FAQ
August 5th, 2010
Why are you running for president of Haiti?
I care not just about Haiti’s present but also about its future, about leading my home country as we finally turn our people’s amazing stores of hope and energy into a better reality. I believe Haiti can do that. But to do it, we need to start with better education, job creation, security and coordination with our international partners. It’s also going to be necessary to embrace the energy of Haiti’s people, to unite around a common goal of moving ahead together. I’m running for president because I can do all these things, because I want to–and because Haiti needs and deserves my best.
How did you make the decision?
I came to realize that I had to make this decision for my family, and especially for my daughter, as much as for myself and my country. At age 4, my daughter has already seen so much suffering in Haiti, but we’ve done our best to have her also witness the beauty of the country and the beautiful spirits of its people. I’ve told her throughout her life that Haiti’s future lies in our hands–including hers, as one of the young people of the country (who, by the way, have drafted me to do this because I’m so connected to them through my NGO, Yéle Haiti)–and I want to show my daughter by example what I’m willing to do to make Haiti a better place.
And as a Haitian citizen, if I were to stand back for another five years and just watch this country get toppled, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.
There have been some questions as to whether you are indeed a Haitian citizen. Are you?
Yes, I am a Haitian citizen. I was born in Haiti. My parents were born in Haiti. My grandparents were born in Haiti. I have a Haitian passport and have never relinquished my Haitian citizenship.
What relevant experience do you have to be president?
From my work with Yéle Haiti, which I co-founded in 2005, I have learned a lot about what works–and what doesn’t. I’ve been leading that organization for more than five years, and my efforts for Haiti have taken so much more of my time since the earthquake in January. I was already very connected with the Haitian people because of Yéle, but now I know even more about what they need–and they know more about me and what I stand for and what I can accomplish–because of my frequent trips there this year.
From my time as a U.N. goodwill ambassador, and during the career I’ve built for myself, I know how to make things happen for Haiti at home and around the world.
Would you still be involved with Yéle Haiti if you were elected president?
I would not be able to lead the nation and lead Yéle, so as of Aug. 4, I relinquished my roles as founder and chairman of Yéle Haiti. My colleague Derek Q. Johnson, a seasoned executive for Time Warner and other businesses, and best known for heading the revitalization of the Apollo Theater in Harlem, is currently the interim CEO.
How would you change education in Haiti as president?
Haitians want and revere education as much as any people I’ve ever seen, because we know what it means. More than 90 percent of students older than first grade in Haiti have to pay to go to school. So every day that we went to school in the U.S., my dad reminded us that we were getting something incredible for free.
I believe Haiti needs free primary schools. And we need what they have done in parts of Latin America and Africa–donors who will help provide payments for every family to help keep their kids in school. Haiti needs a president who can say to Haitians, “We can get our kids in school” and to donors, “You did this in Kenya and Morocco; we can do it in Haiti.”
What about schools for older kids and for adults?
We need practical school–education that will teach trades and 21st-century skills. Haiti needs a president who can say to young Haitians, “If you can make it through primary school, we will find a place for you to learn.” Haiti needs a president who will bring teachers–whether they are Haitians, from the Haitian diaspora, from the Peace Corps, from anywhere–to wherever there are would-be students, whether in the cities, the countryside or in tent camps, where thousands of children have been living since the January 2010 earthquake.
What kind of jobs do you think need to be created in Haiti?
First, we need jobs in agriculture, so that our country can feed itself, regain its dignity and rebuild its infrastructure. Artibonite province alone used to provide rice for the whole country; now 70 percent of our rice is imported. Haiti needs a president who can tell its friends, “Thank you very much for your rice. Now we need seeds and fertilizer, roads and irrigation–and we need to protect our new rice growers from foreign competition.”
Second, we still need to clear the wreckage from the January earthquake out of Port-au-Prince’s streets. Yéle has created nearly 1,000 jobs to do that, and some other private organizations are doing the same. But we could use 10 times that many. Haiti needs a president who will put people to work and open up the city again.
Third, Haiti needs basic infrastructure, like clean water and sewers, and roads and schools repaired. Let’s train a generation of builders and carpenters under the aid of Haitian natives. Haiti needs a president who will say, “Haitians, bring your brains and your hands. Donors, bring your skills and your aid. Architects, bring your plans–we Haitians are going to build a 21st-century Haiti.”
What about private enterprise?
What makes Haiti move is its entrepreneurs: the street-corner barber, the lady who sells you juice. Those businesspeople are the world’s finest–see how well they do in the USA, Canada and other destinations–and right now they need support to rebuild and expand, and microcredit to get a new generation started. Haiti needs a president who knows what it’s like to build an enterprise from nothing and who will use microcredit, better laws and simpler bureaucracy to let that new generation of entrepreneurs succeed.
What do you think Haiti needs in terms of security?
No human being can think about making a better life for himself until he is safe. There are many kinds of security that Haitian people need, especially since the earthquake in January, but safety of body and mind and possessions are at the top of the list. More than a million people are still living in tents (and for some shelters, that’s a very loose term) since the quake, and that creates a host of problems. People are at increased risk of injury and disease because they are exposed to harsh and unsanitary living conditions. Women are at increased risk of violence and rape because they cannot lock their door at night. Children are at increased risk of abduction, trafficking and prostitution because they are living in the streets. We must put everyone in secure shelters soon.
Could you talk a little about how you could get the international community to partner with Haiti?
I have brought money to Haiti, and I have taken donors around Haiti. I know what Haitians want and need, and I know what our friends in the international community need to hear. Haiti needs a president who can crisscross the earth and convince world leaders to deliver on their promises to the Haitian people. Governments around the world pledged $5.3 billion after the earthquake, but only 9 percent of it has shown up.
You also mentioned bringing Haitian natives who now live elsewhere back to the country to help with your initiatives if you’re elected in November. Why is that important? From my many travels for Yéle Haiti and on my own, I also know something about our Haitian diaspora–I know they want to be involved in building a new, better Haiti. As president, I will have a simple message for them: Haiti needs its diaspora–and the diaspora needs Haiti. Come back, as teachers, trainers, businesspeople, visitors. We will find a place for you.