Abandonment, renunciation, cowardice, and the stubborn refusal to take strong, decisive action to confront and resolve critical problems have long been the hallmark of political leaders and elites. Here, we often see people “running away” (“pete kouri”) instead of “standing and fighting” (“pete goumen”) to solve issues that time only ends up worsening. There is no shortage of examples.

After the January 12, 2010 earthquake, it was all about “running away” to settle elsewhere because public security officials had abandoned downtown Port-au-Prince. Many businesses relocated to Pétion-Ville, Delmas, Tabarre, and other areas that were once residential neighborhoods. They survived, chose to move forward, without waiting for the state—unworthy, visionless, notorious for its incompetence and deep self-centeredness. Downtown Port-au-Prince, after summits and countless symposiums with grand and flashy titles, was left to gangs who, over the years and through alliances with politicians of all stripes and businesspeople, grew stronger.