Wyclef Jean says Haiti presidential upset taught him this 'rule' about politics
Wyclef Jean’s run for president of Haiti has ended, but the Grammy Award-winning rapper and producer said it was worth the very valuable life lessons he learned along the way.
“There's a thing about politics,” he said to FOX Business' Maria Bartiromo on Wednesday. “This is a rule -- if you fail and you don't succeed, try, try again.”
Jean, 49, ran for president nine years ago, after a disastrous earthquake left “250,000 people under rubble.” The Haitian-born entertainer felt that there was a good chance to “reconstruct the country” through carbon credit.
“One of my ideas in moving this country forward would be, you know, an environmental fund which is actually there,” he said.
Another idea Jean had was to create jobs through agricultural banks.
“I believe in job creation,” he said. “So we were talking about the idea of agro banks -- empowering farmers -- you know what I mean?” he said, adding that “I have mixed emotion about microloans because at the end of the day if I don't have money, how you expect me to pay you back?”
Ultimately, Jean's bid for president was rejected over residency requirements, but he still believes “in moving forward in the future.”
“Whether you’re a third-world island, a third-world country, let’s strengthen [the] private sector because … when you look at it, the private sector, the stronger they are, the more jobs that could be provided for the people.”
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Jean said his next venture includes building the first hip-hop guitar.