HAITI: Presidential candadte and hip-hop star Wyclef Jean says Haiti needs a global, not local president

Record ID: 789728

  • Title: HAITI: Presidential candadte and hip-hop star Wyclef Jean says Haiti needs a global, not local president
  • Date: 13th August 2010
  • Summary: PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (AUGUST 12, 2010) (REUTERS) WYCLEF JEAN, HAITIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, AT HIS HOME IN HAITI SOUNDBITE (English) WYCLEF SAYING: "I wanted to become president of Haiti after I looked at the situation of the fact that in the past 200 years we've basically had the same thing happen over and over again with Haitian politics. It was important that we go
  • Embargoed: 28th August 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Haiti
  • Country: Haiti
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAA5PT79DU6KFC7XD155TN4BK1O
  • Story Text: Presidential contender Wyclef Jean said Haiti needed a new type of leader to bring it into the 21st century as he spoke in an interview with Reuters in Port-au-Prince on Thursday (August 12).
    Jean spoke about his hopes for his nation and the need for change in the quake-shattered nation.
    Jean registered as a presidential contender last week, in a move into politics that generated an outburst of popular enthusiasm in his homeland.
    He will run as a candidate for the Viv Ansanm (Live Together) political party.
    More than half the population of Haiti, which is the poorest country in the Americas, is under 21. Many analysts predict Jean could easily win the presidential election
    "I wanted to become president of Haiti after I looked at the situation of the fact that in the past 200 years we've basically had the same thing happen over and over again with Haitian politics. It was important that we got a breath of fresh air. What I mean by that is, we have a youth population that's the majority, but they still can't read, they can't write. Everything in the country is being imported when we used to be one of the number one countries in exporting, 1.5 million people still living under the rubble. I felt that, I always say that, Wyclef Jean don't want to be the president of Haiti, Wyclef Jean is being drafted by the youth of Haiti," Wyclef said.
    Authorities now have until Aug. 17 to approve or reject his candidacy for the Nov. 28 ballot. There has been speculation that Jean could be rejected for not having lived in Haiti for the past five years.
    "We have given every form of paperwork that they have asked for and we await their decision," said Jean.
    Jean said the nation now needed a global, not local president who could reach out to international donors to help get Haiti back on its feet.
    "I think you're going to need a president that's not just a local president of the country, you're going to need a global president and that means not just staying in Haiti, but going outside of Haiti and speaking to donors and creating more allies around the world and let them know that Haiti is ready for the transformation," said Jean.
    He also confirmed he was wrapping up his last album to concentrate on politics.
    Singer-songwriter Jean has never held elective office but is widely admired in Haiti and credited with never having forgotten his Haitian roots.
    The former Fugees star, best known for his work with Colombian pop star Shakira and their 2006 mega-hit "Hips Don't Lie," was born in Haiti but grew up in New York.
    Ordinary Haitians said they believed he could make a good president.
    "Yes there will be change in the neighbourhood if he becomes president. There is nobody who will tell him what to do. He grew up in the neighbourhood and knows the needs of the community," said this woman working on a cash-for-work programme in his neighbourhood.
    His relatives too firmly back his candidacy.
    "When we learned the news, it wasn't really a surprise. Because we know how Wyclef loves Haiti. Wherever he goes, he carries Haiti in his heart. We can take for example in Germany 2006; he carries the flag on his back and his heart," said his cousin, Rose-Andre Bony.
    Wyclef Jean has long been active in raising money for his homeland through his Yele Haiti Foundation, especially since the Jan. 12 earthquake that killed as many as 300,000 people.
    The disaster has left some 1.5 million homeless survivors still under tarpaulins and in makeshift tent cities.
    Haiti's outgoing government of President Rene Preval, who cannot seek re-election, has been widely criticized for failing to aid victims of the quake and for being slow to launch a credible start to the huge task of rebuilding the country.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register