New York:
Wyclef Jean may have gotten a superstar entertainer's welcome when he arrived in Haiti to launch his bid to run for President but the hip-hop megastar had some serious political points to make and some serious allegations to answer when he spoke exclusively to the Associated Press.
Faced with accusations of financial improprieties - Jean promised detailed information will be released, "I guarantee you that in the next two or three days, what I want you to do is look at the statement from my accountants and everything. So everything is clear as far as I am concerned, I spoke to my accountants on the phone," he said.
Jean also addressed accusations he hasn't spent enough time in Haiti itself, especially when those charges come from actor Sean Penn, who's been managing an earthquake survivor camp in Port-au-Prince since early spring. He said, "I just want Sean Penn to fully understand, that I am a Haitian born in Haiti and I have been coming to my country ever since a child."
Jean commended Penn's efforts to help Haitians who've been living in tents since the country was shattered by a massive earthquake in January, but said before making public comments about him, the actor should make an effort to get in touch with him personally.
Not that Jean didn't recognize that running for president in Haiti would open him up to intense scrutiny. "I told my wife when we were going into this it is called combat sport. So Wyclef Jean's life has always been in the open."
The former Fugees frontman has backed the economic vision for Haiti presented by ex-US President Bill Clinton -- boosting the garment industry, tourism, agriculture and education. And he sees himself as an advocate for the country's struggling youth. "I had to take a position in office so that the youth population in Haiti, which is over fifty percent of the population, we can start to provide a way to get them out of the mess that they are in," says Wyclef.
Jean must still be cleared for his run by Haiti's provisional electoral council, which is set to announce August 17th which candidates will appear on the ballot.
Faced with accusations of financial improprieties - Jean promised detailed information will be released, "I guarantee you that in the next two or three days, what I want you to do is look at the statement from my accountants and everything. So everything is clear as far as I am concerned, I spoke to my accountants on the phone," he said.
Jean also addressed accusations he hasn't spent enough time in Haiti itself, especially when those charges come from actor Sean Penn, who's been managing an earthquake survivor camp in Port-au-Prince since early spring. He said, "I just want Sean Penn to fully understand, that I am a Haitian born in Haiti and I have been coming to my country ever since a child."
Jean commended Penn's efforts to help Haitians who've been living in tents since the country was shattered by a massive earthquake in January, but said before making public comments about him, the actor should make an effort to get in touch with him personally.
Not that Jean didn't recognize that running for president in Haiti would open him up to intense scrutiny. "I told my wife when we were going into this it is called combat sport. So Wyclef Jean's life has always been in the open."
The former Fugees frontman has backed the economic vision for Haiti presented by ex-US President Bill Clinton -- boosting the garment industry, tourism, agriculture and education. And he sees himself as an advocate for the country's struggling youth. "I had to take a position in office so that the youth population in Haiti, which is over fifty percent of the population, we can start to provide a way to get them out of the mess that they are in," says Wyclef.
Jean must still be cleared for his run by Haiti's provisional electoral council, which is set to announce August 17th which candidates will appear on the ballot.
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