Wyclef Jean Criticized By Sean Penn For Haitian Presidency Run
Wyclef Jean, rapper and former Fugees singer announced Thursday night CNN his bid for the Haitian Presidency. Shortly after the announcement was made, Wyclef received some harsh criticism from actor and fellow philanthropist, Sean Penn.
And I’m not talking the “your last album sucked” type of criticism. Sean questioned Wyclef’s motives, and value as a leader, Pop Eater reports.
“I see in Wyclef Jean somebody who could well have been influenced by the promise of support companies. I think Haiti is clearly vulnerable… There is a history of American interests coming in and underpaying people. This is a culture of one to two dollars a day, that they were making,” Sean said.
The actor, who notably has been quite active in the country since the earthquake also highlighted allegations that $400,000 donated to Wyclef’s Yele Haiti foundation, was mishandled.
Jean was born in Haiti but left soon after and was raised in Brooklyn and New Jersey. He established the charitable organization in 2004 to “provide aid and opportunities” to Haiti’s citizens.
He responded to Penn in an interview with the Associated Press, saying, “I just want Sean Penn to fully understand I am a Haitian, born in Haiti and I’ve been coming to my country ever since [I was] a child. H might just want to pick up the phone and meet, so he fully understands the man.”
