Haiti watchers winced at the recent news that two hip-hop artists could lead the field in the upcoming Nov. 28 presidential elections.
Could Haiti's politics actually descend to the level of celebrity politics? Would the country's election commission allow the candidacies of Wyclef Jean, a Haitian-born but U.S.-based musician and philanthropist; and that of Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly, the self-proclaimed bad boy of the Haitian musical genre known as kompa, who has been known to perform in diapers? Both men appeal primarily to the disaffected youth who make up half the country's population.
Until last Friday, there were 34 announced candidates. Among them were the two entertainers, as well as the typical cronies of the ruling class. Precious few qualified as true democrats, and far too few could honestly say that they understand Haiti's needs and put their countrymen first. Topping the list of candidates with actual ability and integrity: Raymond Joseph, recently Haiti's Ambassador to the United States.
On Friday, the Haitian Election Commission allowed only 19 candidates to remain on the official ballot, and these results are disappointing even by Haitian standards.
Some good news is that Jean, a Grammy winner born in Haiti but a permanent U.S. resident since age 9, was disqualified. He might have won, and could still influence the election heavily. The commission withheld explanation for his and all its disqualifications.
Maybe the commission acted with integrity and disqualified him because he failed the five-year Haitian residency requirement, or perhaps the fix was in and his better-connected opponents in this incredibly corrupt government got him disqualified. Regardless, the last thing Haiti needs is a president who owes the IRS $2 million and whose charity is credibly charged with corruption and mismanagement. But his quest will continue, as he says he will appeal the ruling.
The bad news is that most of the candidates deemed qualified to run represent business as usual, which is for the most part corruption and incompetence; the very bad news is that Joseph, the only one who is likely to help Haiti, was also disqualified.
The current situation represents the tragicomedy that is Haiti. Haitians need a president who can inspire them during possibly the most difficult times the country has ever faced in the aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake that killed upwards of 230,000 people and left another 2 million homeless. But it needs more than that: it needs a democrat who understands how government should work and who is credible in the eyes of international donors and business. It's unlikely to get that now.
The tragedy of Joseph's disqualification is enormous. He holds a master's degree in Social Anthropology and Linguistics from the University of Chicago, and a BA from Wheaton College in Anthropology. He was a practicing journalist and publisher for most of his career before he began serving in government. In the 1970s and 80s, he worked as a financial writer for the Wall Street Journal, and, with his brother, founded the Haiti Observateur, which still serves as the main news outlet for the Haitian diaspora.Over the years he also worked in radio (beaming hugely popular broadcasts against the Duvalier dictatorship) and founded a Christian publishing company in Haiti.
Thus, for all his life and before he began his public service, Joseph has been a man of conviction: for free enterprise, for democracy and for an ethical culture that could transform Haiti so that it could live up to its intended destiny as the second free republic in the hemisphere, and the first and only one to be established by former slaves.
Joseph's service in government is remarkable: since 1990 he has served in the highest diplomatic posts and helped to secure the first democratic elections at the end of the Duvalier dynasty.
We should hope that the commission's decision can be reversed legally and appropriately in Joseph's case, as there is evidence that the commission played games with his candidacy. It is quite strange that a Haitian national, serving as ambassador in the United States and living on Haitian soil (the Haitian residence in Washington, D.C.), could be deemed unqualified due to residency. Perhaps he is just too honest and determined to solve problems for his former colleagues' taste.
Consider this sad irony: on the same day that Jean was disqualified as a candidate for the presidency, so was the rapper's uncle: Raymond Joseph, the most qualified person for the post. It's just business as usual in Haiti.