Wyclef Jean for President? Not Just a Song Lyric Anymore

If I was president, I'd get elected on Friday / Assassinated on Saturday / Buried on Sunday / Go back to Work on Monday.

Instead of spending billions on the war, I can use that money so I can feed the poor.

Wyclef Jean's 2008 hit may soon morph from "rebel music" into a campaign song.


Telling CNN this week that he "can't sing forever," the former Fugee acknowledged he had filled out the paperwork for a presidential bid in his native Haiti -- but hasn't decided yet if he'll actually get out on the campaign trail.

Jean, 37, who has lived in the United States since childhood but traveled frequently back to his home island, has been one of the more outspoken advocates for Haiti since the earthquake six months ago. In a separate CNN appearance two weeks ago, reporting live from Port-au-Prince, Jean certainly sounded like a candidate. "What is positive is the spirit of the Haitian people," he said, noting a visible lack of reconstruction efforts. "People are frustrated. There are still people all over the city sleeping in tents." But more than houses, he said, the population of Haiti, 65 percent of which is under 21, "wants education and job creation."

And in an op-ed published July 25 in the United Kingdom's Mirror, Jean stumped for Haiti, sounding more like an international politician than a musician.

"Haiti still needs our help -- more than ever. People around the world made lots of promises, and we want those promises to be kept. . . . I was expecting to go down there and see thousands of Caterpillars lifting it up, but no. Rebuilding has been delayed by land disputes, bureaucratic roadblocks, customs problems, differences of opinion about strategy and even delays in getting the actual pledged money to Haiti. . . . In the next 90 days Haiti needs the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission to release $150 million to carry out a coherent public safety and security plan that addresses the violence, kidnapping, abduction, rape and sexual abuse . . . and to carry out a solid rubble-removal programme and really start the country's rebuilding process, giving everybody hope. I'm a warrior and can't stand by quietly while promises aren't kept. I won't ever surrender."

Not incidentally, the focus of Jean's own non-profit, Yéle Haiti, is job creation and encouraging foreign investment in Haiti, among other things. On July 12 the organization announced the creation of Yéle Corps, a "new program that will provide jobs to nearly 1,000 people a day cleaning the streets and removing garbage. The program also includes a vocational training component." Jean was on hand to launch the project.

Yéle Haiti released this statement about Jean's potential bid to run his country:

"Wyclef's commitment to his homeland and its youth is boundless, and he will remain its greatest supporter regardless of whether he is part of the government moving forward. At this time, Wyclef Jean has not announced his intent to run for Haitian president. If and when a decision is made, media will be alerted immediately."

But Yéle Haiti has not been a 100 percent success story for Jean. Not long after the earthquake in January, the Smoking Gun accused Jean of, at worst, moving some of the money his organization raised into his own pocket, or, at best, mishandling it. Jean rejected the charges, saying he was "disgusted" and calling the allegations an "attack on my integrity."

Jean must decide by Aug. 7 if he'll throw his cap into the fray. The election is in November.