Posts tagged running mate

Allhiphop.com did a wonderful interview with Wyclef’s running mate Michael Martelly
in the snippet that I have posted they talk about Wyclef, to read the entire interview click here

AllHipHop.com: Is the rumor that you are running for President of Haiti now confirmed?

Michel Martelly: The rumor is confirmed, but I still don’t wanna put it like this, like I’m “running for President.” I don’t think it’s a good [aspiration], being President of Haiti. The last five-six presidents of Haiti have failed miserably. And I don’t think it would be an honor for me to say I want to be the next “president.” I want to be the man by with whom change arrives. Because, I think it’s definitely time. It’s time for the Haitian people to have access to education. It’s time for Haitians to have access to health care. It’s time to open our borders to the Haitian diaspora, open our markets to the world. It’s time to open our country to potential investors. It’s time to change our mentality, which [has become] self-destructive: we seem not to care about ourselves, we don’t care about our neighbors, our children. We seem not to care about our country. We’ve lost our sense of civic duty, of patriotism, our sense of pride. And the concepts of love, sharing, compassion, are the concepts that regulate a society; and they’re basic concepts. And I think it’s a must for us to have a mental revolution. And having a warm voice, being loved by my Haitians, I believe that if I assume the leadership to take them to where they ought to be, although it may not have been their plan; and with the assistance of a great team, a team that is well qualified and devoted, and that understands also that it’s time to change the direction in which the country is headed, I believe that I’ll be successful. That’s why I don’t want to be just a regular candidate. I want to be the man through whom change happens.

AllHipHop.com: Talk to us about your relationship with Wyclef. Are you guys friends?

Michel Martelly: I got introduced to the Fugees after their huge success with The Score. Me being on top of Haitian music, them being on top of the world, we started hanging out. The invited me to join them in London for the MTV Awards there. Wyclef was always much more on the scene, with Pras and Lauryn being more quiet. So I got to hang out much more with Clef, but I’ve always maintained a relationship with Pras as well. I introduced them to Haiti. The youth was [starting] to gain more interest in Hip-Hop [at that time], and being that that’s my audience, my introduction made it even easier for them to accept Clef. I’ve always been an honest and trusting person, and I believe it’s been the same with Clef. Seeing him always wearing his Haitian flag – whether it’s on MTV, at the World Cup, with Shakira, at concerts, on interviews, etc. – I felt like he was at least proud of his Haitian culture. I love Clef [like family]. And I believe that he has some good intentions. When the Fugees had their reunion in California for Verizon, he took my son Olivier with him for his 18th birthday. When someone does certain things for you, you could never betray their confidence, their trust. This is the relationship we have. He’s spent time with my family, so we do have a good relationship. And the good thing is I never expected anything from Clef: my English is not that good, my Hip-Hop is not good, so I never expected for him to help me crossover. On my side, it’s just been a genuine friendship.

AllHipHop.com: He made his candidacy official yesterday (Aug 5), but the rumors about both of you have been out for a couple of weeks. Had you spoken to him in that time?

Michel Martelly: Here’s the thing: I spoke to Clef a couple of years ago about teaming up and doing some things for Haiti. And we had a plan. But we never revisited that plan. And it’s not a problem, I know how busy the guy is. But I did find it strange that he pondered and made this decision without speaking to me about it. Because had Clef told me that he was going to run, I would have probably thrown my support behind him. Because, like I told you: I don’t need to run. I need the change.

Michel Martelly: But I welcome his participation in the election. I don’t doubt his good intentions, because for years he’s shown his affection for his country. I just probably won’t vote for him. Because, first of all, I don’t know his plans. And I have my plans. Besides the plans, the money thing, the power we have across the globe, the main thing now is being a leader for our people. Because the Haitian people are sick. Our people have no concept of love, sharing, community, civic duty, unity. They have no concept of not just accepting anything. We need to change the people’s mentality. If you give two million dollars to someone here in Haiti – who’s not used to money, who’s never worked – they’ll be broke in three weeks. If you introduce someone who’s only ever used latrines to proper, hygienic toilets, they’ll turn it right back into what they’re used to. If you come in and rebuild downtown Port-au-Prince, you put in modern high rises, without changing the mentality of the people, next election year, they’ll be throwing rocks at the buildings in protest. So I really don’t think it’s about the money, the power, or being recognized around the world. I really think now it’s about being able to guide our people. Being able to be loved and trusted by them. And that’s where I make a distinction between myself and ANY other potential opponent.

AllHipHop.com: So how do you feel about Wyclef’s decision?

Michel Martelly: I welcome his participation. I think he makes it exciting. He’s opening the eyes of the world and now the international community’s attention is on our upcoming election. We spoke two weeks ago, and he asked me to back them up. And I’m like, “come on man! You went to other people, people I introduced you to, for their support first. And now, another group has already chosen me to do the same thing. So all I can do is promise that’s going to be a fair race. And if I lose, I support you; and if you lose, you support me.” So that was our conversation. And I spoke to him via BBM the other day, because I had heard that his mother had a heart attack, which was a false rumor. So we’re still family. Everything is good. I don’t want politics to divide us.

AllHipHop.com: But at the same time, there are things that have to be addressed. For example, Sean Penn told CNN yesterday that he basically hasn’t seen Wyclef’s on-the-ground involvement since the earthquake. People are wondering how you can run a country when you don’t speak one of the national languages, and can’t write either national language. The fact that Wyclef has never lived in Haiti as an adult. How do you think those things will affect him as a candidate and as a leader?

Michel Martelly: Well, I know that Clef is well intentioned. But, I believe that not having been raised here, not being familiar with any neighborhood – because I don’t think Clef can drive anywhere here on his own – he can’t speak the languages, I agree that those are handicaps. I’m not saying that he couldn’t surprise the world and be a good president. I cannot say that; I would be speculating. I’d be speculating if I said he couldn’t deliver. But there are things about him that raise concerns for us here in Haiti. Because he doesn’t know the country. He doesn’t know who are proper political allies, who he can trust. He doesn’t know our culture, he doesn’t know our way of life, he doesn’t know what we expect. He doesn’t know our needs. He doesn’t realize that some people may never truly accept him. And right now, we don’t need anyone that’s going to be a further source of conflict between the Haitian people. I believe that Wyclef can still help Haiti, I believe he could be a good president after living here for a few years. But again, I welcome his participation. He makes it exciting. And you know, he could be the best president ever, who knows! I don’t want to speculate, I’m just offering some analysis based on the fact that he didn’t grow up here, he doesn’t know the country. He doesn’t know our problems. Because our problems may be more than the money; our problems could be the leadership. In order to make the changes Haiti needs, we need a leader that the majority of the people can trust and believe in. And that’s exactly why even if he was running for President, Clef should have aligned himself with someone who can be a supplement to what he doesn’t know. And I don’t want to make it seem like we’re not still friends. I’ll probably speak to him tomorrow. Who are we to judge how much he’s been in Haiti since the earthquake? We don’t know what his obligations were. So how can we blame him? But we have to analyze the sociological aspects of him not being familiar with our customs, with our way of thinking. Because, you might think that you understand everything from abroad, but when you come here, the problems may be completely different from what you envisioned. And these are things that I would say to Wyclef directly. I love Clef, I appreciate his efforts for Haiti.

AllHipHop.com: What are the five most important things that Haiti’s next president will need to tackle within his or her first six months in office?

Michel Martelly: First, there is the urgent need to develop a plan for the people who are still living in the streets [after the earthquake]. But there are problems that we’ve had long before the earthquake. We need to talk about jobs, because 80% of our population is unemployed. We need to talk about education, because without education, the people can’t be expected to govern themselves or move the country forward. We need to open our borders to tourists and investors. We have 2,000 kilometers of sandy beaches and haven’t learned how to use that to create opportunities for the people. But the main thing would be education, because that will help bring resolution to almost all of the country’s other issues. I think one of the greatest gifts that I could offer the people is letting them know who they are and talking to them so that they know they have a voice and someone who is ready to work for them. Let’s take Haiti into the 21st Century.