VZCZCXRO4752
PP RUEHQU
DE RUEHPU #0288/01 0431132
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121132Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5322
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 1409
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 1232
RUEHQU/AMCONSUL QUEBEC PRIORITY 0711
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1124

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000288 
 
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 KDEM PINR HA
SUBJECT: LAVALASIAN OPS STRIVE TO STAY IN THE GANG 
 
REF: PORT AU PRINCE 1250 
 
PORT AU PR 00000288  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
 ¶1. (U)  Summary:  Lavalasian "popular organizations" (OPs) 
such as PLANOP (National Platform of Progressive Popular 
Organizations) continue to make demands on the government in 
radio interviews and in street demonstrations, including 
asking for the return of Aristide and the departure of 
MINUSTAH.  PLANOP also tries to position itself as an 
intermediary between the gangs and the international 
community and as key allies of local government.  PLANOP's 
and other OPs' relevance appears to be diminishing, however, 
as MINUSTAH and the GoH move to directly confront the gangs 
and implement social programs.  Additionally, with the 
population at large appearing to remain mostly indifferent or 
opposed to the Lavalas message, other grass roots 
organizations appear to be replacing the old OPs.  End 
Summary. 
 
--------------------- 
5 Demands for the GoH 
--------------------- 
 
¶2. (U)  Eranel Fameux and Yvon Etienne, two members of an 
"organisation populaire" (see ref A) named PLANOP operating 
in Cite Soleil, outlined their demands and described the 
current situation on the ground in Cite Soleil to Poloff on 
January 24.  The group claims to be an umbrella organization 
for a number of citizen groups in Cite Soleil, including the 
Organization of Fishermen of Cite Soleil and the Committee to 
Maintain Order in Cite Soleil.  The group's platform has five 
major demands, mainly directed toward the central government. 
 (Note: These demands are common among Lavalas partisans in 
the Port-au-Prince slums. End Note.)  The first demand is 
that the government improve the "miserable conditions" in 
which people live.  Problems outlined by PLANOP include 
hunger, lack of education, poor sanitation, and little or no 
access to clean water.   The second demand is that the 
government reinstall workers whose jobs were taken away under 
the interim government.  (Note: Many of these workers were on 
the payroll of public utilities under former-President Jean 
Bertrand Aristide, but did not actually work at those 
offices.  End Note.)  The next item on the group's agenda is 
to secure the release of their imprisoned friends whom they 
believe have been jailed unjustly.  The group would also like 
to see MINUSTAH leave Haiti.  They claim that the Haitian 
National Police, with assistance from PLANOP, could fill the 
void left by the departure of the peacekeeping force.  Last 
but not least, PLANOP is demanding the return of Former 
President Jean Bertrand Aristide. 
 
----------------------- 
Liaising with the Gangs 
----------------------- 
 
¶3. (U)  The PLANOP representatives made no secret of their 
relationship with Cite Soleil gang leaders.  They said they 
sit down with the gangs often to talk and encourage them to 
put down their weapons.  (Note: The representatives of PLANOP 
who met with Poloff were seen on national television 
alongside well-known gang leaders Amaral and Evans.  End 
Note.)  Attempting to characterize their association with the 
gangs as a benefit, the representatives offered to work with 
USAID and other international donors to show them how to "get 
things done" in Cite Soleil.  They were adamant that MINUSTAH 
and the HNP cannot control Cite Soleil alone and that they 
need help from "civil society" groups like PLANOP, in this 
case meaning help smoothing things over with the gang leaders. 
 
----------------------------- 
Local Government Taking Root? 
----------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U)  Poloff inquired as to the role of local government, 
namely the mayor, in Cite Soleil.  Again, the PLANOP 
representatives reiterated that they would play an integral 
role in helping the new mayor do his job because of their 
intimate knowledge of the area.  They pointed to the apparent 
victory of the heretofore unknown political party "Pel ak 
Pikwa" (Shovel and Pick) as evidence that the population is 
ready to accept local government in place of gang leadership. 
 
PORT AU PR 00000288  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 PLANOP intends to support the new mayor as he formulates an 
"emergency plan" for security.  (Note: Endependans, not "Pel 
ak Pikwa", won the mayor's race in Cite Soleil, according to 
official election results.  End Note.) 
 
¶5. (U)  Comment:  Though often equated with civil society or 
grassroots organizations, under Aristide OPs became the 
mechanisms through which he dispersed patronage and, by 
arming them, intimidated his enemies (ref A).  Because Preval 
has admirably abandoned these practices, PLANOP is struggling 
to maintain a niche in post-Aristide Haiti.  Though leaders 
associated with PLANOP and other OPs played a role in 
establishing stablility in 2005 for the electoral 
registration and ensuing elections, President Preval's direct 
involvement in negotiations with the gangs -- and later his 
abandonment of those negotiations -- effectively marginalized 
these groups.  This probably explains Fameux's and Ettiene's 
pursuit of Emboffs, as they search for ways to maintain their 
stature and influence in their community. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Comment Continued.  This leaves the OPs with little 
besides traditional Lavalasian politics to fall back on; 
however, that too appears to be increasingly ineffective. 
Post's most recent polling data from November shows that only 
5% of Haitians support Famni Lavalas nationally, and Lavalas 
candidates combined polled 13th out of all parties standing 
in December's local elections. Increasingly, more responsible 
civil society groups appear to be filling the void left by 
the out-of-touch OPs.  As has happened in the Port-au-Prince 
neighborhood of Bel Air, these groups have mostly abandoned 
pointless Lavalasian rhetoric and now concentrate instead on 
partnering with the GoH and international donors to improve 
their living conditions. 
SANDERSON