Politics
Martelly to host Oprah Winfrey
Martelly, a former musician who performed under the stage name “Sweet Micky,” also said he plans an ambitious world tour in an effort to raise money for an education program that seeks to ensure children attend school in Haiti. Few parents can afford tuition for his country’s many private schools.
“We would take the tour to Los Angeles, Korea, Japan, France to raise money for the children’s education,” Martelly said, adding that he understands the power of the stage.
“I will get on it and dance and have great groups of entertainers to perform to help Haiti, including Wyclef Jean and Oprah and have others play my music and sing my songs,” he said.
Separately, Martelly said he is moving ahead with a campaign pledge to restore Haiti’s army despite opposition raised by some people, including Nobel peace laureate and former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias.
Arias sent a letter this week to Martelly saying it would be an error to bring back the military that was disbanded in 1995 because of a long history of abuse. Arias and others have said money for the US$25 million force would be better spent elsewhere for the struggling country.
In the interview, Martelly reiterated his position that the new force would be a modern one and a departure from its predecessor, which was an instrument long used to topple presidents and jail opponents in Haiti.
“I could bring arguments which could prove him wrong,” Martelly said about Arias. “For instance, in a modern army we would have engineers and a medical corps who, if they were there in the time of the earthquake, could have saved lives.”
Martelly said he hopes the new force will provide jobs and education to the youth of Haiti, where only about 60 percent of the people have regular employment.
Copyright 2011. The Associated Press
