PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille abruptly resigned his post Friday (24 February 2012), giving the country a new political crisis that is likely to distract the government and further delay efforts to rebuild from the devastating January 2010 earthquake.
The prime minister’s resignation had been rumored for weeks, but it still sent shockwaves through a country accustomed to political turmoil. President Michel Martelly addressed the nation in a televised speech, thanking Conille for his service but giving no word on whether he had chosen a successor.
“Of course, I regret that the resignation occurs in a context in which the country is beginning to take off,” said Martelly, whose first two picks for prime minister failed to win approval in parliament last year, largely paralyzing the government for the first five months of his term.
Conille’s departure means Haiti will not have anyone to run the day-to-day operations of the government in the troubled country, a situation that will likely last at least for weeks before Martelly and the opposition-dominated Parliament can agree on a replacement.
It is a situation that observers fear will prompt international donors to withhold aid pledges and prevent action on the contracts necessary for reconstruction from a quake that left much of the capital in ruins.
“Haiti doesn’t have any give, there’s no cushion,” said Mark Schneider, a senior vice president and Haiti expert with the nonprofit think tank International Crisis Group in Washington, D.C. “Anything that in another country is just a setback becomes a major setback because the challenges are so great.”
The massive 2010 earthquake yielded an outpouring of sympathy and support that nearly matched the scale of the disaster’s destruction. Donors pledged $4.5 billion in aid but only about half of that amount has been released and Haiti has hobbled from one crisis to the next, which has made rebuilding a piecemeal effort.
One of the donors, the World Bank-run Haiti Reconstruction Fund, has more than $100 million on hold pending the government’s approval of projects to be carried out in a transparent and coordinated manner.
Josef Leitmann, administrator for the Haiti Reconstruction Fund, conceded that the “instability doesn’t instill confidence” among donors but that the agency would “work with the government that’s still in place — that’s the presidency and the parliament.”
Others were more concerned. Senate president Simon Dieuseul Desras warned that the loss of the prime minister would create a political vacuum.
“This is not what the population was waiting for, that the Parliament and president’s office are in conflict,” Desras told The Associated Press at Parliament. “Today is a waste of time. We must start all over again and we don’t know how long it will take to have another prime minister again.”
At least two candidates were being considered as a replacement, including Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Lamothe and Ann-Valerie Milfort, the interim head of the now-defunct Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, according to a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.
Conille, a physician who previously served as an aide to Bill Clinton in the former U.S. president’s role as U.N. envoy to Haiti, was ratified by the opposition-dominated Parliament in October after Martelly’s two previous picks for prime minister failed to win support from lawmakers, delaying the formation of a government by about five months.
Conille’s resignation may have stemmed from disagreements with Martelly and his inner circle. It also may have been prompted by a dispute among government officials over whether any of them have dual nationality, which the nation’s constitution prohibits for senior government officials. Many officials in Haiti and elsewhere in the Caribbean spend considerable time overseas.
Click here for the rest of the story.
The 19th Annual 9 Mile Music Festival will be held at The Historic Virginia Key Beach Park (Key Biscayne) Miami, FL. The New Year has brought about a new venue for the annual Miami based Reggae music festival. This year (2012) the following artists are scheduled to perform; Stephen Marley, Damian Marley, Julian Marley, Reggae Living Legend Burning Spear, www.9MileMusicFestival.com Capleton, Cocoa Tea, Tarrus Riley, Collie Buddz, Kevens & more. Tickets for the event are available at www.9MileMusicFestival.com.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111227/CG27566)
About The 9 Mile Music Festival:
The 9 Mile Music Festival began as a labor of love, Pioneered by, Cedella Marley Booker. Over the years the festival has had other names including “The Caribbean Music Festival” finally evolving into what is known as the 9 Mile Music Festival today. Keeping in alignment with its Namesake, This reggae music event is more than just your average “concert”, it has a commitment to doing good and spreading love. The 9 Mile Music Festival is responsible for collecting over two (2) million canned goods over its 18 year span, in an effort to continuously give back to its community. Four canned goods are required for entry, along with a purchased admission; the canned goods collected are then distributed to shelters in Miami & Jamaica.
About Historic Virginia Key Beach Park:
Virginia Key Beach, once accessible only by boat, was established in 1945. In 1982 the City of Miami closed the park and it remained shuttered until the Grand Re-Opening in 2008 when local citizens formed the Virginia Key Beach Park Task Force in response to plans for private development of the property. In 2002, Historic Virginia Key Beach Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Come visit our beautifully renovated venues which celebrate the distinct cultural, recreational and ecological past of this tropical paradise.
The 9 Mile Music Festival has chosen this Historic location as the venue for 19th Annual 9 Mile Music Festival. This decision was made largely because this venue offers what the fans want; a bigger venue, easier parking and longer hours to enjoy the reggae music.
Links To More Information
9 Mile Music Festival On Twitter: http://twitter.com/ninemilefest
9 Mile Music Festival on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/9-Mile-Music-Festival/125447820902040
Media Contact: Adam Heimann – Nine Mile Music Festival, 786-266-9555 marketing@bobmarleymovement.com
News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com
SOURCE Nine Mile Music Festival
The Climate Literacy Partnership in the South East (CLiPSE) is a two year Phase I or planning project funded by the National Science Foundation’s Climate Change Education Program (CCEP). It began its inception in the Fall of 2010 and is one of twenty-seven active awards across the US made by NSF for this program. The CCEP program is one facet of a larger NSF collection of awards related to Climate Change Education (CCE) that has two goals: (1) preparing a new generation of climate scientists, engineers, and technicians equipped to provide innovative and creative approaches to understanding global climate change and to mitigate its impact; and, (2) preparing today’s U.S. citizens to understand global climate change and its implications in ways that can lead to informed, evidence-based responses and solutions. CLiPSE will reach key communities across the south east to build capacity through critical thinking, communication, and civil dialogue to better equip leaders of diverse communities, educators, agriculture groups, religious organizations, and leisure groups, among others, in reasoning about climate and climate changes related phenomenon. CLiPSE is expected to: (1) conduct an inventory of existing climate change education resources and identify educational needs and opportunities relevant to the SE US; (2) identify key players from relevant stakeholder communities and initiate network development; (3) convene community workshops and other community-building activities that lead toward development of a comprehensive climate change education strategic plan for the SE US; and, (4) begin to serve as a test-bed for development, customization and scaling up of standards-based instructional materials, professional development and training models, and other appropriate activities tailored to the SE US.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. (DUE 1043398). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Click to listen to a brief interview done by Nadine Patrice with one of the participants.
Operation Green Leaves is proud to promote entertainers with a positive message of hope for the Haitian people. Prince Haiti is a young artist who has recognized the need for music with lyrics that promote life. As an artist, he has a desire to help provide clean water – a goal that is shared as part of our reforestation efforts and environmental education. We wish Prince Haiti success and hope he receives the respect he deserves for his efforts!
This Video is “Made It Out Alive” off the dual disc/dual genre, 24 track LP “tha Birth of a Prince / tha Reconstruction of a Nation”(2012). This song was written for anyone going through tremendous turmoil in their lives. This song affirms “it will be okay…” when it’s all said and done for you too can Make It Out Alive!! Much love for the support And remember “YELE” – Prince Haiti
This video was made for the “Haitian Relief Project.” Just because most of the cameras have left Port-au-Prince doesn’t mean that the problem in Haiti has gone away. On the contrary, The Reconstruction of the nation of Haiti will take decades.