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