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They say talk is cheap and that is really the case.

The Caribbean country of Haiti is in a crisis, overrun by gangs and lawlessness. The economy is in a shambles and chaos is the order of the day there.

Yesterday, Haiti’s prime minister resigned.

Caricom convened a special meeting in Jamaica (held at Kingston’s Pegasus Hotel) to discuss the Haiti situation and come up with possible solutions.

The hotel was overflowing with dignitaries and government officials all doing their best to look important.

The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken flew in to give U.S. support and stand in solidarity with Caricom.

Haiti has been a perennial problem, one that has to be rectified by its people. The Caribbean region must lend assistance and help the country.

With gangs now running Haiti, it is clear to see what can happen to other Caribbean countries if the rule of law and good order fail to prevail- a banana republic gone amok.

It is incumbent on Caricom to make a meaningful contribution and not leave it to other players.

It is no use insisting that France make immediate reparations of some US$120 billion to bail out Haiti-that’s not going to happen.

Caribbean countries must help each other and do their best to safeguard the region. It cannot abrogate its responsibilities here and put it all on the United States to clean up this awful mess.

Antony Blinken is an intelligent man and an astute diplomat. He may very well have picked up on the lack of real commitment from these Caribbean countries to come to Haiti’s aid.

Many of the Caribbean leaders sounded earnest and lamented Haiti’s plight but at the end of the day, failed to offer anything substantial .

Every time there is a real crisis in the Caribbean, Caricom goes missing and is unable to offer meaningful assistance.

All the people with PhD’s and fancy titles sit around bereft and inept. Here, one is reminded of the Chris Rock skit where he says, “A broke man is like a broke hand; can’t do nothing with it!”

There were some heavyweight Caribbean leaders in the room, people like Mia Mottley and Ralph Gonsalves. It would have been illuminating to hear their take on the situation.

Jamaica had offered to send troops in a security capacity but there needs to be more clarity on that situation. If that is the case can other Caribbean countries join as part of a regional military security/peacekeeping body?

Caricom countries should volunteer some of their engineers and other personnel. It doesn’t solely have to be about money. How about containers of water and food items?

The United States put something down on the table. Where is Caricom’s contribution?

I asked one of the officials why the others around the table didn’t feel compeled to at least offer to contribute and he bleakly said, “ We don’t have the money or capacity.”

What a sad state of affairs.

“ I think we can all agree: Haiti is on the brink of disaster. We must take quick and decisive action,” said Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali yesterday in Jamaica.

He is absolutely right but what is Caricom going to do about it? Can it make a substantive contribution to its brothers and sisters in Haiti or will it just sit on its hands?

Guyana’s president further added: “ This is a critical point in the history of the Caribbean. The situation in Haiti, a fellow Caricom country demands urgent action. Right now the people of Haiti are suffering. They are unable to deal with their basic needs. They are being killed indiscriminately. Too many have had to plea for their lives while women have been violated and children traumatised. More Haitians have died in these four months of 2024 than in the war in Ukraine. Caricom cannot stand idly by with these developments continuing to unfold. From a Caricom perspective, the interests of the people of Haiti are our singular and primary concern. Those interests must be paramount in our deliberations and in the steps we will take in support of a Haitian solution. We have to address the crisis facing our sister Caricom nation.”

So what can be done? Is the will there? Can Caricom put its shoulder to the wheel?

The Secretary of State of the United States Antony Blinken said: “ We are here to help the people of Haiti in this extraordinary time. What brings us together here today is a political crisis, escalating violence, unrest- this has created an untenable situation for the Haitian people and we all know that urgent action is needed on both the political and security tracks to help move things in a better direction, to help do right by the people of Haiti. We are here to provide concrete support for the way forward.

“ What we have seen in recent days should remind us that the already difficult and challenging security situation has deteriorated even further and makes the multi-national support mission even more important than ever. I am announcing today, the United States Department of Defence is doubling its approved support for the mission from US$100 million to US$200 million and that brings the total US support to US$300 million. I am also announcing additional humanitarian assistance for the people of Haiti, US$33 million to further support their health and food security. Now, all of us know only the Haitian people can and should determine their own future – not anyone else. All of us here, The U.S., Caricom, our other partners, we can all help restore a foundation of security that can address the tremendous suffering that innocent Haitians are experiencing and help create the conditions that will enable them to have that opportunity.”

God Bless America.