NEW MAYORS: HOMEGROWN POLITICIANS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000825 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR S/CRS SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PINR HA SUBJECT: NEW MAYORS: HOMEGROWN POLITICIANS REF: PORT AU PRINCE 440 PORT AU PR 00000825 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (U) Summary: The newly-elected mayors of Port-au-Prince and Cite Soleil both hail from local, grassroots political parties with no apparent ties to national politics. Both exhibit energy and a vision for the future of their cities, but have limited means with which to work. In Port-au-Prince, Mayor Muscadin Jean-Yves Jason is focusing on development of infrastructure and social services. In Cite Soleil, Mayor Wilson Louis is reveling in the intense international focus on his city and working to bring in as much aid money as possible. There are no early indications of corruption in either administration but it is too early to pass judgment. End Summary. -------------- Port-au-Prince: Clean Up the Streets -------------- ¶2. (U) Mayor of Port-au-Prince Muscadin Jean-Yves Jason and his deputy, Guercy Mouscardy, spoke with Poloff on April 13 about their campaign and their plans for the city. (The second deputy mayor, Nadege Augustin, was not in attendance.) Jason was elected under the banner of RCP (Union of Patriotic Citizens),formed in 1999 and operating solely in Port-au-Prince. Jason said that RCP is not tied to any national political parties or politicians, nor do they have links with any religious organization. He also stated they have no intention of entering into national politics, at least during their first term in office. (Note: Voter turnout for the Port-au-Prince mayoral race was 15.8 percent. RCP received the majority of its votes in the neighborhoods of Martissant and Fontamara, two very violent and gang-ridden areas. End note.) ¶3. (U) Almost all of the proposals in Jason's agenda are in the domain of infrastructure and development. He listed the biggest problems in Port-au-Prince as teeming slums and the shortage of sanitation, electricity and schools. He wants to make the city manageable and also increase the visibility of local government by putting a micro city hall in every neighborhood, and providing each with a school, a market, a police inspector and other public works. Jason cited the new administration's most pressing needs as cars and professional �0A;advisors, especially on managing the budget and security. They are already working with their sister city, Montreal, on some of these issues. ¶4. (U) Jason says he intends to fully apply Article 66 of the Haitian Constitution, which gives each municipality administrative and financial autonomy. There are more than 400 employees on the official payroll of the city, but only about 200 come to work. Last year's budget was about US $42,000. However, as of April 13 the GoH had not unblocked the accounts for the city, so nobody had received their salaries. Jason said that 80 percent of taxes collected in Port-au-Prince go to the city administration, and the remaining 20 percent goes to the central government. -------------- Cite Soleil: The People Have Spoken -------------- ¶5. (U) Mayor of Cite Soleil Wilson Louis and his deputy, Charles Jean Robert, spoke with Poloff on April 17. (The second deputy, Gustave Benoit, was not in attendance.) Mayor Louis was born in Jeremie, Haiti, but has lived in Cite Soleil for the last 15 years. He spent most of that time as founder and secretary general of an organization named Union for the Development of the Community of Delmas, which despite its name also operated in neighboring Cite Soleil and Tabarre. Louis also spent five years as a teacher in Cite Soleil and is currently finishing a degree in legal studies. Before becoming deputy mayors, Charles Jean Robert was a technician for a potable water company and Benoit Gustave worked for Food for the Poor, both in Cite Soleil. ¶6. (U) Louis ran under an independent party named ''Pel e Pikwa'' (Creole for Shovel and Pick). Because he won as an independent dependent on grassroots support, Louis believes PORT AU PR 00000825 002.2 OF 002 he is coming into office with a huge mandate from the people. (Note: Voter turnout for mayoral elections was 29 percent. End note.) Mayor Louis credited his victory to the youth of Cite Soleil, who did not want a mayor controlled by gangs. The two other major contenders in the mayoral race were supported by one of the major gang leaders. For example, Evans and Amaral supported the Union candidate, Evel Andou (ref A),and Belony supported the Lespwa candidate. Local community leaders in Cite Soleil confirmed to Poloff that Pel e Pikwa was not backed by any of the major gangs. Pel et Pikwa also won the county council (ASEC),county district council (CASEC),and city council elections in Cite Soleil. However, their candidate for the chamber of deputies, Webster Maurice, lost to Salibar Jean (Fusion). Louis emphasized that he has never been a member of Fanmi Lavalas (FL) and his organization is not tied to Lavalas. He said it's a misconception that Cite Soleil is still a bastion of FL support. Lavalas has no power in Cite Soleil today and no political organization, according to Louis. ¶7. (U) Mayor Louis sees the role of the mayor as coordinating, and thereby increasing the effectiveness of, all work the GoH and the international community are doing to improve Cite Soleil. Louis plans to ''take charge'' of the community. Like the mayor of Port-au-Prince, Mayor Louis's program focuses on development issues and basic services such as road construction, garbage pickup, electricity and potable water. He is also intent on speeding the process of bringing Haitian National Police presence back to Cite Soleil. This is the first time Cite Soleil has been a commune with its own mayor, so there is no budget within the Ministry of the Interior for the commune. ¶8. (U) Local community leaders in Cite Soleil on April 19 expressed concern that the USG was working with locally elected leaders to coordinate development projects in the neighborhood. These leaders are accustomed to working with NGOs and perceive local government as ''thieves.'' They had not yet collaborated with Mayor Louis but based on prior experiences with local government, they said they prefer that the international community intervene directly, bypassing local officials. ¶9. (U) Comment: Voter turnout was very low in local elections, much lower than in the parliamentary elections. The new mayors are claiming a mandate from the people, but in this case ''the people'' are less than 30 percent of registered voters. Even with increased USG and international focus on supporting local government's credibility, there is still a general lack of confidence in local government among Haitians, hampering the decentralization process. SANDERSON