Wyclef Jean has announced he is running for president of Haiti. The earthquake that hit Haiti last January was devastating and Wyclef Jean, as the Grammy winner as frontman of the Fugees, thinks he needs to help the individuals of this native land. Jean’s running within the election is going to be interesting considering it is one of the most essential elections Haiti will ever have. Most are concerned because Jean has no political experience. Since he hasn’t lived in Haiti since he was 9 and moved to live in New York and New Jersey, most are concerned about his qualifications.
Wyclef Jean’s presidential aspirations
Wyclef Jean’s presidential aspirations were revealed on a Miami radio station Thursday morning. Jean told the Miami Herald of his plans to become president after stepping down as chairman of the Yélé Haiti Foundation that he started. The Yélé committee was responsible for raising $ 9.1 million to help with Haiti earthquake relief, reports the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The earthquake was a 7.0 magnitude which happened January 12 and devastated the capitol, Port au Prince, and Jean was one of the first people to respond to it.
Haiti earthquake is reason why Jean wants to run
Wyclef Jean plans on running for president because he thinks he was called to it. He told the New York Times:
“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 going to, as outlined by the Times, announce his candidacy on “Larry King Live” after registering with the elections board in Haiti on Thursday. Candidates for the Haitian presidency must be citizens with five or more years of residency in Haiti. Even though he left the country as a child, Jean said he met both needs. Born in Croix des Bouquets, Haiti, he holds a Haitian passport.
Jean thinks he’s like Havel and Reagan
Vaclav Havel and Ronald Reagan are individuals that Jean talks about when referring to his transition, reports Time magazine who talked to NPR. Before Reagan and Havel got elected, they got a lot of experience which is as opposed to Jean. A musician that succeeded in politics quite a bit was previous Midnight Oil frontman who became Australia’s environment minister, Peter Garrett. 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.
Jean’s Haiti in poor condition
The election prepared for November 28 could be one of probably the most essential ones for Haiti as Wyclef Jean tries to win. There was an earthquake in Haiti taking 300,000 lives which the president will have to work on helping the country because of. Although it has been six months since it happened, 1.6 million individuals have camps they are living in.
Further 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
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