death threats, murders, drug-related shootouts, armed robberies, home break-ins and car-jacking are common in Haiti. Generally, these crimes are committed by Haitians against other Haitians, although several foreigners and U.S. citizens have been victimized…”