WYCLEF'S HAITI PRESIDENTIAL CANDACY REJECTED

[JumpinJack AJ]

Wyclef Jean's Haiti Presidential Candidacy Rejected

Emily Troutman

Emily Troutman Contributor
AOL News
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Aug. 20) -- Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council ruled that hip-hop musician Wyclef Jean cannot run for president of the earthquake-ravaged Caribbean nation.

Of the 34 submitted names, the council accepted 19 candidates and rejected 15 others, including Jean. Richard Dumel, a spokesman for Haiti's electoral council, announced the council's decision late Friday night in Port-au Prince, according to The Associated Press.

The 37-year-old musician was born in Haiti but moved to New Jersey when he was 9 years old. His presidential aspirations had been called into question because Haiti's constitution dictates that candidates must have spent at least five consecutive years living in the country.

On Tuesday, in an e-mail to The Associated Press, Jean said, "the laws of the Haitian Constitution must be respected."

For the past two weeks, he has been defending his candidacy, saying that his role as goodwill ambassador since 2007 exempted him from constitutional law.

By all accounts, Jean claims to have made the decision to run just two weeks before he announced. His official campaign here in Haiti ran under the party "Viv Ansanm" (Live Together), but was less formally spearheaded by Fas-a-Fas, a youth movement led by the rapper Izolan and his group, Barikad Crew.

The tenure of his campaign here – led by rappers – combined with Jean's own inarticulate interviews, culminated in a flurry of negative press. In the U.S., his image had just bounced back after being accused, in March, of mismanaging the funds of his nonprofit organization, Yele Haiti.

His nomination also led to the revelation, via The Smoking Gun website, that Jean himself owed the U.S. government $2.1 million in back taxes.

Over the past week, friends and colleagues of Jean became increasingly hesitant to speak openly about him for fear of political reprisal. But many people here, especially among the poorest, are deeply loyal to the singer and over the years have formed a protective, and defensive, coterie.

Among business owners, on the other hand, he has a reputation for leaving bills unpaid and for poor management of his charitable activities. For many, his decision to run for office seemed like an obvious and cheap appeal to Haiti's poor, which lack access to news of his indiscretions.

Jean's campaign was short-lived, but its impact on his reputation will likely span the years to come.

One woman, who happened to sit next to the candidate on a flight two weeks ago, didn't hesitate to share her frustrations.
"I said, 'You know, I am one of those elites you hate so much.'"

They were both in first class. They drank a glass of wine together.

Eventually he told her, "Don't worry, I'm not a populist, I'm a capitalist."

With news of his campaign ending, perhaps, he will go back to the business of music.

[VIsqo]

That was sad.. But if Wyclef is really looking for ways to help Haiti he can find them in other ways, like representing one of the candidates and becoming his assessor or keeping on with the donations and programs, etc.