News says that singer Wyclef Jean wants to run for president of Haiti.
This is a bad idea. Not only is it a tad egotistical of him, but I'm not under any impression that yet another U.S raised and educated leader will do Haiti any good.
I wrote a section on Wyclef when I reviewed We Are The World 25 for the Dallas Observer. My original draft was pretty messy and threw a lot of random, snarky accusations around, but I stand by this section:
There is another thing I want to look back on. Let’s go back to the year 2004. Nickleback had more fans than a random pickle, Maroon 5′s This Love had taken our patience and Outkast’s Hey Ya! put a smile on everyone’s face.
Haiti was shaking too, but not like a Polaroid picture. The country was rocked by violence instigated by reactionaries funded and armed by U.S. conservative think tanks (who were a bit cocksure after their con game in Iraq) and staffed by former elements of the tyrannical Duvalier dynasty. Who would even think of sharing their lot with this awful bunch? Wyclef, that’s who!
I should mention, before the coup forces called themselves the Resistance Army, they had given themselves the intimidating moniker Cannibal Army.
I brought this up to illustrate that Wyclef has been on the side of the powerful against the powerless. It shouldn't surprise anyone if he sides with powerful interests again.
Add in the January controversy about financial irregularities associated with the Yele Haiti Foundation and a fresh report from TSG about Jean's frequent tax delinquency, you get someone who is unfit to lead a nation, especially a perpetually exploited and struggling nation such as Haiti