Ex-Fugee Pras thinks Wyclef Jean would suck as Haiti’s president too

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I never thought I’d be paying this much attention to Haitian politics, but there it is. Ever since Wyclef Jean decided to throw his hat in ring in Haiti’s presidential election, the story has become very interesting both politically and celebrity-gossip-wise. Sean Penn called Wyclef out on CNN last week, and now Wyclef’s old Fugees’ bandmate and friend Pras is calling him out (sidenote: Pras and Wyclef are cousins). Except, Pras isn’t talking sh-t, he’s actually making a pretty reasonable argument for why Wyclef shouldn’t be the Haitian president. According to Pras, it’s all about getting people the fundamentals, and Pras sees Wyclef as “trying to seize a moment of opportunity” post-earthquake.

Two days after Wyclef Jean confirmed his plans to run for Haiti’s presidency, hip-hop star Pras says he won’t be casting his vote for his former Fugees bandmate.

“I think he brought Haiti a lot of national spotlight and attention where people are concerned and really want to help out,” Pras, 37, tells UsMagazine.com. “But to be the President of Haiti, I don’t see it because I don’t see what his real plans are. His plans are so general.”

And although Pras (real name: Prakazrel Samuel Michel) says Jean is “like my brother,” he worries that the “Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)” singer is merely “trying to seize a moment of opportunity” after a series earthquakes left the country devastated in January.

“If he really wanted to help Haiti, he should have chosen his influence and champion and go around these countries that have pledged money to Haiti who have not given a single dime yet. You don’t even see 3 percent of what’s been pledged,” Pras complains. “You need to say, ‘Listen, we need money!'”

But Jean, 37, recently told Time that his intentions were pure: “I knew I’d have to take the next step. If not for the earthquake, I probably would have waited another 10 years before doing this.”

Still, Pras isn’t wholly convinced.

“At one point, two million people are living in a tent city. These people need water; they need the basic healthcare like band-aids, like alcohol to clean the wounds. Just basic, just the fundamentals,” he says. “We’re not even going to talk about the fact that there’s not a trauma unit there. I just think he’s exhausting his energy in the wrong places.”

As for ex Fugees bandmate Lauryn Hill, Pras tells Us that he “can imagine she would think this is just theatrics.”

The musician — whose working on a new CD with his band Axixs — also warns that while the publicity Jean has brought to Haiti’s plight has been beneficial to relief efforts, his judgment may be clouded by the circle of people surrounding him.

“He’s probably got some corporate people behind him that really want to come in there and exploit the country and basically control it,” Pras tells Us. “So my thing is that right there disqualifies him to be the leader of the country.”

Instead, Pras plans to support Michel Martelly — who, like Jean, is also not a politician — in the upcoming elections.

“He’s the only guy in Haiti who can unite the bourgeoisie, which is the elite, and the masses, which is the youth. They have such an affinity for this guy. They admire him so much and will do anything for him,” Pras says. “A good leader is somebody who can make someone do something, right? A great leader is someone who can make someone say, ‘I need to do this, and I believe I can do this.'”

And though he remains wary of Jean’s proposed foray into politics, he does praise one celebrity for his undeterred relief work in Haiti: award-winning Milk actor Sean Penn.

“Sean Penn has not exhausted. That means you really care. All of these people are what is going to help Haiti go to the next level,” Pras tells Us. “And that moment is now. If it doesn’t happen now, Haiti is forever done.”

[From Us Weekly]

So Pras is Team Penn and not Team ‘Clef. Interesting. It’s hard for me to be objective about this, because I’ve always been a fan of Pras, even more than I was ever into Wyclef. I think Pras has more musical talent and a better voice. So that makes me believe that Pras has a better argument, and I like that Pras isn’t making it personal – he’s talking about Haiti, he’s talking about what Haiti needs, and he comes across as very authentic. Maybe because Pras isn’t running, you know? That tends to give people more authenticity.

Wyclef laid out some specific campaign pledges in the Wall Street Journal, by the way. The piece is online here.

HOLLYWOOD - JUNE 28:  Musicians Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel of the Fugees pose  backstage at the BET Awards 05 at the Kodak Theatre on June 28, 2005 in Hollywood, California.  (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

HOLLYWOOD - JUNE 28:  (L-R) Musicians Pras Michel, Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean of the Fugees pose backstage at the BET Awards 05 at the Kodak Theatre on June 28, 2005 in Hollywood, California.  (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

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Pras on May 10, 2008, and performing with Wyclef in 2005. Credit: WENN.

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20 Responses to “Ex-Fugee Pras thinks Wyclef Jean would suck as Haiti’s president too”

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  1. souths_sweetest says:

    I agree! Pras is right on the money.

  2. CandyKay says:

    Both Pras and Sean Penn have expressed a concern that “corporations” are going to come to Haiti and “exploit it and basically control it.”

    What would those corporations be looking for in Haiti? It doesn’t have any oil or any minerals to extract, as far as I know. Since infrastructure in Haiti is virtually non-existent, any type of manufacturing business would seem unlikely – no electricity, no roads or ports to get goods to market. Haiti has fine people, but what type of good or service are they ready to create? Tourism is unlikely in the near future – that also requires infrastructure and skilled labor, not to mention a much higher level of security.

    Bottom line: Haiti would be lucky if some corporations tried to locate there, because it would mean jobs and investment. But I don’t think it’s likely.

    I’d like to know, specifically, what Sean Penn and Pras think Haiti’s economy should consist of. Right now it’s mostly subsistance farming and foreign aid, and that’s not making anyone happy, least of all the Haitians.

  3. Leticia says:

    CandyKay, you are so very right.

  4. Lynne says:

    @CandyKay, fully agree. Haiti currently has no reports and subsides on aid.

  5. redtape16 says:

    Wyclef is a Sony artist which is connected to Disney. There is a BIG Conflict of interest here Google Disney and Haiti sweat shops.

    Can you say PUPPET

    He has no experience what so ever, if he really wants to help just keep the attention on Haiti, and help with donations.
    Learn to speak the Official Language if you want to be an official.
    Creole is a dialect, like in Jamaica, Martinique and Madagascar.
    I’m Haitian I’m proud of our creole, but it is still like ebonics.

  6. Runnymede says:

    I’m sorry, Kaiser, but Pras and Wyclef are cousins. Neither man is related to Lauryn Hill by blood.

  7. bite me says:

    i see some people need to read up on Haitians history beofre they stat talking about utter nonsense…Haiti was the first negro independent state…it literally had to buy its indepence from France in blood, sweat, tears, and money.

    Corporation taking over meaning, that sweat shops and other unsavory business like practices will be happning in Haiti…I was born in Haiti, but raised in the states,the las thing Haiti needs right now it someone like Wyclef

  8. Kaiser says:

    Runny – Sorry about that! I got confused. You’re right.

  9. CandyKay says:

    Red Tape and Bite Me, what type of economy would you envision in Haiti? What do you think is realistic for the next 10 to 20 years?

  10. Runnymede says:

    No problem. I make mistakes like that all the time. The weird thing is, Wyclef and Pras were born only two days apart. It’s uncanny.

  11. bite me says:

    The initial nation building phase will create many new job opportunities.

    lets start with the basic first, like clean water, infracture, an educational system that doesn’t just appeal to people that have money , most schools in Haiti are private catholic schools.

    Voudoo is a big part of the reason why Haiti is such a mess, ask any Haitian they they wil tell you that voudoo is real and a very scary thing, trust me.

    Most Hatians rely on their families that live in the states or other foreign nations for aid….honestly Haiti is a hot ass mess and its time Haitians come together can help rebuild our nation.Like the motto on our flags says “L’union fait la force”

  12. Yasmine says:

    @CandyKay that was a really offensive and ignorant comment. They’d be lucky if corporations came in?!?! OF COURSE NOT.
    They’d be exploited. Can you say sweatshops? To say the least. And who do you think is gonna rebuild the infrastructure? The corporations will get the contracts and charge exuberant amounts, particularly to Wycleff if that douche gets elected, screwing the Haitians even more. Jobs and investment shouldnt be through corporations which only exploit. You think they’d give them good wages and labour practices? Please, be a bit realistic. They’d exploit them and take the capital away to the CEOs in New York among other places. Jobs and economy growth should be through restructuring programs and debt relief, by other states like France who caused the mess in Haiti through colonial exploitation to begin with.
    Also, I may not particularly like Pras, but he’s on point in that interview. And I agree Kaiser, maybe I take him seriously because he doesn’t seem to have any interests like running for office. I wonder how the Haitians on the ground there feel.

  13. Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

    The are a lot of cruise ships docking in Haiti, just not at the epicentre of the horror. That’s kind of all I know about that situation.

  14. California Surfer says:

    Thank you bite me! At first I totally thought that it would be cool if wyclef would be President but after reading your comments I totally think differently about this situation. Corporations are totally like soulless entities and would just majorly exploit the poor people like they do everywhere.

    It seems like it might be a good idea for the people to grow weed like they do in bc and they would probably get good crops because of the weather.

    And maybe the fugees could get back together and do a concert to build schools and hospitals and get the dudes and dudettes educations and help them that way rather than having corporations come in and exploit them for cheap labor like they do in China.

  15. malachais says:

    Instead of running for president, Lauryn, Pras, and Wyclef should be reuniting The Fugees. I can only dream.

  16. Jackie says:

    I respectfully disagree CandyKay. Haiti could use corporate money, but it would come at a huge price for the people, who cannot afford to be taken advantage of anymore then they already have.

    What do corporations want out of Haiti, since it is devoid of the natural resources, as you say, anything they can want to do with it. All at the cost of the people.

    Are Haitians worse off now then they would be with corporations? This is the thin line that is at the heart of the problem. Should they be exploited to have some needs meet, or not have the means and be exploited by corrupt government. Obviously, no one has the answer to this.

    I have worked at the Haitian border in Dominican Republic, and trust me, no one cares about the people. Not their government and nor will the corporations.

  17. CandyKay says:

    My personal opinion is that a Haitian citizen working 8 hours in a factory at a fair local wage, building his or her own future, is better off than a hopeless resident of a refugee camp, hoping someone else will send aid or medical care or debt relief.

    If that’s what some people call a sweatshop, OK. And I don’t think that’s “being taken advantage of”, Jackie. We all exchange our labor for money – or at least I do!

    Anyway, no one is going to seriously invest in Haiti unless they see some kind of return on the horizon. That’s true of both businesses and governments.

    And, as I said in my original post, I don’t think many corporations will be interested in doing business in Haiti. The risks are too high and the potential returns are simply too small.

  18. Kazoo81 says:

    i also always loved pras more! damn, i miss the fugees.

  19. EMV says:

    Voudoo is not the reason Haiti is in such a poor state. It is not scary unless people use it for black magic to cause harm. Some Voudoo do not cause harm. Voudoo is apart of their heritage from Africa and the Yoruba people, just like Santeria in Cuba and other countries like Puerto Rico, but it is another darker form. Their corrupt “government” is what caused these poor people to be laden with crime, no money going to the people, no businessed there etc. Their “government” gets money from countries and then spends it on mansions and luxuries for themselves and leaves their countrymen and women and children with nothing. Thank God for the Charities who privately set up schools so that children can learn and grow so that maybe one day they can help Haiti prosper or have the ability to get out of there and go to college in a country with opportunity. It is really awful what has become of the country of Haiti. It was devestating before the earthquake and now it is even more heartbreaking.

  20. Sara Bertold says:

    Why is everyone concerned with Haiti’s politics?

    America won’t even let Haitian’s into this country yet you have a whole bunch of American’s worried about if Wyclef will be good for Haitians? That’s some backwards self-important shit.

    Sean Penn’s transparent ass just wants to be the “Last King of Scotland” and become some Haitian president himself, that’s the only reason the bitch put his two cents in.

    Try staying out of Black Folks business and if you can’t do that at least stay out of Haitians.

    No one gave a damn when Papa Doc and Baby Doc were taking advantage of Haitians. Or the mistreatment of them in those damn refugee camps in Florida.

    I’m not Haitian in fact judging from the ones I’ve met I can’t fucking stand them, but that said it’s no one’s business what Haitians do in Haiti.

    America has gotten so used to telling other countries what to think and do and if they don’t we bomb them, and then lie and say it’s because we care about them being taken advantage of.
    It’s created a line of thinking where Americans actually think their opinions matter and will count.