By: President René Préval

People of Gonaïves, good morning. Haitian people, good morning. The year 2007 has passed. Good morning, 2008. Last year, here in Gonaïves, on January 1, 2007, I called on the nation for dialogue, union, and unity so we could manage to establish peace and security. Remember how the country was during the years 2004, 2005, and 2006? It was a period of total anarchy, with a lot of armed groups that were moving around freely with heavy automatic guns. They held the country hostage. Today, there is nothing like that.

We congratulate the Haitian National Police (PNH), in particular Director Mario Andresol. We congratulate MINUSTAH (UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti) for this beautiful job, which has resulted in security for the Haitian people. We congratulate the DDR (Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reinsertion) team, particularly Alix Fils-Aime and Samba Boukman, for their significant contributions to the program for the disarmament of the armed groups. We cannot forget the important contribution of Artists for Peace. Singer Don Kato, valiant man, the nation asks you to congratulate on its behalf all of the Artists for Peace who have worked with you.

Is the security work for peace over? No. There are still too many kidnappings even though the kidnapping rate has dropped considerably. But one kidnapping is already unbearable. Therefore, we have already begun working with DCPJ (Central Management of the Judicial Police) so it can have more means, so it can be more professional, and so it can be more effective in thwarting bandits and kidnappers.

In addition to security, there are other fields in which we have moved forward. For example, we know the government needs more money to work. The fight to get more money into the state coffers has moved forward. If the state does not have any money, it will not be able to provide services. I congratulate Customs Director General Jean-Jacques Valentin, who is fighting as hard as he can to thwart smuggling. Director Valentin, we know the fight you are waging is not easy. We congratulate you for the good results you have had, and we encourage you to continue. We also congratulate DGI (General Directorate of Taxes) Director Jean Frantz Richard, who is fighting to prompt people to pay the taxes due to the state. Director, the struggle you are waging is not easy. You lack the legal tools. In Haiti, what is called tax evasion—that is, the nonpayment of taxes—is not a crime. It is a crime in many other countries, such as the United States, where it is a crime punishable by imprisonment. In Haiti, if you are caught not paying taxes, you only have to pay a fine. Director Valentin, we have already prepared a bill aimed at criminalizing tax evasion. We will submit it to the parliament at the opening of the next session this January.

In 2007, we also made efforts in the struggle against corruption. I can tell you that the struggle against corruption is the most difficult one, because corruption is strong and its roots are deep. I congratulate all honest public prosecutors, especially Public Prosecutor Claudy Gassant, for his efforts in this field. Attorney Gassant and all the other public prosecutors, the struggle is not easy. I wish you courage and determination.

In 2007, the justice department made great progress. I congratulate and encourage every honest person in the judicial apparatus who is working under difficult conditions for justice to triumph and impunity to retreat. Congratulations to the entire judicial apparatus, particularly the deans of the courts. Special congratulations to Dean Rock Cadet. I offer him these congratulations on behalf of all he other deans. Thanks also to the Civil Society Commission that is accompanying the Ministry of Justice. Thanks for the coordination they have ensured between the executive branch and the parliament so the three laws on justice could be approved quickly. These laws are very important for the strengthening of the judicial system.

Thanks to the committee that is fighting so justice can be rendered to the murdered journalists. Thank you, Euvrard Saint-Amand, Louis Gary Cyprien, Joel Labady, Dieudonne Saint-Cyr, Guyler C Delva, Marimique Anne Marguerite Auguste, and Jean Wilner Mauvais. The country needs citizens like you, who do not stand by and observe, but who are cooperating. I am telling all those whose names I just mentioned that once one starts work, one may make mistakes. If you make mistakes, you must correct them. But it is worse if you do not do any work at all. I encourage you to continue. I encourage everyone in the government to keep working so we can get this country back on its feet.

We have just mentioned some essential fields in which we made progress in 2007. I would not say that we got ten out of ten. I do not even know if we got five out of ten. But we did move forward.

If I mentioned some points where we moved forward, there are fields in which there are major difficulties. We must talk about that, too. One of the problems, the biggest one, is the unemployment rate in the country.

Even though more money is entering the state coffers, especially thanks to the efforts of the Customs Office and the DGI, even though funds put at the disposal of the country by the international community, the government has not managed to spend all the money it should have spent. The ministers must make even more efforts. The cases must be documented properly so the projects can be executed successfully. The Ministry of Planning, the National Council of Public Markets, and the Superior Court of Accounts and Administrative Litigations (CSCCA) must have the cases move forward faster.

Another brake preventing the government from spending money is the weakness of the private sector. For example, many construction firms are weak. They lack execution capabilities. Their projects drag on. If the work does not move forward, the government cannot pay. If the small enterprises have a hard time moving forward with the jobs they are in charge of, it is difficult for the government to give them other jobs. The weakness of the private sector is something the government must look into. The small enterprises often have financial problems in terms of buy materials, financial problems with regard to guaranteeing the funds that must be deposited as insu