Editorial/Op-Ed - Using God's Name to Practize Corruption

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A SPECIAL SECTION: Haiti Since the January 12, 2010 Fierce Earthquake

Posted April 6, 2010

Earthquake in Haiti: "Deronette Brothers,"

a Cancer in the Body of Jesus of Nazareth

By ROMEO ESTINVIL

Allegations of corruption are, sadly, nothing new in the Boston's Haitian, Haitian-American community. Stop us, if you can. Unfortunately, this is the unpleasant message, of sort, that thousands of Haitians and Haitian- Americans, principally those residing in the state of Massachusetts, have been painfully increasingly receiving of late from a reduced number of society's enemies.

In the immediate aftermath of the publication of my most recent article, "Deronnette Brothers" on the Accused Bench," Rossiny Deronette, the founder and maestro of the "Deronette Brothers,'" a musical group, his reaction was swift, furious and fully supportive of the allegations of corruption made by the longtime photo and radio journalist, Mr. Beausejour Antoine, against his young brothers, Wilson and Brunel Deronette.

Rossiny (L) and Wilson Deronette in an undated file photo. (Photo/wehaitians.com)

"My young brothers must cease to fraudulently use the name of the "Deronette Brothers" for their own personal financial gains," said Mr. Rossiny Deronette, who unreservedly urged Haitians, Haitian-Americans who are against corruption, whether in God's name or in the name of morality, not to contract the services of the evangelical musical group. That is not merely a platitude; it is a hard statement of fact.

"The Deronette Brothers" recently organized a series of concerts. All in an effort to raise thousands of dollars for the victims of the January 12 devastating earthquake in Haiti, they repeatedly said afterward, too.

Exactly what happened after its successful musical events, also in monetary terms? The "Deronette Brothers" voyaged to Haiti, where it gave only two bags of 100-pound of cheap rice to a protestant church, convincingly reported Mr. Antoine, who accompanied the musicians of religious nature, in the nearby earthquake-ravaged capital city of Port-au-Prince car fumed-chocked small suburb of "Bon Repos."

The pastor of the House of God, in unusually harsh words, declined to accept the "Deronette Brothers'" gift, which apparently was said to come directly from Jesus of Nazareth that they, Wilson and Brunel, were only doing his work by delivering the urgently needed food.

What is more? So much was the cry of outrage the pastor completely forgot that about 100 visibly hungry people were there, most of them after walking for miles to await the "Deronette Brothers'" grand arrival, which, in fact, for days was announced with great fanfare. Nearly all of the 150 participants at a Sunday's service saw Providence at work.

In deep hot water. Not what Wilson and Brunel, even at the very least, thought they were in after the pastor found that their presence in the church, which is said to often act as one of the few providers of medicine and schools, since government barely exists, to be an unusual intrusion, insulting, and, yes, too, dehumanizing, as the donation of two bags of rice affirmed.

"We may be poor people; we may be suffering as a result of the earthquake, but we are not prepared, even in part, to be insulted, to be disrespected," loudly said the man who has devoted the whole of the remaining of his life, he also said, to the work of God. Sentiments that were echoed by many other people.

Not a surprise at all, since it is believed that many other people in position of responsibility in their churches repeatedly did the exact same thing before. On balance, they view their churches as forces for the opposite - not enhancing their moral authority, if any is left at all, is a very hard thing to do. To tell members of the Boston's hardworking Haitian, Haitian-American community, especially those who had attended their many concerts, that their voyage meant what they said it was going to be, feeding the earthquake victims, Wilson hurrily called a Boston's Haitian-American radio station, Planet Compas.

"The Deronette Brothers," in concert (left photo), and the very large Deronette family. (Photo/wehaitians.com-file)

"Alleluia! Amen! Amen! Amen! Thanks to Jesus of Nazareth, we distributed a lot of food; may God bless our beloved Haiti, our brothers and sisters there; thousands of earthquake victims have been fed," he loudly said.

Re-enter Mr. Rossiny Deronette. Corruption, the recently ordained minister frets out loud, could destroy the church and many other institutions - such is the popular anger it provokes and so at odds is it with the ideals - the invaluable contributions to human welfare, for example - the church dutifully espouses.

"I am asking everyone to pray for my brothers, Brunel and Wilson, who have certainly enriched themselves at the expense of the great suffering of the vast majority of the Haitian people," said the true man of God, whom does not communicate with his younger brothers and resides in New York City, at the end of an exclusive interview.

Also, Portrait of the Author - an Agent for Change, in the Positive Terms

I am not a professional writer. That is why I cannot envision to be a revered one, even in the distant future. But as a native born of the minuscule sunny quasi-island nation, a land with a tortured history, I certainly have a moral obligation to help consign, by way of my pen, to the archives of history the unwanted curse that is corruption, which unfortunately, continues to cause Haiti (it was first called Hayiti by the forefathers), according to the international anti-corruption group, Transparency International, to be in bad company.

Yet, and for the leaders of Haiti, corruption is otherwise perceived to be a distinguished badge of honor, like being a Nobel laureate. So the same may, too, be said for those who are not in government but consider it as a way of life. Like the supposedly public servants, if I may refer to them as such, they always view anti-corruption activists as people who have a mental condition. Alternately, as it is said in the vernacular, they are crazy. More laughable is that, to borrow the (two) words famously coined by Professor Yves A. Isidor, they are "Bourik Congos" (they are not smart at all, they are stupid).

What is more of the author? I last worked in the capacity of a radio journalist in Haiti. Unfortunately, I have not worked as so since I arrived in the United States from Haiti many years ago. But I have otherwise progressed. I hold a baccalaureate degree in management and administration from Emmanuel College, a Catholic institution of higher learning, in Boston.

Today, if something else is, too, prominently included in my curriculum vitae it is the eight years that I spent working in the field of real estate as a license salesperson, and this, until last year or so; now, rather a broker.

In conclusion, must I again permit myself to congratulate Mr. Antoine and the Reverend Rossiny Deronette for taking on the very difficult cause of defending the destitute Haitian people against those who know only one thing: How to take the route of corruption to sure cause the vast majority of the small Caribbean nation's citizens to even perpetually be subject to the direct and indirect indignities of crushing poverty.

Romeo Estinvil can be reached by way of electronic mail: estinro@hotmail.com.

RELATED TEXTS: Wilson Deronette Responds to Accusations That he, Too, Uses God's Name to Practize Corruption

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