REFORM OF THE REFORMISTA PARTY - THE DREAM IS ALIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SANTO DOMINGO 001921

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

WHA FOR DAS DMROBINSON, WHA/CAR FOR WSMITH, BPREMONT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2013
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM KCOR KJUS VE DR
SUBJECT: REFORM OF THE REFORMISTA PARTY - THE DREAM IS ALIVE

REF: A. SDO 1513

B. SDO 1666

C. SDO 1717

D. SDO 1296

SANTO DOMI 00001921 001.2 OF 002


Classified By:
Classified By: Robert Fannin, Ambassador, Reasons 1.4(b),(d)


1. (C) Summary: Poloff met with Victor "Ito" Bisono, a
rising star of the falling Reform Party (PRSC) to discuss
prospects for the party's revival - an on-going saga (ref A).
Although some Dominicans have already dismissed the party as
a thing of the past, Bisono has a different vision: He
predicts that the Fernandez government will have a tough time
this coming year, given the global economic down-turn. This,
in turn, will provide the PRSC (Partido Reformista Social
Cristiano) with an opportunity to rally its militants and
like-minded politicians from other movements. Bisono
recognizes that the first step, however, is for the PRSC to
loosen the grip of ex-PRSC Presidential candidate Amable
Aristy's followers on the party's Political Committee and
other organs. To this end, Bisono and others are working to
insert people with more modern ways of thinking and acting
into key positions by March 2009. Intriguingly, Foreign
Minister Morales
Troncoso is in on this plan, Bisono suggested, even if the FM
will remain at his post for the next 12-18 months. It remains
to be seen whether Reformista party reforms will succeed and
whether Morales will then jump from Fernandez's ship. End
Summary.

The Vision Thing
--------------


2. (SBU) For Bisono, the answer to the nation's systemic
dysfunctions includes the mobilization of entrepreneurs "such
as the owners of this cafe" (in which the meeting took place
on 12/12). This constituency wants to see the law enforced,
corruption reduced and infrastructure maintained. As things
stand, Bisono feels, "working Dominicans" do not benefit, the
country's image suffers and the end result may be state
failure. He pointed to Venezuela as an example of what could
happen if even "democratic" political parties fail to serve
the public interest over time.


3. (C) Bisono also foresees that the Fernandez administration
will face mounting difficulties over the coming year, largely
due to the global economic crisis. Moreover, he added,
Fernandez has no "vertical" control over his party, relying
instead on spreading access to power and funding among those
willing to lend support - i.e., clientism. (Note: Foreign
Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso is a classic case of this -
somebody from another party who, in return for a government
position, hitches himself to the Fernandez wagon - for now.
The President's non-partisan clientism is also causing
members of his own party to grumble. End Note) As the
administration stumbles along in the coming year or so,
Bisono predicts, the PRSC will have the opportunity to come
back from near oblivion as a responsible opposition party.

Possible Plan of Action
--------------


4. (C) The problem, Bisono knows, is how to deal with what he
termed a "hard core" within the party that still sees the
party more as a means for pursuing self-interests than as a
mechanism for formulating policies, mobilizing voters and
pursuing national development. In his reform drive,
Bisono said he has the support of Santiago's very effective
Mayor, Jose Enrique Sued (ref B),and that qualified people
with experience in the private sector or the world outside
the DR are currently contacting him about how they might
serve in various organs of the PRSC.


5. (C) Bisono indicated that Fernandez's own Foreign Minister
supports the effort to infuse new blood into the party's
leadership. Indeed, Bisono hinted that while he will become
the Secretary General of the party, Morales will return to
the party, as its leader, in about 18 months - once the
rebuilding of the party bears fruit.


6. (SBU) When asked what program the PRSC leadership might
rally around, Bisono mentioned three subjects - dear to the
heart of "conservatives" to whom the PRSC is supposed to
appeal: energy, immigration and security. The country has
run up too many debts associated with dependency on
hydrocarbons, the border with Haiti is wide open (ref C),and
crime, not least narco-trafficking, is on the rise (ref D).
While he recognizes the need for the DR to address education

SANTO DOMI 00001921 002.2 OF 002


issues - about which he recently published an editorial - he
does not believe that more effort on
education can translate into near-term political benefits for
the party.

Who Will Save the PRSC?
--------------


7. (C) Comment: An editorial in the newspaper "Hoy" asked
this question on November 26. Bisono seemed to confirm that
answer will be him - as Secretary General - and several
others, including Mayor Sued. The editorial opined that
Joaquin Ricardo (ref A) will become the PRSC's president, but
in Bisono's account, that may be temporary - until Morales
chooses to pull the plug on Fernandez.


8. (SBU) Comment (cont'd.): Bisono is also hoping that other
Christian Democratic or conservative parties, and related
international groups, will help the PRSC develop and "form"
new and better party cadres. Given that the USG recognizes
the need for all democratic countries to have an effective
opposition, he hopes that we will underscore that message to
our Dominican interlocutors, in and out of the PRSC. Such
words of encouragement - if not of warning - will go some
distance, he indicated, towards ensuring that the country
does not drift into a crime-crippled, "caudillo-light"
system, headed indefinitely by Fernandez. End Comment.
FANNIN