NEWSWyclef Jean "Drafted" to Run For Haitian President
Aug. 5 2010, Published 11:55 a.m. ET
Wyclef Jean knows his new mission in life and is on the verge of pursuing it. The Grammy-winning hip hop artist has decided top run for President in his home country of Haiti, a political position he has been "drafted" for.
"Not only am I running for president of Haiti, I'm being drafted by the people of Haiti," Wyclef told CBS News' The Early Show correspondent Betty Nguyen when asked why he is running for the tough task in the impoverished and naturally depleted nation.
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Haiti is scheduled to vote for a new president on Nov. 28.
Wyclef has long been ingrained in the Haitian community and took on a larger activist role after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti in January.
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His charity the Yéle Haiti Foundation strives to improve the situation for Haitian people through educational, health and community projects.
It recently came under fire after critics accused him of misusing funds from the organization. But Wyclef denied the accusations.
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So what makes the celebrity qualified for the difficult task?
"I have no qualifications for president; I have qualifications for a leader," he told CBS.
Wyclef also shared with the Wall Street Journal his plans to improve the devastating condition of the country.
"Well, I think the reality of it, to rebuild Haiti is going to take 25-30 years. But I think there are issues we can start tackling — the education, the literacy problem, the job creation problem, the agricultural component," he explained to the WSJ. "The idea that if everything is being imported how do we get our export back. National production. These are some of the things that I feel we can start tackling. And when I say job creation, the infrastructure, the reconstruction of Haiti, should not only involve international contractors, but there should be local Haitian contractors too."
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The exclusive interview with The Early Show will air Friday, Aug. 6 (7:00-9:00 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS.
