Fugees alum, Wyclef Jean, has announced his plans to run for president of Haiti. The singer made his bid official after traveling back to his homeland to fill out the necessary paperwork, then discussed his plans on Thursday with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, on Larry King Live. Jean said, “I feel like I’m being drafted by the population right now to give them a different face, a different voice.”
Jean has played a role as Haiti’s goodwill ambassador, and before announcing his bid, he was the chairman of Yele Haiti, the grassroots-styled non-governmental organization he co-founded in 2005.
Wyclef revealed his plan to revive the earthquake-ravaged nation, focusing on job creation, agriculture, security, health care, and most importantly education. “Haiti will not be a part of the 21st century if Haiti cannot read or write,” Jean said.
Stemming from allegations that Jean misused thousands of dollars from his Yéle Haiti foundation, not everyone is taking the announcement lightly. Sean Penn has been in Haiti since the devastating earthquake, helping displaced Haitians, and expressed his concerns with Jean’s motives to run. Penn told CNN, “I’m not accusing Wyclef Jean of being an opportunist, I don’t know the man…I haven’t seen or heard anything of him in these last six months that I’ve been in Haiti. I think he’s an important voice. I hope he doesn’t sacrifice that voice by taking the eye off the very devastating realities on the ground.”
Jean defended himself this morning on Gayle King’s radio show, saying if it weren’t for his own efforts to stop violence in Haiti, it would not have even been possible for Penn to be there now.
The Haitian presidential election will take place on November 28.
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