GUAYAQUIL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS UNITE IN SUPPORT OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L GUAYAQUIL 000038 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/19/2018 TAGS: PGOV EC SUBJECT: GUAYAQUIL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS UNITE IN SUPPORT OF CITY'S AUTONOMY REF: GUAYAQUIL 25 Classified By: Consul General Douglas Griffiths for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In the aftermath of Guayaquil Mayor Jaime Nebot's successful march in support of the city's autonomy, a group of 50 students representing nearly all of Guayaquil's major universities joined together to produce a proposal that they hope will be included in a paper the mayor plans to deliver to the Constituent Assembly. This emerging student activism is new in Guayaquil, where university students have been politically apathetic in recent decades. Looking forward, the group, coming from a diverse mix of socioeconomic backgrounds and political leanings, hopes to capitalize on the unity across universities to play a bigger role in the political process, using Caracas's student movement as an example. END SUMMARY. STUDENTS BRING PROPOSAL FOR MAYOR TO BRING TO ASSEMBLY -------------- ¶2. (C) Inspired by last month's march in support of increased municipal autonomy, a politically and socially diverse group of approximately 50 students representing Guayaquil's major universities came together to produce a proposal for Ecuador's new constitution. The group received heavy media coverage when it met with Guayaquil's Social Christian Party (PSC) Mayor Jaime Nebot on February 12 to present the proposal and ask the mayor to include it in the "Guayaquil Mandate" he is preparing to send to the Constituent Assembly in Montecristi (Reftel). Cesar Coronel, the group's Secretary General and primary spokesman, told PolOff that he and the other students "wanted to propose something that reflected how students feel about the political situation and Guayaquil's autonomy. Even if they do not care about politics, students care about their future." ¶3. (C) The proposals that the student group made to Nebot are very similar to the themes the mayor himself has already publicly outlined for the mandate: jobs and production, respect and freedom, education, university budgets and funds set aside for local governments. Despite this communality of interest, Coronel insists that the group is ideologically neutral, pointing to its diversity as evidence. "All twelve of the city's major are represented -- even the University of Guayaquil, which has leftist tendencies. And some of our members are pro-Correa. We presented the proposal to the mayor because he is the elected leader of our city," he told Poloff. However, Coronel also admitted to more practical considerations. "We had thought about presenting it directly to the Constituent Assembly as well, but it would have been logistically difficult for us to mobilize forces and get up there," he told Poloff. "Also, we wanted it to be part of something bigger and harder to ignore." UNIVERSITY LEADERS HOPE TO MIMIC ROLE OF PEERS IN VENEZUELA -------------- ¶4. (C) The emergence of the student group marks the first time in recent memory that Guayaquil's university students have united to support a common goal. While student demonstrations are frequent in Quito and other cities in Ecuador's highlands, Guayaquil's students have been less politically active. "Students in this city are known for their 'que me importismo' ('how does it concern me?' attitude)," Coronel told Poloff. However, he noted that the cohesion of his group underscores the importance of autonomy issues. "It was not easy to get a consensus on our proposal in less than two weeks, but we were able to identify common goals," he said. Coronel added that the group hopes to build on the publicity that they have received and continue to represent the will and interests of the city's students. He also said that the group would be reaching out to their peers in Venezuela, whose demonstrations against the recent constitutional reforms were critical to defeating the referendum. However, he stressed that his group needed to be careful about becoming too associated with the Venezuelan student leaders. "We should learn from them, but we cannot be identified with them," he told Poloff. SUPPORT OF STUDENT GROUP GIVES NEBOT ADDED CREDIBILITY -------------- ¶5. (C) COMMENT: Like the January 24 march, the emergence of a broad-based student coalition demonstrates how strongly many Guayaquilenos feel about the importance of defending their city's autonomy. Getting support from this group is a win for Nebot, as the students add legitimacy and diversity to his proposals. However, school holidays have begun in the coastal provinces and student leaders will have a challenge maintaining interest and support during the beach season. GRIFFITHS