Durban <lpdurban@xxxxxxxxx> commenting on Senou's suggestion and then
positing some of his own...
I was inclined to let Senou's suggestions slide, but then Jacqui
contributes a comment that treats his suggestion with a seriousness that I
really don't feel it deserves...
How can a Haitian-American, based in the USA, propose to simply do away
with 1/3 of the elected Senate seats in Haiti's Parliament? Which 1/3
will be removed, and is there any legal precedent for this? How would it
be if I were to suggest that Donald Trump, in an effort to cut down
Washington waste, simply reduce the number of U.S. Senators to ONE from
each State. A U.S. Senate composed of only 50 Senators would surely help
close the U.S. deficit or perhaps allow us to add a bit to the (IMO)
already-bloated U.S. defense budget. C'mon, I would be laughed at or
ignored... and probably both.
That said, I am curious to hear what this group thinks of the first months
of the Moise government. I am not "plugged in", but after a couple of
weeks in Haiti, I have noticed a troubling increase in BDB...Bad Driving
Behavior on the part of government officials. It was already bad under
President Martelly, but there has been a marked increase in the number of
government-plated SUV's with dark-tinted windows, driving like mad men
down the wrong side of crowded streets, making traffic jams even worse
than they already are. This reflects poorly on Jovenal Moise and his
Prime Minister who have the complete authority to have government vehicles
removed from the hands repeat traffic offenders. Perhaps they fail to
realize that this is contributing to their own track record. Let me just
say, it ain''t pretty.
There has been some modest talk about raising the minimum wage in Haiti,
from what I believe is now 300 gourdes for an 8 hour work day. In 2017,
that works out to US$ 4.44/day at an exchange rate of 67.50 gdes per US$.
In 1982, the minimum wage in Haiti for the electronics industry (and yes,
there was one back then), was US$ 3.12 for a 9 hour work day. The Haitian
minimum wage was actually expressed in US dollars back in those Baby Doc
days, when a U.S. dollar was still roughly equal to 5 Haitian gourdes! So
has the Haitian worker's daily wage improved? No, because $3.12 back in
March, 1982 would be equal to $8.05 two months ago according to the U.S.
consumer price index... that is to say, comparing apples to apples 35
years later. Allowing for the 1 hour shorter workday, today's minimum
wage in Haiti would have to be 483 gourdes per day to equate to what
workers were earning back in 1982.
So what would be the economic impact if Jovenal Moise were to suddenly
advocate a Haitian minimum wage of 60 gourdes per hour... that is, 480
gourdes per 8 hour work day. My guess is that this would generate a large
boost to consumer spending, benefiting almost all businesses in Haiti.
The counter-argument, pushed by Haitian elites, is that this would drive
off foreign investment and result in the loss of much of the export
industry. I am willing to grant that it would impact exporters like
myself, who have to compete on world markets, but the fact is, Haiti today
exports almost nothing, and rock-bottom wages have failed to attract much
in the way of new investment. It might just be time for a change in
direction, Mr. President Jovenal Moise. The Haitian people are waiting
for some action, and a significant raise in the minimum wage would
definitely shake things up.
Lance Durban
Thank you. If you wish to join or unsubscribe please click on this link:
//www.freelists.org/list/corbettlist
