Outspoken Baptist Cleric, Bishop Simeon Hall says the death of the Haitian migrants “desperately seeking to better their conditions and those of their families, brings into focus the urgent need for regional and international long term aid, directed in a strategic and efficient matter, which would directly benefit the least, the lost and the left out in the Republic of Haiti.”
He was one of a number of local pastors speaking at the memorial service prior to the burial of the victims of the shipwrecked migrants yesterday at the Enoch Beckford Auditorium.
Bishop Hall said, “what France did to Haiti, albeit centuries ago, has left an indelible stain on the country decades later, so much so that some has deemed France’s actions “an unpardonable sin.
“Most right-thinking, progressive people would call on France and other developed countries and powerhouses to step up its assistance to Haiti. It is somewhat duplicitous that other countries in need, with citizens with lighter hues and complexions, seem to receive donor aid quicker and with less strings attached.
“And yet this tragedy also brings into focus the urgent need for the political and economic leaders of the Island Republic of Haiti to take a deep, introspective look at themselves,” said Bishop Hall.
“I have visited Haiti on four (4) different occasions. Haiti is indeed a beautiful nation, but the vast division between is rich and it’s poor is far too wide.
“Affluent and well-off Haitians living in Haiti, as well the Haitian Diaspora living in comfort abroad, must be the first to step up and care for their own sisters and brothers,” he said.
He called on those Haitian nationals living comfortably in The Bahamas to also lead the way in assisting to ameliorate Haiti’s social, economic, and political problems.
“I call on each of you to urge your family members in Haiti to follow the laws of The Bahamas. We are a welcoming people, but a country of laws.
“You must implore them to refrain from taking such dangerous voyages on the open seas. Indeed to be poor and destitute is still far better than to be dead and gone.
“Let us then, even as we grieve, learn from this tragedy. And assist In any way that to help our brothers and sisters in Christ,” said Bishop Hall.
