By Joseph Guyler Delva From HCNN

 

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (HCNN) — Haiti’s Prime minister, Laurent Lamothe, who gave up the lavish motorcade he inherited from his predecessor, reiterated over the weekend his warning to the Caribbean country’s cabinet members against buying luxurious cars, arguing his government, which is promoting a “preferential option for the poor”, should preach by example.

Lamothe reiterated his call for all cabinet members to fully comply with the government’s philosophy which is to prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable and to work toward establishing a reign of social justice, in a country where the social and economic rights of the poor majority, have always been denied.

“I don’t think a minister or myself, as Prime minister, need a pricey, luxurious car to come to work, while our responsibility is to use our meager resources to fight poverty,” Lamothe told the Haitian-Caribbean News Network (HCNN), during the weekend.

“I set the example by giving up my own motorcade for a more modest one and I feel good about it,” said Lamothe. “So, I want members of the government to avoid buying or driving those luxurious vehicles which do not match the philosophy and social guidelines of the government,” he added.

Most government ministers and other high-ranking officials have already complied with the measure, but a few others still have to follow suit.

“It should be very clear for all those who are part of this experience with us. Our priority is the most vulnerable, because the country will not achieve progress if the living conditions of the poorest remain the same,” Lamothe insisted.

Lamothe said his government is implementing very scrupulously the vision presented by President Michel Martelly who made the fight against poverty a priority of his administration.

“We are here to land on the ground, in the communities, president Martelly’s vision which is to lay the foundation and fight for significant poverty reduction in our country,” Lamothe explained.

“We are doing so by boosting investments for job creation, fighting corruption and waste, and by directly assist the population through our social programs,” he added.

For more on this story go to: http://hcnn.ht/en/2014_09/economy/370/Haiti-PM-warns-Ministers-against-buying-luxurious-cars-Haiti-Laurent-Lamothe-Economy.htm