Sean Penn is suspicious

Wyclef Jean recently announced that he’ll run for president of Haiti but having never really lived there and having no prior political experience, people like Sean Penn think Wyclef’s motives are a little suspicious.

Penn appeared on CNN yesterday to voice his concern about Wyclef’s bid for presidency. He brought up the allegations that Wyclef mishandled $400,000 in donations and suggested that big corporations are behind his run for office.

“I see in Wyclef Jean somebody who could well have been influenced by the promise of support of companies. I think Haiti is clearly vulnerable … There is a history of American interests coming in and underpaying people. This is a culture of one to two dollars a day, that they were making.”

Penn openly worried about American corporations and individuals “enamored” with Wyclef becoming “opportunists on the back of the Haitian people.”

“I haven’t seen or heard anything of [Wyclef Jean] in these last six months that I’ve been in Haiti. I think he’s an important voice. I hope he doesn’t sacrifice that voice by taking the eye off the very devastating realities on the ground,” Penn said. “I want to see someone who’s really, really willing to sacrifice for their country, and not just someone who I personally saw with vulgar entourage of vehicles that demonstrated a wealth in Haiti that, in context, I felt was a very obscene demonstration.”

Note that Sean Penn hasn’t actually lived in Haiti these last six months and also traveled around the place demonstrating his wealth but, you know, whatever. Jean replied:

“I just want Sean Penn to fully understand I am a Haitian, born in Haiti and I’ve been coming to my country ever since (I was) a child. He might just want to pick up the phone and meet, so he fully understands the man.”

It’s always nice to see two celebrities try to outdo each other in order to exploit a devastated nation in some sort of celebrity pissing contest. This is like in a divorce where each parent tries to out-nice the other one so they can say their kid likes them more.