Filed under: News, Politics, Race and Civil Rights
Fugees front man Wyclef Jean made it official: He's joining the crowded field of people running for president of Haiti.
Jean, 37, filed the official paperwork in Haiti today. He arrived 10 minutes before the election office closed, surrounded by his wife and kids and a large crowd.
"It's a moment in time and in history," Jean told The Associated Press as he went to hand in his candidacy papers, 10 minutes before the office closed. "It's very emotional."
Jean, who has no political experience, has been an advocate for Haiti long before a devastating earthquake tore through the country earlier this year, killing an estimated 300,000 people.
Jean began collecting funds through his charity, Yele, but came under scrutiny, after questions about the charity's spending arose, including their failure to file tax forms for more than one year. Since the earthquake, the charity has raised $9 million and has distributed $1.5 million for food, water and other supplies.
We know Wyclef is a good musician and producer with a heart for his homeland, and we know he'll be a hard worker. In the chorus to his 2004 song "President," he sang:
"If I was president / I'd get elected on Friday, assassinated on Saturday, buried on Sunday/ Then go back to work on Monday."
Check out a few opinions on whether Wyclef should run from Haitians below and then let us know what you think.
Diana BlainArtist/Educator/ Film Correspondent
Founder of Non-Profit organization Classroom To Life Inc., Brooklyn, NY
"I think it is courageous and admirable that Wyclef is thinking of running in Haiti's Presidential Election. Since he understands the level of poverty and wealth among the people that live there and has had a successful experience living in the United States, I think he can bring a unique and fresh experience to the Haitian government. A political change that has been long overdue. However, there will be a tremendous learning curve for him as he has never held a political position in office before. It will be imperative that he have an experienced support team to help him navigate thru. foreign relations, political public policy and to help him implement the change he is seeking to create there. The question is: Is he ready for such a humongous responsibility and task. Wishing him the best of luck."
Max Maura Owner, JUNOT S.A, Construction Equipment Rental in Haiti
"Initially I was against the idea, not because he is a musician and has no political background. To be honest, I haven't really been a fan of Wyclef in the last couple of years and even less so after it was revealed that he mismanaged funds of his nonprofit YELE.
I think he is a great entertainer and a great promoter for Haiti. He has been consistent about promoting Haiti even when it wasn't sexy to do so. For that he gets mad respect! However I had to ask myself if he couldn't manage Yele's funds correctly, how is he going to oversee billions of Haiti's funds? Corruption in the Haitian government is rampant. And with his inexperience in government and past financial management troubles, how effective will he really be as a president?
However, I've had a recent change of heart. I travel to Haiti pretty regularly and on my last trip I've began to feel that the current state is the new normal for Haiti. People are back to work. Children are back to school. The nightlife is actually better with more parties and new restaurants popping up than ever before. Street vendors have set up shop right next to collapsed buildings. At some of the camps, I've seen discos and movie theaters operating. Very few people talk about the earthquake or even reconstruction. The conversations seem to be about the regular day- day stuff. The earthquake seems to be an afterthought.
Even government officials seem to be back to their same old rhetoric and are jockeying for positions in the upcoming elections. The same old actors are popping up to play the same old game. Like most Haitians, I was horrified over the earthquake, but we also hoped that it would be taken as a wake up call for all Haitians and especially those in government to do right for its people. However, as the months pass, it seems that hope is fleeting.
The earthquake was just like all the past disasters that have befallen Haiti and in a few months things settle down and the misery, the corruption and everything else gets back to normal. For that reason, I welcome and support Wyclef as president of Haiti. We need new players in the game with new energy and ideas. I hope that he will be successful in taking the country out of it misery. None of the old players inspire hope or confidence that they would bring something new to the table and really help Haiti. At least Wyclef inspires that hope."
Karen AddisonOwner, d.a.m. Pretty
"As someone who knows Wyclef, I know he's doing it for the people, to help and make a change. Not like most Haitians who run for power and prestige and stealing the money! The current president has been there for 10 yrs and has done absolutely nothing for the country as we can all see after the earthquake. Clef is a wealthy man himself, well-known worldwide and has become an unofficial Haitian ambassador.
But I think this can get way out of hand when it comes to politics, especially where Haitians are concerned. Politics is the main topic of discussion at dinner tables and family visits in most Haitian homes, and most are not happy with Wyclef running. They don't think it should be a popularity contest."
Haiti is a country that will need billions in aid money to rebuild from almost the ground up in some areas. Do you think Jean is ready to be president of the poorest country in the Western hemisphere?