The first National Day of the Diaspora was celebrated Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at the Caribe Convention Center by governmental authorities around the theme: "A strong Diaspora for a prosperous Haiti."

Several celebrities including members of the diplomatic corps, politicians, delegations of Haitians from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Canada, the United States, Cuba and Jamaica took part in this activity.

For his part, Edwin Paraison, Minister of Haitians Living Abroad and initiator of this activity, called the Haitian Diaspora to unite in order to better defend their common rights.

"The members of the Diaspora contribute significantly to help their families cope with the difficult economic situation prevailing in Haiti," said Minister Paraison.

This date was chosen in memory of the great historic march of April 20, 1990, when more than 200,000 compatriots blocked the Brooklyn Bridge and Wall Street in Manhattan to protest discrimination against Haitians who had been victims of AIDS. The minister urged the sons and daughters of the country to remember the words written at the bottom of their flag: "Unity is strength."

"This day has the virtue of expressing the gratitude of the state, to his daughters and his sons that the country was unable to keep in its embrace, but who demonstrate a commitment to patriotism worthy of recognition by all," said Minister Edwin Paraison. Remember that the Duvalier regimes were responsible for the mass exodus, both of political and economic.

For their part, members of the Congress to Fortify Haiti (CHFH) urged members of the 49th Legislature to vote in their favor the law of dual nationality.

"When you deprive a Haitian living outside the country of the right to dual citizenship, they are deprived of a legitimate and inalienable right. Passage of dual nationality in Haiti will help put the country on the road to development," said Claude Alix, a member of CHFH.

Aline Lauture, executive director of the organization, said that the documents were already prepared and submitted to government authorities.

"The Congress is not a political organization; it is open to receive contributions from anyone, regardless of his political sensitivity, to allow dual nationality to become a reality in Haiti," said Ms. Lauture. One can easily tell Madame Lauture that Haiti's problems are essentially political.

It should also be made known that the compatriots in foreign lands are not a monolithic bloc. The Haitian Diaspora is also a reflection, in large part, of social classes existing in Haiti. Certainly, as in Haiti, there are things that can unite everyone.

But we can not put in one basket taxi drivers, laborers, women who toil among Jews and even among Haitian compatriots, those who under the terrible Florida sun work in large tomato plantations; let's not forget our compatriots who toil in the sugar plantations and in construction in the Dominican Republic. And we also have those who own factories, shops, restaurants, and executives working in banks, hospitals and other large companies; there are those who are so assimilated and integrated that they hold senior posts in public administration in North America. And it is in these last two categories we find those who want to run the country.

We have nothing against dual citizenship. But we must put guardrails for some who have settled permanently in a foreign land so they do not think they can come and run for the highest positions at the state level. Often, after having suffered a failure, as a Siméus did in 2006, they fly off to their adopted country. Let us not forget also Wickliffe John! Remember what was said by a certain Gerard Latortue, Minister of Foreign Affairs under the government of Leslie Manigat, after his overthrow in 1988, by the military who gave him power: "I return to my Viennese comfort." Unfortunately, this madman was imposed on the country by Washington in 2004 after the coup/kidnapping against President Aristide. It was he who set fire to the powder in Côte d'Ivoire to support Mr. Ouattara, the Washington candidate.

So, we can look at the Diaspora as a block. In fact, it is the "masses" of the Diaspora who contribute to the national economy, supporting their families in Haiti. They are not the taxi drivers in Boston, United States, who do not agree that President-elect Michael J. Martelly take one dollar for each money transfer back to the country. This does not mean we exclude ex-cathedra and automatically all who are part of the affluent strata of the Diaspora. Many employees of Haiti Progres lived in the Diaspora and continued to live there while they struggle for the true liberation of the country. We can also forget how the Diaspora was ostracized by the Macoutes. And during the struggle against the dictatorship, in the 70s and 80s saw opponents of the dictatorship who wanted to replace and overthrow Duvalier. These people hated and denounced the progressive sectors of the Diaspora. Examples abound. So, the question of the Diaspora is quite complex. Is this why we cannot put all the compatriots of the Diaspora in one basket.