JAMAICA: MINISTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNED

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINGSTON 000588

SIPDIS

SIPDIS


CORRECTED COPY - SPELLING CORRECTIONS
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STATE/INL FOR KBROWN,
NBOZZOLO, STATE/WHA FOR RBUDDEN, DOJ FOR OPDAT LIPPMAN, TREASURY
FOR CCORREA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/24/2017
TAGS: SNAR KCRM PREL KFIN JM
SUBJECT: JAMAICA: MINISTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNED
ABOUT POLITICAL VIOLENCE. BELIEVES FUTURE STABILITY OF
COUNTRY THREATENED IF CORRUPTION NOT TACKLED.

REF: A. 2006 KINGSTON 2151

B. KINSTON 69 SECSTATE 49116

Classified By: Ambassador Brenda L. Johnson for reasons 1.5 (B&D)


1. (C) Summary: On Friday, April 20, Charge and NAS
Director, along with the British and Canadian COMs, met with
Peter Phillips, Minister of National Security at his request.
In this session, one of an ongoing series of conversations
with his international partners, (Reftels A and B) Phillips
outlined a four-part plan for the Ministry's next few months
and expressed his concerns over political violence and the
need to act against the dons of organized crime gangs and to
fight high-level corruption that plagues the Jamaica
Constabulary Force. Phillips seemed pensive and was clearly
worried that Jamaica continues to slide into a morass of
guns, violence and criminality which has the potential to
topple its fragile institutions. Phillips promised to again
try to move the U.S./CARICOM Light-Arms Declaration through
the CARICOM Secretariat. Phillips asked the COMs present to
lobby the country's political leadership to quell
election-related violence. End Summary


2. (C) Minister Phillips appeared quite somber in the meeting
as he outlined his goals for the immediate future and some
more long-term strategies. It is his intention to use his
limited time before the next election focusing on the
following: 1) The implementation of the Proceeds of Crime
Act before the end of May (the law was passed in February by
Parliament; 2) Passage of the legislation to create a new
National Investigative and Intelligence Agency, and 3) the
hiring of the new internationally-recruited head of the
Jamaica Constabulary Force's Anti-Corruption Division. Given
the acerbic nature of political discourse, and the fact that
Jamaica is awash in weapons, Phillips was clearly worried
about the likelihood of increased political violence leading
up to the next election, which seems likely in late June
early July.


3. (C) Despite the multi-lateral forum, the Charge took the
opportunity to raise the need for Jamaica to show leadership
in CARICOM and move the Light-Arms Declaration through the
CARICOM Secretariat. Phillips seemed surprised that this
hadn't yet been done by CARICOM and promised to do what he
could. (Note: Charge also raised this the previous day with
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Saunders,
see, Septel.)


4. (C) Assuming the next election returns the ruling PNP to
power, and assuming further that Peter Phillips remains at
the helm of the Ministry, it is Phillips' intention to focus
the Ministry's efforts on the following four key initiatives:
1) a re-energizing of Operation Kingfish to attack certain
"untouchable" organized crime figures; 2) the undertaking of
a strategic reform of the Jamaica Constabulary Force in an
effort to stamp out pervasive and high level corruption; 3)
the launching of a broader Anti-Corruption Initiative and 4)
The institution of social intervention programs as part of
the Government of Jamaica's broader crime-prevention efforts.


5. (C) The U.S., UK and Canadian COMs expressed support for
Phillips, and urged him to accomplish his short-term goals.
The UK and Canadian COMs cautioned Phillips that the GOJ has
to do more to show its political will to stamp out organized
crime and corruption if it expects continued support from
their governments. For example, if the NIIA is created, it
must be adequately staffed. (Note: Jamaica has the tendency
to create new governmental bodies, often in response to
international pressure, but then fails to adequately provide
for them financially, examples include the Anti-Corruption
Commission, the Police Civilian Oversight Commission.) The
COMs commented that in addition, if the Anti-Corruption
Officer position is filled, he must have support to do what
Phillips admitted is the "dirtiest job on the force." The
Charge expressed concern that Jamaica's ability to carry
forward on Phillips' plans, particularly the reform of the
JCF and creation of anti-crime social programs, will be
heavily constrained by its poor fiscal state. Phillips did
not have an answer for how Jamaica will come up with the
funding it needs for example, to pay its police force a
living wage. Note: $.70 cents of every dollar of revenue
received by the GOJ is used to service the interest on
government debt and pay current expenditures such as civil
service payroll.


6. (C) The Charge also stressed the need for the political



parties to coalesce around certain overarching principals
such as the need to support the rule of law, the fight
against official corruption and the need to combat crime and
violence so that whomever is the victor in the next election
can work across party lines to effectively govern the
country. Phillips acknowledged that Jamaica's history of
political violence, the near universal distrust of the
Jamaica Constabulary Force by the general public, an ever
increasing tendency to vigilantism and the fact that the
island is awash in guns has created an environment where the
legitimacy of the state is in question. As an example,
Phillips discussed the April 17 violence in two West
Kingston's neighborhoods, Denham Town and Tivoli Gardens.


7. (SBU) On April 17, in Denham Town, the police confronted a
small number of men armed with AK47s and the ensuing
gunfight, which was joined by other heavily armed members of
the gang quickly deteriorated into a wild west style shoot
out. The police out-gunned called for and received back up
from the Jamaica Defense Force, which dispatched soldiers to
cordon off the volitile neighborhoods to prevent the violence
from spreading. On the same day, because of the draw down of
police from neighboring communities to provide assistance in
Denham Town, in Tivoli, a festering gang war re-erupted,
which lead to more violent clashes with police as they moved
back in to quell the gangs.


8. (C) In Phillips view, the April 17 violence was related to
an ongoing series of clashes between heavily armed criminal
gangs in these neighborhoods and was not politically
motivated. He noted however that in these "garrison"
neighborhoods, where the criminal gangs have links to the
opposition JLP party, and where there have been political
killings and politically motivated police intimidation in the
past, any police action, no matter how legitimate is
automatically suspect. Indeed the population often complains
and questions the police motivation for "bothering" the local
gang members. Phillips stated that the tension due to these
violent incidences is so thick and there is so much suspicion
between the ruling PNP and JLP that he delayed speaking about
the implemetation of the Proceeds of Crime Act and the NIIA
legislation in Parliment on April 17 because he thought it
would lead the opposition JLP to launch into complaints
regarding the police actions in Tivoli Gardens.


9. (C) Citing the effectiveness of similar messaging in the
past, Phillips asked the COMs to deliver a strong message
that the ability of the U.S., UK, Canada to work with the
next government would greatly depend on the current political
leaders willingness to tamp down violent tendencies among
their supporters.


10. (C) Comment: Throughout the meeting Phillips seemed
quite preoccupied and somber when addressing Jamaica's
future. He is clearly worried about violence prior to the
election and the ability of Jamaica to continue as a nation
if tackling crime and violence at every level of society is
not the focus of the next government. Phillips has been one
of our most effective partners and there are no obivous
alternative candidates within the PNP who share both Phillips
dedication and orientation to the U.S. and its close allies.
If the ruling PNP party does retain power in the next
election, it will be important to work with our international
partners to urge that Phillips is retained. End Comment
Johnson