STORY OF INTEREST: Sean Penn questions Wyclef’s bid to run Haiti

Penn

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn poured cold water on Wyclef Jean’s bid for the Haitian presidency on Wednesday, questioning the motives of the musician and those backing his campaign.

Penn, who has spent extended periods in Haiti since the devastating January 12 earthquake, told CNN in an interview that Jean had been a “non-presence” during efforts to rebuild the state in the months since the disaster.

“He has been virtually silent for those of us in Haiti, he has been a non-presence,” said Penn, who has been running a 55,000-person tent camp through the J/P Haitian Relief Organization he co-founded.

While acknowledging Jean was an “important voice,” Penn also accused the hip-hop artist of misusing more than 400,000 dollars donated to his charity.

“His voice has really been most loudly that which allegedly has taken over 400,000 dollars designated for Haitian relief for himself and claims he didn’t do it,” Penn said. “That has to be looked into.”

“I’ve been there. I know what 400,000 dollars could do for these people’s lives and for a 24-year-old girl right now who is dying.

“So, I want to see someone who is really, really willing to sacrifice for their country and not just someone who I personally saw with a vulgar entourage of vehicles that demonstrated a wealth in Haiti that — in context, I felt a very obscene demonstration.”

Earlier this year, Jean broke down in tears after denying that his Yele Haiti Foundation had misused funds.

It followed publication of a 2006 tax return which showed more than a third of the foundation’s revenues had been diverted to miscellaneous expenses.

Jean’s bid for the presidency of the quake-hit nation has won support from some in Haiti, where many hail him as a hero, but has also drawn sneers from politicians skeptical of a hip-hop star in the national palace.

The Haitian-born Grammy award winner told supporters that he hoped to usher in a new era for the impoverished Caribbean nation.

“The United States has Obama, here you’re going to have Wyclef,” said the former Fugees singer in his first public comments since arriving in Port-au-Prince on a private plane Thursday to officially launch his bid for president.

“We have to live together, work together to change Haiti, open more schools,” added Jean, who encouraged the youths around him to get voting cards.

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13 Comments

  1. ISAYSO
    August 9, 2010

    Wyclef is not credible at all and I know he is doing this because of the scandal of his charity misusing funds. I honestly believe, Wyclef is there for his own personal gain. We black people really do not know how to help each other, all we can do is just hold back each other and walk over each other. There is enough wealth out there for all of us but we just cannot seem to get along. We still have the slave mentality and unfortunately, I just do not see us getting over that chip on our shoulder any time soon. Wyclef need to want t help us people for real and out of his goodness of his heart.

  2. Herbalist
    August 6, 2010

    Sean Penn Statement is so real, Lookout Black People its is written…Bob Sang about it, Marcus Garvey spoke about it, Malcolm X tried to fight it and Martin Luthur king Preached it….we need to read my people, they (new world order) is sending our own to hold us down in this mental slavery…the Freemasons are moving in each day….where are the promises Obama gave? who are the lobbiest that controls the politicians? my people wyclef is one of them…not every black man is black…dig it….for those who love reading please read this book its called Trance-Formation of America written by Kathy O`Brien….knowledge is key…..New World Order Here…..just look at the things we read on DNO, people have no morals nor do they value life, wars and rumours of wars, so many people are dyin and still politicians spend so much money on weapons, man sleeping with man, women with women, children making children just to name a few examples of our world in trouble….Revaltion times, so all who have love and know love (Almighty) haveno fear….Fire Burning Red Hot…..Amen…..who liek what i wrote Bless Up who dislike it try to stay up.

  3. ..........i............
    August 6, 2010

    Sean Penn has been living in Haiti and spending his own money from his own pocket into tose people. Thats how black folks get riped off. You all will immediately attack any white man based on your slave mentality. Not every white man is out to get you! Black people will take from their own kind right in front of them and you what black folks do say oh he would never do that. Why? mmm lets see cause he black. Wyclef came to haiti with a motorcade fancy vehicles while touring the slums and then he hasn’t been back since. Many of you Dominicans doesn’t take the time out to read and understand what is being said. Sean Penn has been in haiti longer than while since the earthquake. Wyclef stole money from charity. He is a thief. Say what you all want Dominicans but there are those off us who are well informed. uggh you people…!

  4. Deoborah
    August 6, 2010

    Commentary: Can Wyclef save Haiti?
    Published on Friday, August 6, 2010

    By Anthony L. Hall

    Here, in part, is how hip-hop star Wyclef Jean rationalized his decision to run for president of Haiti this November:

    “If I can’t take five years out to serve my country as President, then everything I’ve been singing about, like equal rights, doesn’t mean anything.” (TIME, August 4, 2010)

    Anthony L. Hall is a descendant
    of the Turks & Caicos Islands,
    international lawyer and political
    consultant – headquartered in
    Washington DC – who publishes
    his own weblog, The iPINIONS
    Journal, at http://ipjn.com
    offering commentaries on
    current events from a
    Caribbean perspective
    But I suspect some Haitians will be put off by the arrogance inherent in this rapper suggesting that being president is the only meaningful way he can serve his country.

    Not to mention the disservice this rationale does to his own legacy of charitable and humanitarian work on behalf of the chronically impoverished people of Haiti. Or, for that matter, the unwitting way it discounts the abiding pride he has expressed for Haiti throughout the years in his very popular music. A pride in fact that is plainly manifest even in the name of the band that made him famous: the Fugees – derived from the refugee status far too many Haitians can relate to.

    That said, the arrogance of Wyclef’s candidacy would be surpassed by the foolhardiness of anyone who thinks that he is not qualified to serve as president. Here’s why:

    “It’s a sad commentary on the state of world affairs that the political initiatives of a Hollywood actress or rock star are taken more seriously than those of a seasoned statesman.

    “How else can one explain the President of Sierra Leone drooling over Angelina Jolie last week as he promised HER immediate action on redressing human rights abuses in his country after rejecting repeated appeals by President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa to do just that?

    “How else can one explain Western leaders, including U.S. President George W. Bush, fawning over rock star Bono earlier this year as they promised HIM debt relief for African nations after rejecting repeated pleas by President Obasanjo of Nigeria (and even from Nelson Mandela) to do just that?” (Celebrity-obsessed world has made actors and rocks stars statesmen of our time, The iPINIONS Journal, May 23, 2005)

    Actually, I published a commentary only yesterday (on my weblog The iPINIONS Journal) in which I noted that, despite the efforts of revered politicians like the late Senator Ted Kennedy, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons is generally regarded as the one who finally got the U.S. government to amend drug laws which mandated racial disparities (in favour of whites) in cocaine cases.

    So given that, in our celebrity-obsessed world, even Western leaders get this starstruck, just imagine how captivated ordinary Haitians will be by Wyclef’s celebrity, which clearly rivals that of Angelina, Bono, and Russell. In point of fact, this is why actor Sean Penn is the most celebrated relief worker in Haiti today – even if he’s too self-righteous to recognize it. It is also why I fear that the other 300-plus candidates in this presidential election will find that all of their academic degrees and political experience will seem irrelevant to most voters, especially once Wyclef begins wooing them at entertaining rock-the-vote campaign rallies.

    But I hasten to clarify that this is not to suggest that his celebrity is all Wyclef has to offer. After all, I doubt there’s another Haitian, let alone another presidential candidate, who has done more than he has done: not only to raise global consciousness about the chronic poverty and disease that plagued Haiti even before the earthquake, but also to raise funds to bring about change in this godforsaken country through programs in education, the arts, sports and the environment.

    Which brings me to the undeniable fact that what Haiti needs now more than anything is a leader who can institutionalize the cause célèbre aiding this earthquake-ravaged country has become. Because the overriding mandate of any Haitian president for the foreseeable future will be to attract foreign direct investments as well as technical support to reform government institutions and build the country’s infrastructure. Interestingly enough, here’s how I commented on this national mandate over a year ago:

    “I commend UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for appointing former President Bill Clinton as Haiti Envoy. Because, in addition to keeping this country’s despairing plight in our global consciousness, Clinton will be able to marshal more financial resources and technical expertise to build infrastructure, improve democratic institutions and establish regard for the rule of law (and human rights) than any Haitian, including President René Préval and Wyclef Jean, ever could.” (Compassion fatigue for Haitian migrants, The iPINIONS Journal, July 31, 2009)

    Of course, as much as he might like to, Clinton will not be on the ballot this November. But President Préval won’t be either because he is constitutionally prohibited from running for a third term.

    It follows that, over a year before he announced his candidacy, I thought Wyclef had enough international contacts and gravitas to be mentioned in the same context as Clinton and Préval when it comes to providing the unique kind of leadership Haiti needs today. More to the point, it was probably this recognition of Wyclef’s clout that moved Préval to appoint him as Haiti’s international goodwill ambassador in 2007.

    I would be remiss, however, if I did not acknowledge a glaring problem with Wyclef’s candidacy. It stems from reasonable concerns that he cannot be trusted with any access to the billions in aid and investments that will be flowing into Haiti. Here’s how I commented on this critical element of trust earlier this year:

    “What will distinguish this latest round of foreign aid is the vested interest all donor nations are taking in Haiti’s sustainable development. Indeed, nothing militates against billions more being squandered quite like having former U.S. President Bill Clinton, instead of local leaders, managing this nation-building project. Especially since one can be forgiven for thinking all Haitian politicians are congenitally incompetent and corrupt…” (Haitians returning to Africa…, The iPINIONS Journal, February 12, 2010)

    The reason Wyclef has some ‘splainin’ to do in this respect is that, according to credible reports, the IRS has filed over $2 million in federal tax liens against him. This dreaded tax collection agency alleges that Wyclef was either grossly negligent or willfully dishonest in filing his tax returns for several years. In a similar vein, he has also been dogged by allegations that he has used contributions to his humanitarian Yéle Haiti Foundation for his personal benefit….

    Nevertheless, I submit that Wyclef can allay all concerns about his fiduciary competence and trustworthiness by pledging that all foreign aid and investments will be directed to and processed through the NGO for Haiti’s recovery and reconstruction that Clinton is currently heading.

    In any case, he would be wise to announce a team of political advisers comprised of the most talented Haitians who have not been tainted by the legacy of corruption, nepotism, and cronyism that have made such a dysfunctional mess of successive Haitian governments. Naturally this would include calling on impeccably qualified Haitians in the Diaspora, like my esteemed colleague Jean H. Charles MSW, JD, to return home along with him to serve their country.

    If Wyclef allays these concerns, I fully expect him to be elected the next president of Haiti – with all due respect to the other wannabes.

    In the meantime, given that some Americans are still questioning Barack Obama’s birthright to be president of the United States simply because he lived abroad as a child, it might be helpful for Wyclef to publish irrefutable evidence that he was in fact born in Haiti and has never abrogated his birthright to serve as its president. Especially since rumour has it that, having grown up in Brooklyn and New Jersey, he now speaks Creole, his native tongue, the way Henry Kissinger speaks English; i.e., like a foreigner.

    Can Wyclef save Haiti? Yes he can.

    Related commentaries:
    Celebrity obsessed world…
    Compassion fatigue for Haitians…
    Haitians returning to Africa…

    ——————————————————————————–

    Copyright© 2007-2009 Caribbean Net News at http://www.caribbeannetnews.com All Rights Reserved
    For permission to republish, please contact [email protected]

  5. Jayson
    August 6, 2010

    @Dominican: The same questions were asked about the movie star Ronald Reagan.

    Does Wyclef know any less than any other politician in the caribbean when they first ran for office? I think not…!

  6. Haitian
    August 6, 2010

    @Jepter: With whom on his side? Clinton? You know nothing of the US role, Clinton’s hands down action while president of the US in helping to get Haiti where she is now. Please do some research. The people of Haiti have been demanding the return of Father Aristide and the Lavalas party for years now. Remember Aristide was democratically elected, but was kidnapped and taken out of Haiti. He is still exiled in South Africa. The imperialists planned all those devilish actions. Aristide requested to return to his native land to assist in the reconstruction efforts after the earthquake but was refused. Imagine that. His Lavalas party has been banned from taking part in the November Presidential elections. Wyclef Jean should rally with the people of Haiti and demand the return of Aristide and the inclusion of the popular Lavalas party in the elections. Of course, the US, France, the EU have other thoughts. They are the ones controlling Haiti and setting their agendas. Wyclef might just end up being a puppet of the imperialist lackeys, trust me.

  7. xmxn
    August 6, 2010

    @Dominican: do you know the man?yo know nothing about the man and yet you spiting all that crap from your s@@@@@ mouth just shut the h## up if you have nothing to say

  8. Dominican
    August 6, 2010

    Wyclef Jean has finallly completely lost his marbles!! Or then again maybe not at all! The pressure is on him for the misuse of hundreds of thousands of misused funds and now he wants to play noble and run for Presidency! Gimme a break! What does he know about running a country?! I wouldn’t want Sean Penn to run for it either! Those Haitians need somebody who really cares about them to run for president! Wyclef Jean can as well go back to singing! He’s way out of his league here!

  9. Deoborah
    August 6, 2010

    Carrying bags of food on your back is not the only way to help the Haitian people. Just raising the consciousness of people throughtout the world as to the plight of Haitian people as Wyclef Jean did goes a very long way towards the rebuilding of Haiti.

  10. Jepter
    August 6, 2010

    Wyclef is the lesser of the many devils trying to convince Haitians to vote then in

  11. Jepter
    August 6, 2010

    Where the hell was Sean years before the quake. Having cameras follow you carrying bag of food, in my mind speaks more of publicity than anything.

    On the other hand Wyclef, though young has been there for his country for countless of years throughout which he has done more for Haiti than any single person has. Thus the need and reasoning for him entering the race.

    I trust that with Clinton at his side, President Jean will help bring the Country to new birth.

    Let’s rebuild Haiti together as a Caribbean people

    God bless Jean

  12. Less We Forget!
    August 6, 2010

    Haitians do not want Wyclef , he is simply seeking attention and using this as a distraction into the on going investigations. Haiti has been misused by many of those fake agencies collecting funds on her behalf but alas when a son of the soil who claim to be for the people, is stealing what little should come to her, then blogging on twitter how many cars he has blah blah and don’t need the money it’s sad. This countrys’ citizens have been her worst enemies. Wyclef is as deceptive as the broken creole he attempts to speak.

    He uses his celebrity to rip off agencies and stars in the name of Haiti.

  13. August 6, 2010

    Great points Sean, see thru the wolves in sheep clothing.

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