I recently heard that Wyclef Jean is running for President of Haiti. While he won't have the powers of the PM, the move is interesting for a musician. You can follow him on Twitter here:
http://twitter.com/wyclef/
And if you haven't caught on to the whole Twitter thing, realize that this web page is an instant announcement to 1.5 million people whole follow Wyclef, a large percentage of which are presumably fans who know about the man for his rhymes more than his rhetoric. They might not be in Haiti, but it's hard not to imagine Haitians of all ages voting for the native-born, international superstar.
What Haiti needs now is a symbolic fundraiser as President, while their PM picks up the ministerial pieces after the January 12 earthquake rocked the developing, fragile nation.
That makes Wyclef seem perfect for the job, although his detractor on NPR the other day was quick to point out that he's had trouble here in the US with the IRS and his own non-profit, Yele Haiti. The following was taken from uprisingradio.org:
While some question whether Jean is qualified for Haiti’s highest office, others are critical of his politics. His familial ties to the coup government and his implicit support for it have caused concern. Wyclef Jean, who has remained a Haitian citizen, described his decision to run for Haiti’s highest office saying, “I always say that Wyclef Jean is not running for the Presidency of Haiti, I’m being drafted by the people of Haiti.”
While Wyclef's main problem is his severe inability to speak in the first person tense, I support what he's trying to do. Extreme times do call for extreme measures and while electing actors has proved fateful in American politics recently, I do think a distinction can be made there.
Actors are masters of empathy, but that's where the politicians get ya in the first place! Our voting decisions are oftentimes made on emotional criteria (think abortion or immigration), when in reality logic should rule the voting process. The immigration issue is a prime example. Conservatives have argued to repeal the very amendment in our constitution that makes it such that anyone born on US soil is a US citizen. It's easy for them to stir the emotions of a nation who, in reality, keep 90% of illegal immigrants here and for a reason. This reason is economic and we've all heard the "they do they jobs we don't want" spiel.
Artists, by comparison, and I mean real artists (not Pink or Brittany or Justin Beib... what's that kids' name???) are masters of individuality. An artist finds her place in the world by personal observation, not interpersonal empathy.
I'm not saying actors can't have strong opinions, or artists can't selflessly promote their work. What I am saying is that Wyclef was passionate about Haiti and it's politics before the earthquake. That makes me think he is less of an opportunistic snake-in-the-grass and really cares about the country as a whole, not just the part that will vote for him.
But ultimately he's got the best attribute of a politician his party could ask for. He can win.
