VZCZCXRO6776
PP RUEHQU
DE RUEHPU #0770 1151616
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 251616Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5927
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 1508
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 1331
RUEHQU/AMCONSUL QUEBEC PRIORITY 0787
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1199

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 000770 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR 
DRL 
S/CRS 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR LAC/CAR 
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) 
TREASURY FOR JEFFREY LEVINE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM ASEC PINR HA
SUBJECT: LAVALAS WANTS A MINISTER 
 
REF: A. PORT AU PRINCE 723 
     ¶B. 06 PORT AU PRINCE 832 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Famni Lavalas (FL) Deputy Sorel Francois told 
Poloff on April 20 that the refusal of Planning Minister Jean 
Max Bellerive to work with FL-elected officials is a 
government conspiracy headed by President Rene Preval and 
Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis to exclude Lavalas from 
national politics.  Adding detail to the conflict outlined in 
reftel, Francois said that shortly after becoming the 
minister with FL's endorsement, Bellerive told him that he is 
barred from working directly with Lavalasians, per orders of 
the President and PM.  Francois said that he and his FL 
colleague, Deputy Jonas Coffy, have spoken directly to Prime 
Minister Alexis and sent a letter to President Preval, but 
the leaders have not responded to their concern. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Francois complained that FL is being excluded from 
the government despite the party moderates' break with 
Aristide loyalists and their participation in the 2006 
elections.  "We need a minister: all the other major parties 
meet regularly with their respective ministers."  When asked 
what the tangible results this would give FL, Francois 
responded, "jobs."  Without access to the executive, FL does 
not have the ability to offer jobs, temporary or permanent, 
to its constituents.  Francois said that the Minister for 
Environment Jean Marie Claude German (Union) once called FL 
representatives for a list of 80-90 people to work on a 
sanitation project which lasted two weeks.  This was great, 
Francois explained, because some constituents from his area 
of Port-au-Prince made 1000 gourdes (about US $26) a week; 
however, other parties can offer many supporters jobs like 
these.  This is a concern especially for representatives from 
Port-au-Prince and other major cities that benefit from 
public works projects, Francois clarified. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Comment: Francois is right.  Preval has 
deliberately excluded Lavalas from access to government 
patronage, as part of his overall policy of curbing 
government largesse across the board.  (Despite Francois' 
complaints, under Preval, the overall number of government 
jobs distributed as political favors has been markedly 
small.)  Preval told Emboffs before his election that he 
viewed the patronage model established by Aristide as 
especially abusive, and since becoming president he has drawn 
no distinction between Aristide loyalists and the moderates 
who led Lavalas participation in the election.  Francois may 
think he and his fellow moderates deserve better, but public 
indifference to Preval's marginalization of Lavalas is 
another signal that Lavalas' base of support has largely 
eroded.  For his part, Francois said he will not re-run for 
election because his constituents ask him for assistance for 
education, first communion, weddings and funerals, which he 
cannot afford. 
SANDERSON