The state of the State of Haiti is so complex that it requires profound knowledge of its history to understand its current image. As early as the late 1940’s, intellectual Haitians have turned to other countries, either voluntarily or forcibly, in search of a better life or higher salaries; and in so doing, Haiti has become the greatest victim of what Social Scientists referred to as “Brain Drain”, losing skilled people to other countries. Considering the number of intellectual Haitians who are living outside the world of Haiti, one must wonder, what if they have stayed home and what difference it would have made?

A great assess for success of a country is certainly a strong intellectual class, however, Haiti is lacking such a class. For our purpose here, the intellectual class is composed of Educators, Doctors, Lawyers, Social Scientists, Journalists, Businessmen, Scientists, and Economists and so on. It is believed that, because of the gap between the haves and haves not, the knowledgeable and the not so knowledgeable, and on top of that, the irrepressible problem poses by Brain Drain, Haiti has become a country of profiteering and leaderless. There are those who believe that there is actually an intellectual class in Haiti but it has been silenced and secluded itself from the affairs of the country. I believe that it would be selfish if such a class existed and allowed itself to witness the dying of a country right before its eyes. It is an alleged reason to believe that such a class existed for I believe that the intellectual class of Haiti is actually living outside the world of Haiti and this class must be approached in order for any dramatic changes to take place in Haiti.

The Brain Drain phenomenon creates a vacuum in Haitian society and thereby allows Haitian “leaders” to lead the country without a real challenge of opposition to their mediocre political agendas. These “leaders” have too often focused on their own interest rather than that of Haiti. It is just about time to get rid of the politics of self-interest and launch a campaign behind the politics of national interest. We must get out of the clouds that embedded our views for the well being of this beautiful Island. It is not daring to claim that we too, Haitians, have big dreams for our country and we should not therefore be afraid to talk about ending poverty in Haiti. We too can talk about health care for our Haitian counterparts; we too can talk about job training for our people who are desperately in need and to say the least, we too can talk about improving our public safety, education and justice for all. And on the contrary, one would argue how could we do it all when we cannot even provide our people its most inalienable rights, which are the rights to life, to be fed, sheltered, and educated and to live in a safety environment?

To make it probable, we ought to welcome our fellow professional Haitians back to the mother land. These professionals, or as they are called, the victims of the Brain Drain phenomenon, are part of the reasons why Haiti is trailing behind the developing world. Professional Haitians who are living outside the world of Haiti are potential resources in the quest for change in Haiti. In other words, they are essential tools in order for any dramatic changes to take place in Haiti. If given a chance, we will witness a mammoth of progress inside Haiti. One should not be reluctant to claim that the Brain Drain phenomenon is indeed a cause of the growing problems inside Haiti. Without a doubt, Brain Drain is a terrible factor and a menace to Haiti’s development. Has it not been for Brain Drain, I strongly believe that Haiti would have been in a much better position instead of what the world shamefully refers to as the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

In the absence of a strong intellectual class, no nations can acclaimed the reputation of being a developed country. The intellectual class of a society is its watchdog, making sure that everything works out according to the norms, regulations and laws of the land; and such is not the case in Haiti. The Brain Drain phenomenon has and continues to be a threat to Haiti’s well being. Currently, the youths of Haiti, who are indeed the future of the country, have one thing in common. No, it’s not their love for Haiti. It is the wish of getting a visa for any destination away from Haiti and to never step foot back. After graduating from High School, most Haitians would stop attending school because they don’t see why bother studying when there is absolutely no hope to do so, though they are willing to continue their studies. Have you ever wondered why foreign embassies require that visa seekers be educated? This is their way of saying, if you’re coming to my country; you should be able to contribute one way or the other to the well being of my society. So when we fail to give hope to the youths of Haiti, we can only expect to see them leaving the country and to never step foot back. Thus we must ask ourselves, what would it take for Haitians to stay home?

The greatest challenge is already solved. Haitians love Haiti, especially those who have left it have come to appreciate it more after leaving. I have never seen a people so attached to their country as Haitians, even in the face of poverty, humiliation and so many negativities. Give me security, a good education, jobs, and a sense of belonging and I will stay home. This is the cry in Haiti. Haitian authorities would have to create a policy or an environment that would encourage Haitians to stay home. Focus must be placed on educating the people as a whole and revamping the school system by emphasizing on a strong civic education, giving hope to the people and security that would attract foreign investors. For Haitians to stay home, they must not be treated as statistical numbers but as individual of importance.

Those who have become victims of Brain Drain are hoping to be able to return home and contribute to the effort of rebuilding Haiti. It is the government’s responsibility to create conditions that would pave the way for a massive return of intellectual Haitians to Haiti. We have sadly come to a point where Haitians are afraid of vacationing in Haiti. This is the last straw and Haitian authorities must take appropriate actions to regain the trust of Haitians in the Diaspora.