“Seriously?” That was my initial response when I first heard about Wyclef Jean’s decision to run for President of my native Haiti. Five days later, after consuming everything there was to read and hear about his candidacy, I was still thinking, “Seriously?!!!”
Wyclef and I are the same age. We left Haiti at approximately the same time (I was 7, he was 9) and grew up near each other in the US. While he toiled at his art, creating rhythms the world had never heard, I trudged my way through a New England boarding school, the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown, a JD and MBA at Columbia and an MPA at Harvard, trying to understand the root causes of poverty and the ways to eradicate them.
In the past two weeks, several people I respect have asked me to consider submitting my name as a presidential candidate. Some reminded me of my work with the Electoral Council during the elections in Haiti of 1995; others remarked on my academic credentials and work experience at JPMorgan and Citigroup; and one even advised that the fact I never relinquished my Haitian citizenship would counter those who might want to label me as “inauthentic.” Each time, I smiled, thanked the person for their support and replied: I’m not ready; Haiti needs more than I can offer right now…especially now. Wyclef should have said the same.
Over the years, I have admired Wyclef’s humanitarian work. When I founded the Denise Project, which brought doctors and supplies to Haiti in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, I gained a new appreciation for his efforts. I know Wyclef loves Haiti as I do. But, I also know it is irresponsible to have put himself at serious risk of being elected Haiti’s president at this critical time in its history. His bid smacks of opportunism. It is thoughtless at best and reckless at worst.
Wyclef’s pursuit makes me question his judgment – the very thing that could qualify him for the office in the absence of proper training or experience. It was judgment that vaulted Barrack Obama past Hillary Clinton, despite the fact that she was far more experienced. As the electorate saw it, Obama’s judgment trumped her experience. However, rather than demonstrate the good judgment required to overcome his inexperience, Wyclef has shown a total lack of judgment by this ill-advised run.
A friend of mine made the argument that Wyclef could surround himself with qualified advisers. I agreed, but told him that as President, Wyclef would be the person making the final decisions and that nothing in his background indicates the capacity to effectively evaluate what will likely often be the conflicting counsel of his advisers. Instead of basing decisions on healthy debate, as Obama aims to do, his shortcomings could lead him to simply side with the adviser he knows or likes best. That is not the way to run a government. That is not what Haiti needs to recover from the tragedy of January 12th and a legacy of poverty and cronyism.
However, there is a positive aspect to Wyclef’s candidacy. Hopefully, it will convince Haitians that those of us who left, either by choice or because we were too young to object, genuinely desire to be of service. To flippantly dismiss or disqualify us as candidates unnecessarily drains the pool of talent from which the country can draw. Haiti needs all of its sons and daughters at this time and making distinctions of the sort above is as unhelpful and shortsighted as Wyclef’s belief that his celebrity entitles him to lead. It is frustrating when the wrong person carries the right message; it makes it harder for that message to be heard.
We Haitians in the Diaspora must realize our time in the US, Europe or Canada, even at fancy schools, like the ones I attended, does not entitle us to lead; we must still earn that privilege. And until we can do so, we must be willing to export our skills, while leaving our arrogance behind. The earthquake of January 12th reminded all of us that Haiti is still rife with problems that we must come together to solve. Unfortunately, Wyclef’s candidacy was a distraction from those issues.
René Aubry is a graduate of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, who recently launched Ciel Capital Partners, LLC to bring knowledge-based, value-add jobs to Haiti.