THE assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and the serious wounding of his wife should send shivers down the spine of every Caribbean person who believes in the integrity of the democratic project and the rule of law. The attack is dastardly from whichever angle it is assessed and we should all sit up and take notice.

It cannot escape us in Jamaica that this incident took place in another Caribbean country. While I am not suggesting that such an act could take place in Jamaica, we, nonetheless, have to be chilled by its brazen nature. This feeling cannot be dampened by the consideration that this is not the first time that Haiti has experienced the assassination of its head of state. We are living in turbulent times where political machinations have taken on diabolical proportions.

We have to strengthen our political, civil, economic, and social institutions to make sure that our fragile democracy is preserved against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We must be encouraged that, compared to many countries in the world, we have been able to resolve political leadership at the ballot, though those have been compromised over the years. We have walked a deadly and treacherous path to a better place, where we now have our electoral commission firmly entrenched in our constitution. Today, Jamaica is no longer the political pariah it once was. The country stands at the forefront of the countries that are admired for their integrity in managing elections and transitions of power. These are things that one cannot sneer at in these days where autocratic mindsets seem to be developing like mould in a waterlogged roof. We are now a beacon to many in the world and we should strive to protect this status, or one day, God forbid, we may go the way of Haiti.

And what a tragedy political discontent has been for that country. It is very disturbing that, in this latest assassination, mercenaries, largely of Colombian nationality it would appear, were able to launch a successful attack with very little, if any, resistance from the president’s security detail. It seems clear to me that the attack was masterminded by people of means who desperately wanted to see the demise of the president. No effort must be spared to get to the bottom of who might have engineered and sponsored the killing. It is not only the Haitian people who are demanding that justice be done, but the global community requires that full knowledge of any investigation be revealed so we can all have the information.

The role of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), of which Haiti is a member, cannot be understated. Our brothers and sisters in Haiti are at yet another dark moment in their turbulent and often tragic history and they need all the help we can give them. Thus, this is a matter that should not be subjected to political bickering in Jamaica, as now seems to be developing. The People’s National Party (PNP) never seems to miss a chance to pounce on the Government for any perceived moral lapse or failure. In what seems to be a desperate attempt to score political points, Senator Peter Bunting, in the Senate last Friday, raised the point of whether Prime Minister Holness as a leader in Caricom has the moral authority to engage in the investigation of the Haitian tragedy. What seemed to have motivated his ire is the perceived proximity of the Holness Administration to that of the twice-impeached Trump’s in the United States. This association, according to Bunting, is enough, in his estimation, to render Holness morally unfit to engage Haiti.

This is an unfortunate sidebar which is unworthy of Senator Bunting who is, of course, entitled to his own opinions. Extraneous perceptions of assumed facts must not be used as red herrings that may distract from getting to the roots of a tragedy such as this. Cool heads must prevail.

Of perhaps greater moment is a matter which Curtis Ward, former Jamaican ambassador to the United Nations, in an article in The Gleaner, describes as the growing autocratic tendencies in the Caribbean and, certainly, Latin America. So far, one of the most disturbing features of life in the 21st century is an increase in violence, with its attendant savagery and barbarity. As we have seen in Haiti and other parts of the world, people who are committed to gaining or holding on to political power are not deterred from using violence as a tool to support their desire for autocratic rule. This is done through outright assault on democratic principles and the elevation of lies and falsehoods to near social principles. This was evident in the United States under President Trump and culminated in a violent assault on the Capitol building.

We are living in a post-truth world in which people are becoming estranged or alienated from each other. I predict that as this happens and people retreat more into their private worlds of social media obsession, there will be increased violence, and some as brazen as the killing of President Moïse. The killing of Moïse is a warning that the commission of these acts are not beyond interest groups, organised criminals, and influential power-seekers. It is a warning of which we must be mindful. We must also be diligent in strengthening our political and civil institutions so that they are able to cauterise such problems as they arise. Today, Moïse; tomorrow, who?

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storm and Your Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life . Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.