JAGDEO: U.S. LOSING PR BATTLE IN LATIN AMERICA

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 GEORGETOWN 001281 SIPDIS SIPDIS SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2015 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM EAGR ELTN SCUL KPAO XM GY SUBJECT: JAGDEO: U.S. LOSING PR BATTLE IN LATIN AMERICA REF: A. GEORGETOWN 1271 ¶B. GEORGETOWN 1273 Classified By: Political Officer Benjamin Canavan for reason 1.4(d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Charge and PolOff met with President Jagdeo on December 5 for an informal, amiable discussion of ongoing bilateral issues. Jagdeo also shared his candid view on a topic that clearly interests him -- the U.S. public relations problem in Latin America. During the conversation, Jagdeo could not conceal his deep mistrust of Guyana's main opposition party, the PNC/R. END SUMMARY. -------------- -------------- "US is Losing the Public Relations Battle in Latin America" -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Charge and PolOff met with President Jagdeo on December 5 for an informal, amiable discussion of ongoing bilateral issues. Jagdeo had requested the meeting when speaking with Charge at a dinner the week before. ¶3. (C) Jagdeo used a discussion of Guyana's border dispute with Venezuela to segue into sharing his view of Chavez and, more broadly, anti-American sentiment in Latin America. He began with an admonition that the U.S. has to be more careful in its dealings with Latin America since "neo-liberalism has not worked in the region". Jagdeo said that he and other Latin American leaders, noting Chavez as an exception, do understand and accept that a model based on the private sector is the only solution for achieving economic development. However, improvements can be made to the neo-liberal model, he said, and lots of ordinary people feel that it is causing greater poverty in society. He said that Latin American leaders, regardless of whether they are left-wing or right-wing, need to be seen as focusing on alleviating poverty, promoting land reform, improving health care, and addressing issues of indigenous and minority groups. ¶4. (C) Jagdeo said that the "U.S. is losing the public relations battle in Latin America". People have the perception that transnational companies are carrying away the wealth of Latin American countries. He said that the more the U.S. attacks and criticizes Chavez publicly, the more it reinforces this negative perception in Latin America -- despite the generosity and idealism of the American people. -------------- -------------- Comfort with Election Process, Deep Mistrust of PNC/R -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Charge raised the issue of election preparations, noting general donor satisfaction with the voter registration process except that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) does not have a robust public relations initiative and Amerindians in remote communities often do not have the documents required to register and vote (ref A). Jagdeo responded that getting the registration process' momentum going in time for the election was the key issue in his mind. As for registration in remote communities, he said that GECOM, the General Register Office, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs had met recently to address this issue. ¶6. (C) While distancing himself from GECOM's activities, Jagdeo did say that GECOM needs to look at three issues -- a more robust public relations strategy, more registration stations since the current twenty-three are too far and expensive to reach for many constituents, and strong penalties for any illegal activities in the registration and voting process. He pointed out that some groups encourage tactics like underage voting -- a thinly veiled barb directed at the opposition PNC/R party. He said the government (GoG) has acceded to GECOM's additional funding requests, even though GECOM is "milking us now", because of the importance of a smooth election process. He said there needs to be one coordinating local election observer group as GECOM cannot practicably accredit three hundred churches, for example. Jagdeo expressed his hope that the Carter Center would return to monitor the 2006 election. In addition to the Carter Center, he said the GoG has officially asked the OAS, EU, and Commonwealth Secretariat to monitor the elections. ¶7. (C) In discussing election preparations, Jagdeo made several strongly partisan statements that underscore the absolute mutual distrust between the PPP/C and PNC/R parties. He is unconvinced of the need for long-term international election observers because the problem with Guyana's GEORGETOWN 00001281 002 OF 002 electoral mechanisms is not one of incompetence but rather the burden of the past. He said elections staff show bias and, putting it in very blunt terms, "we're paranoid" and "you should understand it", most likely referring to a recently released volume of Foreign Relations of the United States that details covert US support to assist former PNC president Forbes Burnham rig elections. When Charge mentioned the importance of leaders' commitment to the democratic political process and OAS' high reputation democracy and governance work, Jagdeo expressed his deep skepticism of the value of such work in Guyana's political environment. What is the point of another training program for the same MPs, he asked, when they do not want to then engage in a constructive political process in parliament. He said that smart people attend the training sessions, return to their offices, and plot -- because they think there is a different way to power than fair elections. -------------- -------------- Mennonites Eye Guyana - GoG Fears Jonestown's Ghost -------------- -------------- ¶8. (C) Last week Jagdeo expressed interest in beginning cultivation of Guyana's intermediate savannahs. Charge told Jagdeo that a group of Mennonites from the Southern U.S. was returning to Guyana for a second look at the possibility of establishing a farming community in Guyana's southern interior. He briefly described Belize's half century of experience with Mennonite farming communities. Jagdeo acknowledged that the Mennonites' intentions might dovetail with his plan to cultivate more of Guyana's hinterlands (ref B),and said he would ask the government of Belize about their experience. However, Jagdeo also noted that establishment of a religious farming community would be a sensitive issue given the firm hold that the Jonestown experience still has on the national psyche. He said that GoG was also talking with an Israeli group that hoped to develop a large agricultural project in the interior. ¶9. (C) Jagdeo mentioned Guyana's changing geography in light of GoG's transportation initiatives. Specifically, he described a road project underway that would link Supenaam, Essequibo, with Venezuela. He emphasized, though, that he was "not creating access for Chavez" as the road would end a little short of the border. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶10. (S) Jagdeo, attending the meeting alone, remained amiable, attentive, unhurried, friendly and frank throughout. He urged Charge to forget diplomatic niceties and share his impressions of Guyana, as he is open minded to criticism. The President became noticeably more animated when he turned the conversation to Latin America's perception of the U.S. and again when discussing his frustration with the political opposition. By contrast, he openly deferred to the Presidential Secretariat Head on the subjects of counter-narcotics and security, saying that he "does not pay much attention to those subjects". An economist himself, Jagdeo clearly relishes repartee over economic models and theories. His view of the U.S. relationship with Latin America dealt exclusively with differences in economic frameworks rather than political philosophies. Jagdeo's contempt for the PNC/R seeped out over an hour-long conversation. Like for most PPP party members, the past (specifically, the 1964-1992 period spent effectively shut out of Guyana's political system) is a constant companion. For Jagdeo, even the country's regrettable litter problem is a direct result of the Guyanese people losing respect for the rule of law when the PNC outlawed wheat flour during Burnham's self-sufficiency drive. End Comment. THOMAS