PRESIDENT LUGO MISSTEPS ON CUBAN LITERACY PROGRAM

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASUNCION 000008

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/BSC MDASCHBACH AND LSALES

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2033
TAGS: PGOV SCUL BL CU VZ PA
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT LUGO MISSTEPS ON CUBAN LITERACY PROGRAM

REF: ASUNCION 721

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Michael J. Fitzpatrick for reaso
ns 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: President Lugo's pre-Christmas acceptance
of Bolivian and Venezuelan assistance to implement a Cuban
literacy program in Paraguay elicited a sharp negative,
nationalistic reaction here. Even as it turns out that
Paraguay has been using the modified Cuban system here since
2003, Lugo has spent much of the subsequent weeks downplaying
the newness, size or nature of the program, and denying that
he has agreed to permit any more foreign teachers in
Paraguay. END SUMMARY.

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LUGO'S INTEREST IN "YES I CAN" DRAWS STRONG REACTION
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2. (U) President Fernando Lugo visited Cochabamba, Bolivia
December 20 by invitation from Bolivian President Evo Morales
to attend an event to celebrate the implementation of the
"Yes I Can" Cuban literacy program in Bolivia, and to witness
the declaration of Bolivia as "free from illiteracy."
Following Morales' statement there that he would help
Paraguay "eradicate illiteracy," Lugo responded to press
inquiries the next day that he "was very happy to receive
Morales' generous offer to share the (program) with the
Paraguayan people." (NOTE: In addition to Morales' offer,
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez claimed December 20 that
Paraguay had agreed to adopt the "Yes I Can" Program, and
pledged Venezuelan assistance. END NOTE.)


3. (C) Lugo's December 21 statement elicited a sharp public
reaction, and struck a nationalist chord with the Paraguayan
press, politicians, civil society organizations -- and within
his administration. Education Minister Horacio Galeano
Perrone December 22 defended his Ministry's current efforts
to fight illiteracy, calling Paraguayan teachers "excellent"
and stating that Paraguay did not need assistance from
foreign teachers. Vice Minister for Educational Development
Luis Caceres Brun told EmbOff December 23 that Minister
Galeano -- who did not accompany Lugo on his Bolivia trip --
was surprised by Lugo's statement, and noted that Lugo did
not coordinate his trip or public statements with the
Education Ministry.


4. (C) The Paraguayan press seized on statements made by
Chavez and Morales to assert that, if implemented, the
program would invite the Venezuelans, Bolivians, and Cubans
to supplant Paraguayan educators and introduce Bolivarian
socialism in Paraguayan schools. The press again linked "Yes
I Can" to Venezuela December 31 when it reported that the
Education Ministry had already begun implementing Venezuelan
educational programs modeled after "Yes I Can." (NOTE: The
press claimed that these Venezuelan programs are included in
the 13 agreements Paraguay and Venezuela signed August 16,
and are administered by the Education Vice Minister for Youth
Affairs, Karina Rodriguez -- a member of the leftist,
pro-Chavez Paraguayan Movement Toward Socialism (P-MAS)
(reftel). END NOTE.)


5. (C) Lugo dismissed allegations that he's too close to
Morales and Chavez during a January 5 meeting with Charge,
and told Charge that the program had existed in Paraguay "for
years," was non-political, had an international stamp of
approval, and focused here on Paraguayan-related topics. He
noted that the program would not push Cuban or any other
ideology, but emphasize Paraguayan military heroes and
history, an explanation that prompted ABC Color owner Aldo
Zuccolillo -- who published many articles critical of "Yes I
Can" -- to offer Lugo a USD 500,000 financial donation to the
"Yes I Can" program. Lugo said he had signed an agreement
affirming that Paraguay would participate in the program but
that no changes to the pre-existing program were planned. He
denied that Paraguay would use any new foreign consultants to
facilitate Paraguay's program.

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"YES I CAN": EDUCATIONAL... AND POLITICAL
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6. (C) Education Vice Minister Caceres told EmbOff that the
Ministry considers the "Yes I Can" program a useful
educational tool, and said that many Paraguayan educators
have actually used the "Yes I Can" program as a learning
supplement since 2003. Some members of Congress, including
Beloved Fatherland Party Deputy Sebastian Acha, criticized
Lugo for not consulting Congress before adopting the program,
and asserted that Congress would first need to approve it
(like any other foreign cooperative agreement). Although
Paraguayan teachers have endorsed the "Yes I Can" program,
right-of-center civil society organizations such as the
Freedom Foundation and the Rural Association of Paraguay are
strongly opposed to its implementation.


7. (C) Caceres told EmbOff that while "Yes I Can" has been
somewhat successful in reducing illiteracy, other programs --
including a home-grown bilingual Guarani-Spanish program --
have been more effective at promoting literacy. Former
Education Minister Maria Ester Jimenez stated December 28
that Paraguay's own educational and literacy programs serve
as a model for Latin America. She noted that Paraguay's
Youth and Adult Basic Education and Literacy Program (Prodepa
Ko'e Pyahu),established in 2000 and administered by over
4,000 bilingual Spanish and Guarani educators, has
successfully taught 140,000 Paraguayans basic reading skills
over the past five years. Ovelar said that Prodepa Ko'e
Pyahu had been so successful that the Education Ministry
submitted a request to UNESCO in 2007 asking it to analyze
Paraguay's literacy rate and declare it "free of illiteracy."
Caceres noted that Prodepa Ko'e Pyahu is supported by the
"Donor's Roundtable," which includes the Spanish government,
UN Development Program, and Organization of Iberoamerican
States, European Union, and Inter-American Development Bank.


8. (C) Former Education Minister and 2008 Colorado Party
presidential candidate Blanca Ovelar said December 26 that
"Yes I Can" began in 2003 after then-Cuban President Fidel
Castro gave Paraguayan writer Augusto Roa Bastos 65 "Yes I
Can" kits for the Education Ministry. Ovelar said that the
Ministry distributed these kits to students in Central
Department with the assistance of then-Central Department
Governor and now Vice President Federico Franco. (NOTE:
Franco is center-right in his political views and strongly
against those leftists courting President Lugo. END NOTE.)
Ovelar noted that the prevalence of monolingual Guarani
speakers and linguistic distinctions between Cuban and
Paraguayan Spanish limited distribution of the
Spanish-language "Yes I Can" kits.

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COMMENT
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9. (C) Lugo stepped in it this time, yet it is still unclear
just what were Lugo's original intentions with regards to
"Yes I Can" in Paraguay. All the inital pronouncements were
by Bolivians and Venezuelans speaking about extending the
Cuban program to Paraguay. Lugo initially responded with not
much other than, "Sure, we'll take the help." But the
subsequent buzzsaw backlash has put the entire Lugo
administration on notice that the Cuban-Venezuelan-Bolivian
troika continues to be viewed with great suspicion here. As
such, the Paraguayan government will find its manuevering
room on the left further limited. And those troika countries
will likely try to make sure that future activities will try
to fly under the radar.


10. (C) Although the Bolivians and Venezuelans could
conceivably take advantage of the "Yes I Can" program to send
"facilitators" or consultants to Paraguay with a political
agenda, any political influence should be blunted by the
country's overwhelmingly wary view of this initiative, and
the success of Paraguay's Prodepa Ko'e Pyahu and other
literacy programs already better adapted and positioned to
reach large numbers of children who predominantly speak
indigenous Guarani. END COMMENT.

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FITZPATRICK