LAVALAS WANTS A MINISTER

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 000770 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CAR DRL S/CRS SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS TO USAID FOR LAC/CAR INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) TREASURY FOR JEFFREY LEVINE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM ASEC PINR HA SUBJECT: LAVALAS WANTS A MINISTER REF: A. PORT AU PRINCE 723 ¶B. 06 PORT AU PRINCE 832 ¶1. (SBU) Famni Lavalas (FL) Deputy Sorel Francois told Poloff on April 20 that the refusal of Planning Minister Jean Max Bellerive to work with FL-elected officials is a government conspiracy headed by President Rene Preval and Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis to exclude Lavalas from national politics. Adding detail to the conflict outlined in reftel, Francois said that shortly after becoming the minister with FL's endorsement, Bellerive told him that he is barred from working directly with Lavalasians, per orders of the President and PM. Francois said that he and his FL colleague, Deputy Jonas Coffy, have spoken directly to Prime Minister Alexis and sent a letter to President Preval, but the leaders have not responded to their concern. ¶2. (SBU) Francois complained that FL is being excluded from the government despite the party moderates' break with Aristide loyalists and their participation in the 2006 elections. "We need a minister: all the other major parties meet regularly with their respective ministers." When asked what the tangible results this would give FL, Francois responded, "jobs." Without access to the executive, FL does not have the ability to offer jobs, temporary or permanent, to its constituents. Francois said that the Minister for Environment Jean Marie Claude German (Union) once called FL representatives for a list of 80-90 people to work on a sanitation project which lasted two weeks. This was great, Francois explained, because some constituents from his area of Port-au-Prince made 1000 gourdes (about US $26) a week; however, other parties can offer many supporters jobs like these. This is a concern especially for representatives from Port-au-Prince and other major cities that benefit from public works projects, Francois clarified. ¶3. (SBU) Comment: Francois is right. Preval has deliberately excluded Lavalas from access to government patronage, as part of his overall policy of curbing government largesse across the board. (Despite Francois' complaints, under Preval, the overall number of government jobs distributed as political favors has been markedly small.) Preval told Emboffs before his election that he viewed the patronage model established by Aristide as especially abusive, and since becoming president he has drawn no distinction between Aristide loyalists and the moderates who led Lavalas participation in the election. Francois may think he and his fellow moderates deserve better, but public indifference to Preval's marginalization of Lavalas is another signal that Lavalas' base of support has largely eroded. For his part, Francois said he will not re-run for election because his constituents ask him for assistance for education, first communion, weddings and funerals, which he cannot afford. SANDERSON