HAITI, it would seem, is destined to suffer disasters of one type or the other. The country has had more than its fair share of political upheavals which have had a devastating impact on the lives of its people.

Only recently, the Haitian President was shot dead, apparently at the hands of paid assassins. And as if that were not enough, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake has hit the island, killing over 2,000 people, and leaving in its wake a trail of damage and destruction.

Haiti is a member of the Caribbean community, (CARICOM), having joined the regional body on July 1, 2002. With a population of nearly 12 million, it is the largest member of CARICOM, and along with Suriname, is the only non-English-speaking country to have been accorded full membership to CARICOM.

At the political level, Haiti was the first country in the entire region to gain political independence.  It gained political independence in 1804, which makes it the oldest independent country in the Americas, second only to the United States, which became an independent State in 1783. The country is known for its epic battles against French colonial rule, and then against United States neo-colonial rule and political interference. During those years, the country was stagnated politically and economically. It remains, until today, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, and the least politically-stable country, even though there has been some recent progress in terms of the consolidation of democratic rule.

Because of its shared history of colonial domination, and its insertion, geographically, in the Americas, Haiti’s problems cannot be divorced from that of the wider Caribbean. This has become even more imperative, given its full membership in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

It is in the foregoing context that Guyana’s President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has pledged his full support to the Haitian people on the recent disaster caused by the recent earthquake. It will be recalled that the country suffered a devastating earthquake back in January 2010, when over 200, 000 lives were lost, and billions of dollars in damages to buildings and infrastructure.

According to President Ali, Guyana’s contribution to the relief efforts forms part of a larger regional relief package. Immediately after the disaster, President Ali, in a telephone call to the country’s Prime Minister, expressed his sympathy and that of the Guyanese people, and pledged support to the rebuilding efforts.

Similar sentiments of solidarity and support were extended to the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines during a recent volcanic eruption in the island.

These are all strong indications of solidarity and support to the regional integration movement, but, more importantly, to the people of the affected countries whose lives were adversely affected by natural calamities.

The fact is that when it comes to disasters, natural or otherwise, no country is completely outside of the danger zone. Guyana is still recovering from one of its more severe floods in its recent history, and the assistance it received from regional institutions and the international community has not been insignificant.

Guyana has also benefitted from other forms of assistance, not least of which has been CARICOM’s role in the preservation and consolidation of democracy and democratic rule in the country. And while it is true that as a country, we may be outside of the path of potentially catastrophic hurricanes, we have had, over the years, our own challenges caused by attempts by the political opposition to destabilise democracy and democratic rule in the country.

We live in an increasingly interdependent and connected world. This fact has not been ignored by our regional leaders and certainly not by President Dr. Irfaan Ali. Just days ago, the sod was turned for the construction of an official residence in Georgetown for the CARICOM Secretary-General, yet another indication of Guyana’s commitment to CARICOM and the integration process.