Wyclef Jean is defying Haiti’s political establishment, saying he would seek the aid of the courts to overturn the election board’s decision to reject his presidential bid. The establishment thus far has not stated why Wyclef is ineligible, causing consternation and mild unrest.
The singer-songwriter and activist said his lawyers would file an appeal with the national electoral dispute office. Speaking with The Associated Press from his home in Croix de Bouquets, a suburb of the earthquaked-ravaged Port-au-Prince, the singer said he had a document “which shows everything is correct” and that he and his aides “feel that what is going on here has everything to do with Haitian politics.”
“They are trying to keep us out of the race,” he said, referring to Haiti’s political establishment.
Most observers believe the Jean’s rejection stemmed from the fact that he does not meet residency requirements. Under Haitian law, a presidential candidate must have lived in the country for five consecutive years leading up to an election.
But Jean has argued relentlessly that he was not required to comply with the law so strictly because, after the president, Rene Preval, appointed him as a roving ambassador in 2007, he was allowed to travel and live outside Haiti.
Wyclef’s brief flirtation with the presidency captured the imagination of Haiti’s citizens, particularly the youth. There was legitimate fear that Jean’s rejected bid would ignite riots throughout the capital city and beyond, further paralyzing the recovery of the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation.
Many people in Jean’s hometown have voiced their support for him. “I love what Wyclef is doing,” said Paul Jean Augustine, a 27-year-old mechanic. “We’re ready to die for Clef, and without him there’s no election. We are with him 100 percent.”
Since this citizen’s sentiments are not an isolated feeling — not by a long shot — the election board should deliver a clear and concise statement laying out the exact reason for Jean’s ineligibility. It would do much to stem the growing tide of discontent surging throughout the traumatized nation. Also, by hiding behind the cloak of the “political establishment,” it makes the powers-to-be appear unsure, weak and cunning, a toxic combination that could spark a bloody insurrection. –terry shropshire
