La Scala in Haiti

Italian buffoon undermines recovery
in quake-stricken Haiti


The story of an "Italian official" visiting devastated Port-au-Prince over the weekend was widely - and with visible pleasure - reported by the BBC day and night. Guido Bertolaso, head of Italy's "civil protection service" - whatever that means in mafia land - felt the need to travel to the Haitian wasteland nine days after the horrific tremors struck the impoverished country, and in the midst of a frantic search & rescue operation conducted by personnel from 52 nations.

Up to 200,000 people have perished in the quake (1.9% of its population!) - 155,000 alone in the capital - and more than 300,000 suffered injuries; more than 1.4mn people have lost their homes. The quakes destroyed homes, uprooted the government, displaced the nation's president and reduced the UN headquarters in Port-au-Prince to rubble, leaving most of the staff dead. Faced with the utter misery and a looming outbreak of diseases and anarchy, the United States of America led a multi-national response that had commenced within hours of the January 12th disaster.

Ten days later an Italian "senior official" marches in, trumpeting to the world that "It's a terrible situation that could have been managed much better. When there's an emergency, it triggers a vanity parade. Lots of people go there anxious to show that their country is big and important, showing solidarity." Then the asinine Italian tenor comes straight to the point to vent his anti-American sentiment, with delight disseminated by Little Britain's official media outlet, the BBC:  "The US sent too many officers instead of medical help. They don't have a rapport with international organisations and aid groups. We're missing a leader, a coordination capacity that goes beyond military discipline." The BBC then backed up the rhetoric by quoting Venezuela's dictator Hugo Chavez to legitimize the Italian's banter.

What the operatic diva had in mind was a response in line with the Italian government's measures in the wake of quakes there. In May and September 1976 strong tremors shook the Northern Italian region of Friuli, killing more than 1,000 and making some 140,000 people homeless. 33 years later there are still hundreds of families living in the temporary shelters erected by Swiss and German donors back then. More recently, a strong quake in April 2009 in central Italy killed 96 people and destroyed 3,000 homes. Ten months later, more than sixty percent of the displaced people still live in tents on provisional campsites - just 90 miles from Rome.

In contrast, the US Government immediately brought together its resources and various aid organisations, dispatching 18,000 military and aid workers. Washington, instantaneously realizing the scope of the catastrophe, rallied allies like Canada, Mexico, Australia and Britain to join the massive rescue and recovery mission. Canada now spearheads efforts for permanent debt relief and a long-term plan to rebuild Haiti. American citizens opened their heart (and wallet) to raise more than $360mn within 2 days to assist the Caribbean nation; Italians so far have not paid any sizeable contribution for Haiti; not at the scene, nor at home.

To the people of Haiti the message from the Pavaroti-ing Italian minister is clear: when disaster strikes, the United States is a reliable and dependable source of relief, while Italy will march in the vanity parade to ridicule your plight and add insult to injury.