Florida International University College of Law students Altanese Phenelus and Frandley Julien were honored as scholarship recipients at the 15th Annual Haitian Lawyers Association Scholarship Gala.
The Scholarship Gala, hosted in honor of the dedication, service, and excellence of its members, was held at the JW Marriot in Miami, on April 13, 2013.
HLA’s members include those in the legal field of Haitian or Haitian-American descent, as well as those who are not of Haitian decent, but have a vested interest in issues affecting the Haitian community.
Haiti has never been a better illustration than now of Edmund Burke’s quote that “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” Traditionally, a huge portion of the country’s population has always prided itself in belonging to the “silent majority,” leaving the political scene to vagabonds and the bravest of serious souls. An understandable — albeit, not excusable — reason is the fact that Haiti’s successive dictatorial regimes, particularly the Duvaliers, have raised the killing of political opponents to the level of a national sport. Being in the silent majority was a manifestation of our survival instinct at its best.
Those who follow Haitian politics closely have noticed that, for the last 25 years, no government has matched the current team’s ability to come up with innovative ideas, or their eagerness to achieve quick results. However, one’s enthusiasm is quickly dampened upon the realization that no other government has had so little institutional knowledge either.