Saturday, May 29, 2010
Women of Haiti deliver Harley Davidson Motorcycles today
Kettly of the Haitian Mobile Police at border while delivering/riding a Harley Davidson Buell Ulysses from DR to #Haiti.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
How Not to Decentralize Haiti
For all the talk of decentralization, self sufficiency, economic reform and ways to otherwise get the Haitian house in order, I present you with the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Act of 2010. This bill, currently making its way through the US legislature with bipartisan support, aims to impart Haiti with the benefit of extended garment industry preference for a whopping additional 10 years. The preferences were set to expire later this year.
The act also aims to provide Haiti with the benefit of US experience in ports and customs. That right, it will help Haiti make sure that it can get its good shipped out in a timely fashion, but focuses on Port-au-Prince, despite a Haitian government plan with international support that calls for decentralization. I mean, why would they do that? Won't it encourage more people to come to Port-au-Prince to get some of these soon to come jobs? Are the people in control saying one thing and doing another? I can see how certain companies already in the garment industry will benefit from this. I can also see how migration to Port-Au-Prince and the associated congestion and centralization will get worse.
So where is the Haitian lobby to get this bill amended and add some real money to the bill to set up an international deepwater port away from Port-Au-Prince. Haiti has a few good natural harbours. Cap Haitian, Fort Liberte, Petit Goave, Miragoine or Les Cayes would be top candidates if I was picking. (I used to run a cargo ship into Haiti)
Setting up another containerized port elsewhere in the country and far away from Port-Au-Prince, the most expensive port in the Caribbean, is a good recipe for bringing down costs of shipping AND stimulating decentralization. Now if we only get the Haitian lobby to advocate for this issue.
Monday, May 3, 2010
The resiliance of business in downtown Haiti
The first pic is the original location of the Haitian restaurant chain called 5 Coins (five corners). Called that because of the five way intersection on which it was founded.
The second picture is the rebuilt location across the street from the original. It opened May 22, 2010.
And that is how you keep it moving....
