PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) — A former senior American official to Haiti is pouring cold water on plans by the incoming Jovenel Moise administration to re-establish a national army in Haiti.

Moise, who is due to be sworn into office on February 7, had during the campaign for the November 20 presidential elections last year, said that “the armed forces of Haiti is a constitutional prerogative.

“A country is not master of itself if it does not have an armed force the strength of a country is based on a defense system that is strong, a modern army that is based on the objective of ensuring the protection of Speaking on the Voice of America (VOA) radio programme, Moise, 48 who replaces former president Michel Martelly, who left office in February last year, said that the Haitian army “has so far figured in the Constitution.”

But he acknowledged that the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country does not have any funds to ensure the re-establishment of the army that was disbanded in 1995 after years of military interference in politics and at least a dozen coups.

But former American Ambassador accredited to Haiti and the Special Coordinator of Haiti to the State Department, Kenneth Merten, in an interview on VOA said “we have always supported a civilian police to ensure the security of Haiti”.

“We’ve spent a lot of money to have a professional police (and) it’s hard to imagine that the United States are ready to make a financial contribution to an armed force. The taxpayers, the State Department and the White House would not welcome that,” he added.