(AllHipHop News) Wyclef Jean is speaking out against those who have questioned his motives with his Yele Haiti non-profit, as well as his bid for election as Haiti’s President.Just one day before he announced he would run for President of Haiti, the IRS filed liens against Jean’s Yele Haiti, claiming the organization owes $2.1 million in back taxes. “I guarantee you within the next two or three days, what I want you to do is look at the statements from my accountants and everything. Everything is clear as far as I am concerned when I spoke with my accountants on the phone,” Wyclef Jean said. Actor/activist Sean Penn, who has been managing a earthquake survivor camp in Port-Au-Prince since the early spring, questioned Wyclef’s motives for running for President.He also pondered the legality of Wyclef’s bid for President, due to his duel citizenship with the United States. While Jean commended the efforts of Sean Penn he also chastised the actor for not reaching out to him before making such public statements. “I just want Sean Penn to fully understand that I am a Haitian and born in Haiti and I have been coming into my country ever since I was a child,” Jean told the Associated Press. “I told my wife when was going into this, its like a combat sport, so Wyclef Jean’s life has always been in the open. I have to take a position in office so that the youth population that is in Haiti, that is over 50% of the population, we can start to provide a way to get them out of the mess they are in.”Wyclef still must be approved by the provisional electoral council in order to be able to run for office, according to Haiti’s electoral process.In an exclusive interview with AllHipHop.com, Wyclef’s Presidential rival Michel Martelly also questioned the rapper’s ability to help Haiti recover from a devastating earthquake in January, which killed 250,000 people and displaced another 1.5 million. Former Fugee group member Pras Michel is backing Martelly in his run against Wyclef Jean for President of Haiti.Martelly, who is also an award-winning Haitian musician, first became familiar with The Fugees after the release of their hit 1996 album The Score. According to Martelly, he has been a very close friendship with Wyclef and the rapper’s family for years and his son even attended the Fugees reunion concert in 2006 in California.However, Martelly questioned Wyclef’s ability to really lead the country. “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, Martelly told AllHipHop.com in an exclusive interview. “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.”To read AllHipHop.com’s exclusive interview with Michel Martelly, click here.
