UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 001789

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SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR
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SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
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STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR
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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR HA
SUBJECT: THE ROLE OF THE MINISTER OF PARLIAMENTARY RELATIONS


PORT AU PR 00001789 001.2 OF 002



1. Sensitive but unclassified - please protect accordingly.


2. Summary: (SBU) Joseph Jasmin, a member of President
Preval's Lespwa party and former deputy, serves as minister
of parliamentary relations. The Preval administration
created the position in hopes of improving the tumultuous
relations with parliament that marked Preval's previous
presidency. Jasmin served primarily as a sounding board for
parliamentary criticism of the executive during the first
legislative session that ended on September 30, and has yet
to produce any coordinated legislation. Jasmin believes,
however, that parliament is ready to "find its own path"
after considering the proposals the executive recently
submitted along with the budget. He recognizes that many
parliamentarians lack experience and resources and advocates
on their behalf for both material and technical assistance
with the executive. Jasmin's work demonstrates a commitment
on the part of Preval and Prime Minister Alexis to bolster
the parliament and promote cooperation. His position is
extra extra-constitutional, however, and the GoH has not
appointed the committee on parliamentary-executive relations
called for by the constitution. End Summary.


3. (U) Jasmin is the minister responsible for the relations
between the executive and the legislative branches.
President Preval and Prime Minister Alexis announced their
intention to create this new cabinet position prior to taking
office, as part of their efforts to decentralize power and
promote the constitutional role of the legislature. Deep
divisions and resentment prevailed between the parliament and
the executive during the first Preval administration
(1996-2001), parliament never formally approved Alexis,
first nomination as prime minister in March, 1999, and the
latter served out his tenure by executive decree. Alexis
placed particular emphasis on improving his reputation with
the legislature prior to parliamentary approval of his most

recent nomination as prime minister. Jasmin keeps his office
down the hall from Alexis, at the PM,s office complex (the
Primature), and Alexis stated publicly that Jasmin,s
position is integral to his government and that his
appointment demonstrates the executive's commitment to the
parliament.


4. (U) Minister Jasmin told Poloff on September 13 that his
goal is "to harmonize the relationship between the two powers
of the nation for the benefit of the population," but
underscored that the legislature is an independent and
autonomous body. He is additionally interested in educating
the public on the role of parliament and stimulating debate
among civil society on proposed legislation. To accomplish
this goal, Minister Jasmin often discusses issues raised in
parliament on radio programs and in his meetings with civil
society.


5. (U) Minister Jasmin attends parliamentary sessions when a
minister appears before either chamber or when he needs to
transmit information to the legislators from the executive.
If a minister is called before either chamber, Jasmin often
goes to parliament before the minister's appearance to work
on the more difficult issues so that the parliamentarians and
the convoked minister can focus on more substantive issues,
as opposed to details. He does not have a regular meeting
schedule but meets "often" with the presidents of each
chamber. He hopes to set up regular meetings between the
president, the prime minister and the parliamentarians. To
date, they only meet on urgent matters. Regular meetings, in
his view, are integral to an effective dialogue between the
branches to avoid "unnecessary conflict."


6. (U) Jasmin explained that the parliament should work with
the executive to create a legislative agenda. The executive
will consider the parliamentarians, legislative goals but
give priority to executive initiatives. The resulting agenda
should still represent a compromise. The legislators can
also propose their own laws, which Jasmin coins their
"legislative function" differing from their "programming
function," in tandem with the executive. Jasmin said that
while parliament proposed no laws during parliament's first
session, some were "in the works." The parliament's current

PORT AU PR 00001789 002.2 OF 002


priorities are pushing the president to curb the insecurity,
improving the country's fiscal health, and decentralization.
He believes that both chambers are doing a commendable job.
The parliamentarians are "in the process of finding their own
path and organizing their work." They should soon move
toward a weekly calendar or regular legislative debate.
(Note: The executive's legislative proposals were presented
simultaneously with the budget to parliament on September 13.
End Note.)


7. (U) Jasmin stressed that the parliament lacks resources,
both human and material. He aims to hire specialists to
train parliamentarians how to analyze and draft legislation.
Additionally, he arranged the turnover of two government
buildings near the legislative palace for use as additional
parliamentary office space and is working with the
legislators to have them refurbished and outfitted.

Biographical Information:
--------------


8. (U) Jasmin was a former deputy (1995-1999) for the Eskanp
party, which was aligned with Famni Lavalas. Eskanp is one
of the parties that merged to form the Lespwa party in early
2005 to support Preval's candidacy. As a deputy, Jasmin was
a part of parliament's "anti-neoliberal block" and was quite
vocal about his disdain for the privatization of Haiti's
public enterprises. The anti-neoliberals also harshly
criticized Preval,s attempts to implement an IMF adjustment
package. As Preval,s chief implementer, Alexis took much of
that criticism. Jasmin is a lawyer and founding member of
Groupe d,Assistance Juridique, a legal aid group in Cap
Haitien. Jasmin is married and has three daughters and one
son. Jasmin is not an English speaker.


9. (SBU) Comment: Jasmin,s position is
extra-constitutional. The constitution does address
parliamentary-executive relations, calling for a five-member
committee to intervene in the event of irresolvable
differences between the two branches. Jasmin claims the GoH
cannot appoint the committee because the president of the
CEP, one of the statutory members, is currently provisional.
As a member of the cabinet, Jasmin could not, presumably,
carry out the mediation that the constitution envisioned for
the standing independent committee. For the moment, as
parliament continues to function in a subservient manner to
the presidency, the parliament will have to make do with a
member of the executive serving as its principal advocate.
End Comment.
SANDERSON