Cancel Haiti's debt urges US think tank

Cancel Haiti's debt urges US think tank
Tuesday, 09 December 2008
A Washington-based think tank has warned that Haiti urgently needs debt cancellation in order to address humanitarian needs and help the country withstand the effects of the global economic downturn.

The Centre for Economic and Policy Research says Haitian efforts to deal with economic challenges, are being compromised because of millions of dollars in debt service payments to foreign creditors.

The report describes the technical criteria that have prevented Haiti from receiving full debt cancellation under the International Monetary Fund and World Bank's Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative, but argues that there's no reason for further delay in cancelling the troubled Caribbean nation's debts.

The lead author of the report, Mark Weisbrot says the whole world knows that Haiti needs all the funds it can get.

However, there are haitians who think it is a bad idea to cancel the debt of the poorest country in this hemisphere;isn't it ironic and stupid at the same time?I am wondering if they are really haitians?Just on humanitarian solidarity basis alone this debt should have been canceled longtime ago.One does not need a PHD in economics to understand that a country where people are eating mud cakes,the government should not have to pay a milion dollar in interest every month to its creditors.

Everybody knows who siphoned the money from haiti's treasury;therefore,it is cynical and wicked to ask the people of haiti to eat mud cakes to satisfy the World bank an IMF's bureaucrats.The 52 milion dollars that the haitian government is paying in interest every year to the World bank should be allocated to alleviate the sufferings of the poor haitians.

Decency ,compassion should prevailed over greed in this world.The hypocrisy of the rich must stop once and for all.If the World bank an IMF's bureaucrats refuse to cancel the debt under the pretext of some technicalities;then the haitian government shoul stop paying the interests in order to satisfy the urgent needs of its people.