Cablegate: Profile: Angelino Garzon, Governor of Valle Del

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FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5900
INFO RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 7826
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C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 005297

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR CO
SUBJECT: PROFILE: ANGELINO GARZON, GOVERNOR OF VALLE DEL
CAUCA

REF: BOGOTA 002030

Classified By: CDA Milton K. Drucker
Reason: 1.4 (b,d)

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Summary
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1. (C) Valle del Cauca Governor Angelino Garzon is one of
the most prominent representatives of the moderate left in
Colombia and regarded as a possible presidential candidate
from the Polo DemocraticoAlternativo party in 2010. Garzon
has privately scorned more radical members of the Polo. He
said a Polo leader who has had executive responsibility in
office making concrete decisions (i.e., like a governor or
mayor), rather than a member of Congress, would be Polo's
most effective standard bearer in a presidential contest.
Garzon demurred when asked recently about his own national
ambitions, instead lauding the performance of Bogota's Polo
Mayor, LuchoGarzon. End summary.

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Background: Constructive Negotiator
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2. (C) Garzon's early career was as a trade unionist, most
recently as President of Colombia's largest labor federation,
the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT). He served as an
executive of two left-wing movements, the Union Patriotica
(1988-90) and the political arm of the M-19 guerrillas
(1991-4). Garzon's roots in collective bargaining and
activism later served him in his role as constituyente, or
member of the 1991 assembly that followed a peace accord
between the GOC and M-19 armed rebels. In that assembly he
co-authored Colombia's current constitution. In the late
1990s President Pastrana appointed Garzon Minister of Labor,
involving him in the (failed) peace talks with the FARC at
Caguan. In recent years Garzon has been active in several
high-level commissions seeking humanitarian exchange with the
guerillas and negotiated solutions to the conflict. Analysts
said his 2003 election as governor (with a record-breaking
number of votes) was a blow to the FARC, as proof that a
leftist candidate could achieve power through democratic
means.

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Disciplined, Bipartisan, and Pluralist
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3. (C) In person, Garzon is slow to make an impression. He
speaks quietly and sedately without the usual animation of a
politician. As he warms to his subject, however, he speaks
with conviction, not just of immediate issues but also making
reference to the principles behind his policies. He
emphasized three core values to poloffs in recent meetings:

- Hard work and duty. Garzon said too many mayors and
governors see their jobs as honorary posts of prestige and
status; they "still don't get it," he said, that they are in
public service. The governor is well known for working long
hours. He openly admires President Uribe's renowned work
ethic, and credits Uribe for influencing the public sector
towards greater discipline. When asked about his future
plans, he replied that his only focus is to meet his goals as
Governor, to run for future office on a substantive record of
accomplishments.

- Bipartisan governance. The Governor is a prominent member
of the Polo, but in practice is more pragmatic than partisan.
He emphasized his institutional role over his political
affiliation, stressing the need for departmental and local
authorities to work with national governments of any stripe.
He distinguished between the candidate Alvaro Uribe, from
whom he kept a proper distance, versus President Uribe with
whom he collaborated. He expressed frustration with Polo
members who had criticized him for cooperating with Uribe.
The business community in Cali that initially distrusted his
labor roots has come to appreciate his pragmatic approach.

- Dialogue with citizens. Garzon has instituted forums in
which representatives of economic and social interest groups
talk to each other and with the government. Forums are held
before a direct audience of citizens and are relayed to the
broader community by public television. The governor
emphasized his "pedagogical" role in the development of
civic-mindedness and public institutions. Public contact

seemed to be a welcome respite from the isolation of his
office: referring to the elite circles in which he now
travels, he spoke of being a "prisoner in stratum six."

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FTA Supporter
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4. (C) Garzon disagreed with his party's rejection of the
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the U.S., saying the Uribe
Administration needed to do a better job of explaining the
text. In Garzon's view, the FTA would benefit some sectors
and harm others. Those who would benefit (like major sugar
and ethanol producers in Valle) should help make the case,
while the national government should help those who stand to
lose. Garzon said the GOC should hold public meetings to
listen to the concerns of those negatively affected. He said
many times critics needed to believe their concerns had been
aired and that their interests were taken into account.

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Presidential Ambitions?
-----------------------

5. (C) Garzon was noncommital when asked recently about his
own presidential ambitions in 2010, instead praising the work
of Bogota's Polo Mayor, LuchoGarzon (no relation). The
Valle Governor said Lucho had performed responsibly in office
and understood the need to improve citizens' lives through
concrete, practical initiatives. He distinguished such
efforts from the "irresponsible" actions of "radical" members
of Congress, among whom he named leading Polo congressman
Gustavo Petro (soon to be Senator). According to Garzon,
Petro and others in the Polo were not in a position of making
hard management choices and not the party's best candidates
for higher office.

DRUCKER

=======================CABLE ENDS============================

Classified By: CDA Milton K. Drucker
Rea...

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