Mirlande Manigat has made ​​serious accusations, this weekend on a radio of the capital, on the reasons which led the Government to choose the city of Les Cayes to hold the national carnival, on the mafioso origin of its funding and finally decried the poor quality of our National Carnival, preferring to promote the Carnival of Trinidad ! Surprising statements and accusations from a personality that so far, was respected in the country...

"...I do not like make accusations that I'm not sure Why the carnival in Les Cayes ? Because there is a large-scale money laundering, which is made in Les Cayes, the agent comes by boat, cash [...] why they [the government] makes the carnival in Les Cayes ? This is because of that ! That is not decentralization! [...] Since I was a teenager, I did not go to the Carnival, this is not something that... I was watching the floats. I lived four years in Trinidad, there, it's a 'bèl ti bagay' it is the creativity, is the beauty, this does not prevent people dance and drink, but there are ideas... I do not know the Rio Carnival but people who know both carnivals say that unfortunately there is not enough promotion for the Carnival of Trinidad.

I am not against a Carnival of this type, however, one thing that I notice is that we have decided to do it in Les Cayes, why not in the Gonaïves or in Cap Haitien why Les Cayes ? Does Les Cayes have an infrastructure to organize in such a short time the Carnival ? Above all, what is most important to me is the degree of dissatisfaction of the people of Port-au-Prince..."

Reacting strongly to the accusations, Jean Gabriel Fortuné, the Departmental Delegate of South requires that Mrs. Manigat deny her statement "...I'm surprised really that a personality like Mrs. Manigat, who is respected in the country, makes a sensational statement, but also misleading.

For the truth, I tell you that the Government Martelly-Conille has not yet spend any money in Les Cayes within the framework of Carnival, there are preparations that are made​​, we make them on credit, it is at the expense of Fortuné they are made [...] works are carried out in collaboration with the traders of the city of Les Cayes [...] so we ask to Mrs. Manigat, to deny the statement that she made [...]

If it was this kind of money, Fortuné would not be in there, because it is me who has the habit to denounce this kind of thing for 15 years in the country. So far, the Carnival Committee has not received any money and the funds we have constituted​​, we have constituted​​ them from loan we made with traders, ranging from 20.000 to 200.000 gourdes, and even that money is not spent, because the committee is not yet fully structured..."

HL/ HaitiLibre