YVON NEPTUNE LAMENTS LAVALAS DISUNITY, LASHES OUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT AU PRINCE 001017 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CAR, DRL, S/CRS, INR/IAA SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR TREASURY FOR MAUREEN WAFER E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/16/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM HA SUBJECT: YVON NEPTUNE LAMENTS LAVALAS DISUNITY, LASHES OUT AT ARISTIDE PORT AU PR 00001017 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Ambassador Janet A. Sanderson. Reason: E.O. 12958 1.4 (b),(d) Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) A disillusioned Fanmi Lavalas (FL) militant and former Prime Minister, Yvon Neptune, sees former President Aristide as an anti-democratic force for the party and the country. He does not support Aristide's return to Haiti. Neptune assesses that the FL organization has been weakened by competing, self-promoting individuals and groups acting on their own, with no coordination of message as required by party statutes. He presents himself as a party veteran standing above the fray, working to bring wayward party elements together under renewed party discipline, but not optimistic his efforts will succeed. Neptune claimed he would not run for President in 2011, but his supporters and others believe he is vying to replace Aristide as party leader and then run for President of Haiti. End summary. The Preval Government -------------- ¶2. (C) Polcouns and Poloff called on former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune July 9 at his rented home in the hills overlooking Petionville and the bay of Port au Prince. He criticized President Preval for lacking a vision and strategy, and even likened him to former President Jean Betrand Aristide in the way he appointed people based on personal ties. Neptune said this was the case with Prime Minister-designate Michele Pierre-Louis. He predicted her confirmation process would be a polarizing one, and criticized the PM-designate for thumbing her nose at the sensitivities of society. (Note: a reference to the PM-designate's refusal to comment publicly on her alleged homosexuality. End note) Neptune also faulted Preval for ignoring Haitian cultural taboos in choosing her. (Note: another reference to Pierre-Louis' alleged sexual orientation. End note). Neptune opined that Preval would have done better to explain to the country the constitutional and political case for Michele Pierre Louis. Preval's silence only allowed the debate to further polarize the country. Fanmi Lavalas Organization -------------- ¶3. (C) Neptune spent the rest of the interview criticizing former President Aristide and picking apart the weaknesses of the FL organization. There had been a real chance for FL to solidify itself into a durable organization in the 1997-2000 period, but the party had squandered that opportunity and then failed to consolidate itself during Aristide's second term in office, 2000-2004. After Aristide's departure from Haiti in February 2004, the organization had been ''sacked'' and currently was no longer functional. All that remained was a series of competing grass roots organizations and personalities, all engaged in self-promotion. FL and Haiti needed a charismatic, popular leader capable of drawing these elements together. Aristide a Negative Force -------------- ¶4. (C) Neptune admitted that Aristide retained popularity in Haiti, but said that Aristide must realize that he is no longer President of Haiti, that the 1987 constitution precludes his ever assuming the Presidency again, and that his FL organization is fundamentally dysfunctional. He hoped that the former President would take positions that would strengthen democracy in Haiti and within FL. Neptune stated that Aristide is suspected by many of acting in a "dictatorial" manner, especially by appointing the Executive Committee of FL without consulting party stalwarts in Haiti. Defended by Aristide supporters as an ''exceptional measure,'' these appointments flew in the face of the party's PORT AU PR 00001017 002.2 OF 003 principles of consultation and participation. He claimed to have told Aristide that this move could not be explained to the party rank and file. Neptune questioned whether Aristide had a genuine interest in Haiti's poor. ¶5. (C) Asked whether he supported Aristide's return to Haiti, Neptune said this would be very difficult given the current circumstances. Supporters of Aristide's return had sentimental rather than serious motivations. In the current state of disarray in FL, no individual, not even ''National Representative'' Jean Betrand Aristide, could validly claim to be leader of the organization. Neptune left the strong impression he did not support Aristide's return. Competing Groups, Individuals -------------- ¶6. (C) The former PM assessed that the FL organization had split into competing groups, each acting independently and with no regard for party statutes. There were grass roots organizations, individual senators and deputies, and other individuals such as Rene Civil and Annette August (aka So Anne). The parliamentary representatives had no organization behind them. Some individuals, such as Senator Rudy Herivaux, claimed to be leaders of the party, but such claims were groundless. Individuals spoke out on issues of the moment -- such as Rene Civil speaking in favor of Prime Minister-designate Michele Pierre Louis -- without any authorization from party organs. Neptune characterized such statements as ''lies.'' The party was no longer governed by statutes set down in basic party documents. Asked about ''radicals'' such as Rene Civil and Nawoom Marcellus, he replied elliptically that there was a small minority in the party who wanted to put a stick in the spokes of the organization. He opined, however, that Annette August has a genuine interest in the poor. ¶7. (C) Neptune said the only hope for FL lay in the recently-formed ''Reconciliation Commission'' tasked with reconciling the Executive Committee, grass roots organizations and other elements of the party. He hoped that this commission could establish general transparency and respect for the party's basic law. Future Elections, Demonstrations -------------- ¶8. (C) Neptune downplayed the FL demonstration planned for July 15, saying the planners had not coordinated with central FL actors. He considered the occasion of the demonstration, Aristide's birthday, insignificant and inappropriate. Asked about candidates for upcoming Senate and Presidential races, Neptune declined to discuss individuals, saying only that the charter of FL sets down the procedure for establishing candidacies. He commented that many in FL had mouthed the cause of Haiti's poor while getting rich themselves. He accused such persons of having a political ''investment'' in poverty. Neptune said that he would not/not be a candidate for President in 2011. Instead, he would devote himself to making FL a ''serious organization.'' Comment -------------- ¶9. (C) The former Prime Minister appeared disillusioned by and somewhat detached from developments in the FL party. Neptune claimed to be healthy, but looked frail and not completely recovered from his 2004-2006 imprisonment by the Interim Government. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights recently ruled that he was not responsible for killings at ''La Scierie'' near St. Marc in February 2004 while he was Prime Minister, and said he should be paid USD 95,000 in damages. He receives visitors in his hillside home but rarely ventures into town. Neptune gave the impression of an old fighter who has seen his party's leader betray the cause, and his organization torn apart by individuals trying to assume the mantle of the deposed former President. He PORT AU PR 00001017 003.2 OF 003 disputed the widespread impression that, whatever its faults, FL is the organizationally strongest political party in Haiti. Instead, he intends to continue advising party activists in his hillside home, and to work through the 'Reconciliation Commission'' to impose discipline on a fractious organization. He did not appear optimistic these efforts would succeed. ¶10. (C) Nevertheless, we regard skeptically Neptune's disavowal of interest in the Presidency of Haiti. He has a core of supporters centered in Chamber of Deputies member Jonas Coffy and militant Annette August, who herself has close links to many FL grass roots organizations. Their effort to break Aristide's hold on the party (exerted through the Executive Committee he appointed) and to make party organs accountable to the membership in Haiti has the ultimate aim, we believe, of replacing Aristide as party leader (in FL parlance, the ''National Representative'') with Neptune. If this effort succeeds, Neptune logically would assume the party mantle in the 2011 presidential race. SANDERSON