The businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé officially took over this Saturday as the new head of government of Haiti, in a context marked by an upsurge in violence in the capital due to the activity of armed gangs. In the midst of what he described as a “critical” situationFils-Aimé was entired that “There is no time to waste.”
“This Government assumes office with a sense of urgency and gravity. We have no state of grace nor time for observation. Every hour counts, every day lost is a blow to the hopes of our people“, he stated when speaking at the inauguration ceremony at Villa d’Accueil, in Port-au-Prince.
Fils-Aimé reiterated that the primary objective of his management is prepare the ground for inclusive and transparent elections. Of the total ministers, eight retain the portfolio they held in the administration of the newly dismissed Prime Minister Garry Conille, while ten join the Executive, among them Harvel Jean Baptiste at the head of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Alfred Metellus will be in Finance, Patrick Pelissier in Justice and Paul Antoine Bien-Aime in Interior.
The new head of Government invited the ministers “to fully appreciate the magnitude of the responsibilities that rest upon them” and considered that “only the participation and contribution of everyone can provide effective and lasting responses to the problems facing the country.”
“Our mission is clear: We must restore hope to our people by facing with determination the great challenges facing Haiti”, he said, adding that “insecurity in all its forms must be vigorously combated, in particular physical, economic and food insecurity.”
Likewise, Fils-Aimé stressed that “highways and main thoroughfares must once again be routes to life and prosperity, and those who have had to leave their homes must be able to return to them safely.”
“The means are limited. The expectations are immense. “Public money must be spent rationally and austerely, with maximum transparency.”he stressed.
The Government’s roadmap, declared the prime minister, “consists of restoring security, responding to the humanitarian emergency, relaunching the economy and preparing for elections.”
For his part, the President of the Presidential Transition Council, Leslie Voltairereminded the new ministers of the immense tasks and responsibilities that await them. “We don’t have much time left. “Now is the time to change what needs to be changed to save the transition.”he declared in his speech.
Voltaire said he was aware of the seriousness and consequences of the actions of the bloodthirsty gangs, who are becoming increasingly aggressive and continue to attack and murder more people and burn houses.
The country lives “in a situation of almost total paralysis of economic and social life, while important deadlines await in the democratic and political life of the nation,” he said, referring to the celebration of the constitutional referendum and next year’s elections.
The new Government assumes the reins of the country in a context of violence and after last Sunday the leader of the coalition of armed gangs Vivre Ensemble (Living Together), Jimmy Cherizier aka Barbecue, will announce new days of terror in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince.
This materialized from the next day and, even, Commercial planes were attacked near the capital’s international airport.
(With information from EFE)
