Michel Martelly
Michel Martelly
Michel Joseph Martellywas the President of Haiti from May 2011 until February 2016. Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Martelly is also a former musician and businessman. He is one of Haiti's best-known musicians for over a decade, going by the stage name Sweet Micky. For business and musical reasons, Martelly has moved a number of times between the United States and Haiti. When travelling to the United States, Martelly mostly stays in Florida...
NationalityHaitian
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth12 February 1961
CityPort-au-Prince, Haiti
CountryHaiti
When I was campaigning, I told the people if nothing happens under my mandate it will still be a positive thing because my mandate will be used as a rupture between the past and the future.
I remain close to my people. I keep singing with them.
The people behind me are the people behind Aristide. They are just looking for better days.
My way of thinking is to create a situation where we rally everyone together and create peace and pardon people, to not forget about the past - because we need to learn from it - but to mainly think about the future.
International donors, our friends, should demand results; impose results. The fact of giving money is not helping if you give money to honest people and there is no structure to manage that money. It is not helping.
I rallied all the youth around me, all the people who liked Compa, but felt like it was dying, going away, being replaced with Zouk. So it became a movement. So, through the years, I've played my music with dedication, discipline and originality, and controversy also.
It's a party that's being organized; it's not a protest. The carnival is not like it was a long time ago. Before it was do as you like, take to the streets.
I came into the music world in 1988 with a song called 'Ooh La La,' that was like a breath of fresh air in Haitian music.
It's time for Haitians to have access to health care. It's time to open our borders to the Haitian diaspora, open our markets to the world. It's time to open our country to potential investors.
I believe my past is my strength.
Any MP has to have a proper family life, they have to have support of their partner.
I don't want to force the peacekeeping nations to feel like I'm pushing them out.
The State should have made sure the money given to the NGOs was used according to a global plan for Haiti; not doing whatever they want. They should be supervised and have to report and make sure the money is being used properly. They are here, but we are seeing no results.
Everything in Haiti right now is a priority.