Haitians on LI look to Sunday's presidential elections

Edens Desbas isn't quite sure what he'll find when he returns to Haiti Friday. There are, of course, the effects of January's earthquake that killed as many as 300,000. There is damage from a hurricane earlier this month that swept through the nation. And now, there is cholera.

But for Desbas, there is also hope. He will travel to the Caribbean island nation where he was born from his adopted home in Floral Park to cast his ballot in a presidential election that Haitians throughout the world are watching closely. Although he is a permanent resident here, his bonds to Haiti are for life.

"I can't leave my people behind," he said. "When you see kids that are supposed to be in school staying on the street . . . asking people for money, it's like you feel the country is going down. I need to help Haitians make a decision."

Voting is Sunday

Elections in Haiti can often be chaotic and even dangerous. The recent outbreak of cholera has added a new dimension of fear. Nevertheless, Haitian citizens such as Desbas won't be deterred from casting their votes on Sunday for one of the 19 presidential candidates.

Many see the election as Haiti's first step toward rebuilding a nation rocked by decades of instability and failing infrastructure.

"The Haitian people are very motivated," said Desbas, 45, who has been to Haiti twice since the Jan. 12 earthquake to visit family and report on events as a journalist. "After the earthquake, you see how the government manages our people. We really need a change. People are not happy."

Desbas also will cover the election for his two-hour daily Haitian radio show based in Brooklyn. He has interviewed 10 presidential candidates and helped organize the first Haitian presidential debate in Miami through a nonpartisan civic group called Friends of Haiti 2010, he said.

Although he has lived in the United States for more than 15 years and has permanent residency, Desbas has not become an American citizen because Haiti does not allow dual citizenship. Haitian citizens living abroad must vote in person, he said.

Desbas said this election is about starting a new chapter in Haiti's history. "We have the international community that pledged a couple billion dollars" after the quake, he said. "If we miss that opportunity, it's like Haiti will disappear. It's very important that we have a strong leader. This election will be important for Haiti for the next 25 years."

History of corruption

However, Desbas and others said the largest obstacle facing Haiti is its long history of corruption. "The people in leadership have to have a sense of responsibility to the people and not enrich themselves," said Louis Auguste, a New Hyde Park surgeon and president of the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad, New York Chapter.

Mimi Pierre Johnson, 48, of Elmont, is a community activist who often works with Haitian organizations. To her, Haiti's ability to succeed is linked to the ability of Haitians scattered throughout the world to form a collective movement. "I would love to see the Haitian groups here come together," she said.

Maryse Emmanuel-Garcy, 58, of Baldwin, is the director of Haitian-American Family of Long Island, a nonprofit that provides social support. She said Haitians living abroad must continue to help those back home. She said she also hopes there will be a time when Haitians abroad will travel to Haiti often without fear of security or disease.

"It's dangerous to have large gatherings of people," Auguste said of the cholera cases reported. "There is more opportunity to spread disease."

Desbas said he will travel without hesitation. "I'm not scared," he said. "My mother and sister are in Haiti. If they can live, I can go."