Fred Ortega, “That is not negotiations.”

Alfredo Ortega

Continuing with his disapproval of the prime minister, Ortega went on to compare Briceño to the head of a household and acknowledging what ought to be his responsibilities to the family.

Alfredo Ortega, Committee of Management, B.S.C.F.A.

“A prime minister should be like a father.  If you have your father in the home and he is unable to protect his sons and daughters in the home, what will happen in your house?  Rules and regulations have to prevail and that is the responsibility of our prime minister.  He should look upon that instability can be created because of his attitude.  Nevertheless, he gives a damn about what the farmers are suffering.  So we are calling the attention of our prime minister to come and let us resolve this situation that the farmers are facing at this point in time because we the farmers of the BSCFA, from day one we are being pushed to move and to do certain adjustments to our agreement and BSI only comes and they rejected it, they rejected it.  They want us to sign what they throw on the table.  That is not negotiations.  When we want to negotiate in good faith, it’s the same way they treat us, [with] a blind eye.  This is what they are selling our sugar for and we have to accept what they are bringing because they are the ones that have the control of the marketing of our sugar.  So we want our prime minister to listen and understand that if anything, that if our people start to suffer and suffer more in their health and everything, he’s the one responsible because he is not trying to come and resolve this situation.  If he would have wanted to resolve this situation, from Thursday, he should have resolved this because he has the majority members in Cabinet.  So that he cannot say that he is a weak prime minister, not having the amount of people he needs.  We need him, we are calling on him, we are calling his attention to him and his Cabinet to come and resolve this situation with us so that our farmers can have the opportunity, as any other farmer, to deliver their cane.”