My Vision for Haiti
We need to cultivate our rich culture of entrepreneurship by increasing the availability of microcredit and simplifying laws and bureaucracy.
By WYCLEF JEAN
I was nine years old when I left Haiti for New York City, taking with me memories of long days spent playing with cousins and friends. We were happy-go-lucky kids even though we were surrounded by poverty and deprivation. As I grew up, I realized that my childhood was like Haiti itself: full of optimism despite storms of economic, political and environmental adversity.
I am running for president because this little nation with big problems and even bigger heart can no longer wait to turn a corner. After the January earthquake, people around the world were glued to their TVs, awed by the grace, dignity and hope of the Haitian people as their capital crumbled around them. And while I don't pretend to be a miracle worker, I wholeheartedly believe that at this important time in Haiti's history, I am the right person to put the country on the road to the brighter future it so desperately needs and deserves.
Some will question my lack of political experience. I will tell them that being a nontraditional candidate is one of my greatest advantages. My only loyalty is to the well-being of the Haitian people; my only agenda is to help the country I love grow and prosper. And while running for office may be new to me, my commitment to Haiti is part of my DNA.
Throughout the world, my efforts on behalf of Haiti are as well known as my musical accomplishments. Yéle Haiti, the NGO I co-founded in 2005, has given me a unique opportunity to work side by side with Haitians from all walks of life, to hear their concerns, ideas and dreams, and to see their daily challenges with my own eyes.
Though the needs are many, I believe there are four basic but urgent priorities we must address first in order to begin transforming Haiti socially, politically and economically.
• Security: People cannot even consider building better lives unless they feel safe. In Haiti, more than a million earthquake victims are still living in tents and other temporary encampments. The harsh and unsanitary living conditions increase the risk of injury, disease and crime. Though the ultimate goal is permanent housing, of course, we must at a minimum put people in secure shelters as soon as possible.
• International aid: Foreign governments pledged $5.3 billion to Haiti after the earthquake, but only 9% of it has shown up. Haiti needs a president who can turn promises into reality—someone who will crisscross the earth and convince world leaders to deliver on their promises to the Haitian people.
• Job creation: Haitians need jobs, and there are jobs to be done in Haiti. We must train a generation of engineers, tradesmen and carpenters who can improve our roads, water, sewers and other infrastructure while supporting themselves and their families. We also need to cultivate Haiti's rich culture of entrepreneurship by increasing the availability of microcredit and simplifying laws and bureaucracy.
• Education: Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, yet 90% of students must pay for school after first grade. Moving forward means changing education from a privilege to a birthright, and establishing schools to teach technology and other 21st-century skills.
I have already begun to make progress in all of these areas. Since the earthquake, Yéle's emergency relief and community programs have distributed about 500,000 gallons of water per month and fed between 4,500 and 7,000 people every week. Yéle's scholarship program has put thousands of children in school. As Haiti's goodwill ambassador—a position to which I was appointed by Haiti's president in 2007—I have tapped my contacts, recognition and resources to bring money and publicity to Haiti. The presidency is a springboard to do even more for Haiti's nine million people.
The presidency will also give me a chance to help redefine Haitians' role in the political process and empower them to take a more active part in shaping their future. The most valuable lesson I learned from running Yéle is that Haiti's greatest asset is the energy of its people, at home and throughout the diaspora. By turning government of the people into a movement by the people, I know we can overcome challenges that may have seemed impossible in the past.
There is a reason why our national motto is "L'union fait la force"—"Strength through unity." There are no instant fixes or easy solutions, but there are plenty of creative new approaches to explore as we work together to make Haiti better.
Mr. Jean, a Grammy Award-winning musician, is co-founder of the Yéle Haiti Foundation.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Submitted by Shaun Miller/Zibusiso III
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