Guyanese have long known that Haiti had been the poorest country in the Caribbean. But they were shocked to learn in 1989 from a report of a Common-wealth Advisory Group on Guyana’s Economic and Social Situation headed by Sir Alister McIntrye that “Guyana’s high debt ratio was not conducive to sustained economic growth and that Guyana was ranked below Haiti as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.” This remained a political talking point for decades.
Guyana has since moved on and one significant reason is the restoration of democracy in 1992. Haiti remained historically bedeviled by political instability that continued after the end of the Duvalier era in 1986. Political instability fostered by dictatorial rule, enforced by armed gangs, kept Haiti in a state of poverty and near anarchy, aggravated by the 2010 earthquake and a quarter of a million dead from which Haiti has not recovered. Much of the billions in aid has been stolen. Haiti has not been repaired and the conditions of poverty have grown worse. The COVID-19 virus is exploding. There are no vaccines.
