Wyclef Jean

Jean, who has been aggressively helping his home country through his Yele Haiti foundation, long before the January 12 earthquake, is known as a philanthropist and is widely loved by the Haitian populace, but his campaign so far has been met with more criticism than commendation.

Critics say he lacks the political vision and experience required to be president, but supporters are saying his passion and his philanthropic endeavors will go a long way.

Actor and philanthropist Sean Penn has been one of the harshest critics of Jean’s presidential bid. Penn, who has been on the ground managing a camp in Port-au-Prince since the earthquake, said Jean has been a “non-presence” in the devastated country.

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Bruce Golding

U.S. officials say they are looking forward to Jamaica’s response to a series of extradition requests for nationals suspected of committing crimes in the U.S.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Arturo Valenzuela told reporters that Washington is pushing for greater effectiveness of the Proceeds of Crime Act to defeat organized crime in Jamaica.

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Last month’s extradition of Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke to the United States might just be the beginning of a series of extraditions if reports coming out of Jamaica are true.

According to RJR news, its “highly confidential sources” said the U.S. government “has prepared indictments for the extradition of two businessmen from Western Jamaica on drug trafficking charges.”

The report said the indictments were prepared on statements submitted to the U.S. government “by a powerful Jamaican fugitive who was given a reduced sentence last year, after he decided to cut a deal with U.S. prosecutors.”

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Bruce Golding

“I won't be distracted by the extradition issue anymore,” the prime minister told Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) supporters at a conference in Montego Bay on Sunday.

Golding said the criticisms were not focused on his performance with the economy or his administration’s aggressive push to fight crime. “Instead, they want to know about extradition and Manatt, Phelps and Phillips,” he said in reference to his confession in parliament that he approved the hiring of the U.S. law firm to deal with treaty matters between Jamaica and the U.S., which runs counter to his previous statements.

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