Haiti is in for a surprise as Wyclef Jean will be running for president. Jean, the Grammy-winning former frontman of the Fugees, said he feels it is his calling to lead his native land out of the despair caused by the earthquake in Haiti last January. Since this can be a very significant election in Haiti, Jean has created a buzz. There is no political experience coming from Jean which concerns a lot of people. Since he hasn’t lived in Haiti since he was 9 and moved to live in New York and New Jersey, the majority are concerned about his qualifications.
Wyclef Jean hopes to be president of Haiti
The president plans Wyclef Jean has were announced Thursday on a Miami radio station. Jean told the Miami Herald of his plans to become president after stepping down as chairman of the Yélé Haiti Foundation that he started. Jean’s Yélé Haiti Foundation has raised $ 9.1 million for Haiti earthquake relief, as outlined by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. A longtime advocate for Haiti, Jean was among the first responders following the 7.0-magnitude earthquake Jan 12 devastated Port au Prince, the nation’s capital.
Jean runs because of Haiti earthquake
Wyclef feels he has been called to be the Haitian president. He interviewed with the New York Times saying:
“I’m not running for president so much as I’m being drafted. The youth, in their mind, if I don’t come and put a perspective to things, they feel there’s no future for the country, and I have to agree with them.”
Jean was designed to register with the election board in Haiti before flying back to announce his candidacy on “Larry King Live,” reports the times. Candidates for the Haitian presidency must be citizens with five or more years of residency in Haiti. Jean hasn’t lived in Haiti for years but claims to still meet both requirements. Born in Croix des Bouquets, Haiti, he holds a Haitian passport.
Jean thinks he’s like Havel and Reagan
NPR said to Time magazine that Jean, when referring to his transition, will say he’s like Ronald Reagan and Vaclav Havel. Jean has no experience in politics which is very different from Reagan and Havel. Australia’s environment minister, previous Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett, was an extremely successful musician in politics. Blur drummer Dave Rowntree ran for a seat for the British parliament this year but was trounced along with the rest of the Labour Party.
Haiti doing very bad
November 28 is when the elections will be made for what Wyclef Jean wants to win and the Miami Herald explains this could possibly be an extremely significant vote. The winner will face the challenge of leading reconstruction efforts in the wake of the massive earthquake that claimed an estimated 300,000 lives. Even though it has been six months since it happened, 1.6 million people have camps they’re living in.
Additional reading
Miami Herald
miamiherald.com/2010/08/05/1762628/its-official-wyclef-jean-to-run.html
New York Times
nytimes.com/2010/08/05/world/americas/05haiti.html?_r=1
NPR
npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128996915
