On Thursday, Jean appeared on CNN’s LARRY KING LIVE to announce that he is indeed a candidate for the office of President of Haiti. “Yes, it’s my first time announcing it live — that today I went in, and I signed, and I am running to be the president of Haiti,” Jean told Wolf Blitzer (who was sitting in for Larry) in his first television interview as a candidate. Jean was one of the first and perhaps most visible celebrities to offer assistance following the devastating earthquake in January. He has also been an outspoken supporter of the nation through his Yele Haiti Foundation.
If he is elected in November, Wyclef Jean will face the difficult task of rebuilding a nation still recovering from the deadly earthquake that killed more over 220,000 people, destroyed 60% of government infrastructure and left more than 180,000 homes uninhabitable. Jean would also oversee billions of dollars in international aid provided to Haiti since the quake.
“Now that our country has toppled, it’s a chance to rebuild from the bottom on up,” said Jean.
But not everybody is celebrating Jean’s candidacy. U.S. actor Sean Penn, who has been living in Haiti for the past several months helping in the rebuilding efforts, is questioning Jean’s presidential aspirations. He stopped short of calling Jean an opportunist, but made it clear he is suspicious of Jean’s sudden interest, particularly since Jean has been absent from the Caribbean nation for many months and has not been involved in any of the day-to-day rebuilding operations. Penn claims that the miles of available coastal land combined with billions of dollars in donated aid makes Haiti “vulnerable” to misuse by self-serving corporate interests. He believes if the highly visible Wyclef Jean is elected president, it would only serve Jean and his corporate backers, and not necessarily the needy people of Haiti.
Wyclef Jean immediately issued the following response to Sean Penn’s concerns:
“The first thing I’d like to say to Sean Penn is that the area which he operates in Haiti is one area in particular… He hasn’t seen me for six months – I’ve been going to Haiti for over five years… I am not absent in Haiti, maybe the tent city you’re in, maybe I’m absent in that.”
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I don't know this man or his reasons. But the billions of dollars in money Haiti got donated during the earthquake is a concern. Haiti had it's share of corrupt leaders but I just don't want to think this way about Wyclef too.