Former Fugees lyricist, Wyclef Jean, may consider running for president of Haiti, a nation slowly recovering from earthquake devastation.

“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 … If and when a decision is made, media will be alerted immediately,” Jean’s family said in a statement to reporters.

In 2007, the current president, Rene Preval, appointed Wyclef Jean ambassador-at-large. Since the appointment, it had been rumored that Jean, 37, may run for president—Haitian presidents serve a five-year term and Preval is not eligible for re-election.

Jean was born in the greater Port-au-Prince area; his family immigrated to New York City when he was a child.

In order to participate in the presidential campaign season, a candidate must prove they have never been a citizen of a country other than Haiti, resided in the country for five consecutive years and own property in the country.

Candidates must declare their run by Aug. 7, if Jean were to enter a bid for the presidency he is expected to be one of several dozen candidates. The election is scheduled for Nov. 28.

In recent months, Wyclef Jean’s non-profit organization, Yele Haiti has been under fiscal scrutiny. Yele Haiti has since hired a new accounting firm.

Yele Haiti has received a lot of celebrity support and despite allegations the organization raised over $1 million. Recently, Sean “Diddy” Combs appeared on Larry King’s two-hour CNN special “Haiti: How Can You Help” and announced his support for Wyclef Jean and encouraged a bid from Jean for the presidency.

“I think Wyclef should run for president of Haiti after this,” Diddy said. “What he’s done, the way he’s put himself out there is truly commendable. I just pray for the people of Haiti.”

“Haiti for me is such an inspirational country. They were the first people to take back their freedom, the first people to say that we will not be slaves anymore. So growing up, the Haitian people to me were always that people I looked up to, because of their fight, the way they fought for their freedom.”

Presidential elections in Haiti have earned a tumultuous reputation. Opponents of Rene Preval have threatened the upcoming election. If Preval does not replace the electoral council, his opponents promise to block the winter election. To date, Preval has refused.

Source: AP | Photo: www.soulculture.co.uk

In response to American presidential elections, Wyclef Jean shares what he would change if he were elected president:

 Words by Lauren McEwen

After months of heated debates, the House of Representatives finally passed HR 3200, or America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 on Saturday, November 7, 2009.

Healthcare reform has been on the agenda of every President since most of us can remember. However, bipartisanship and hefty campaign contributions from healthcare insurance companies stamped out any hopes of change for a while.

During the 2008 Presidential campaign, President Obama made healthcare reform a major tier of his campaign. It was only trumped by the ongoing wars in the Middle East and the struggling economy.

To put those campaign promises into action, HR 3200 was introduced to the House on July 14, 2009 by Rep. John Dingell (D-MI15). It was to “provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.”

Although that summary of the bill sounds perfectly understandable, altruistic and just plain decent, discussion of the act morphed into a die-hard political debate that  consumed the news for months. Controversial topics such as providing healthcare for illegal immigrants and coverage of abortion were thrown into the works to complicate matters.

Finally, on Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 11:12 p.m. Democrats cheers were heard as the bill passed with a vote of 220 to 215. The only Republican to vote in favor of the bill was Rep. Joseph Cao of Louisiana.

Although an amendment that restricts coverage of abortion was thrown into the bill to appease pro-life politicians, any progress in the area of healthcare reform is welcomed.

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