Cane Farmers Association calls general meeting
And we go now to Orange Walk town where we can report tonight that while the mood is considerably somber following Monday’s killing of Anastacio Felix Gutierrez, farmers are insisting that they want to see the removal, and not the suspension, of the core sampler. Kendra Griffith has a report on the general meeting called by the Cane Farmers Association.
Kendra Griffith, Reporting
Traffic was flowing smoothly this morning at the toll bridge in Orange Walk… and the only memory of Monday’s incident was several law enforcement officers who continue to be posted near the site.
The cane farmers were also much calmer… gathered outside the Belize association building, thinking that today’s general meeting would be held there. Minutes after ten, C.E.O. Carlos Magana arrived and informed the group that the meeting would instead be at eleven at the People’s Stadium.
Over a thousand farmers packed into stadium to hear what Magana and the executive had to say. The meeting began with a moment of silence for Anastacio Gutierrez, the cane farmer who died when the strike turned violence on Monday. The association then got down to business.
Enrique Eck, Chair, Cane Farmer’s Association
“The core sampler has been suspended. We know the administration was under negotiations for a long time and we could not reach an agreement. We asked for the intervention of the government and they could not provide a solution and when the farmer was murdered, they suspended the sampler, saying it would not be used for the rest of the year. The word of the prime minister is to suspend. As chairman, we are asking you, do you want to suspend?”
Crowd
“No!”
Solomon Pott, Cane Farmer, Caledonia
“I propose that we remove the core sampler, not suspend.”
The vote that followed was unanimous.
Carlos Magana, C.E.O., Cane Farmer’s Association
“They are very strong motions and I think you were present when they were passed. The first one is to reject what the prime minister had said and to sustain that it is to be totally removed. The second is supporting that same first motion that they will not continue delivering cane until the core sampler is removed. So in other words, the strike continues indefinite. Yes, it’s in the act, but it’s in the act from 2001… many years passed without it being implemented. Since its implementation, it is being rejected now totally by the cane farmers. I can be, if there is government will to eliminate it with an SI, so that is what we will be officially communicating to government.”
The farmers are also asking for an inquiry into the death of Gutierrez and they also want to get rid of Nemencio Acosta.
Carlos Magana
“The third resolution is to removed immediately Mr. Nemencio Acosta as chair of the sugar cane control board. In many other discussions that we have had with our farmers, because they believe that he wasn’t competent in dealing with the situation and in no moment has he shown an interest to favour the sugarcane farmers in this request they had made through a general assembly. The farmers are united. We do not want to see any more violence and again we are calling on government because I don’t know what can happen. You have seen whenever a motion was passed there was not even one hand against any of the motions, so they are very strong and I can almost say that due to the bleachers, the capacity of the bleachers and the people that were all standing around, we had much more over a thousand persons present today. They are all cane farmers.”
Kendra Griffith
“How are you going to proceed now. you said you want the core sampler removed are you going into negotiations again today with BSI, government?”
Carlos Magana
“No, no, no. there are no negotiations. You know what the people have said; don’t sit down and negotiate anymore. Whenever the prime minister is ready, he can just say remove and that’s it.”
And while they took a hard line with GOB, the association was generous to the family of their fallen brother, Anastacio Gutierrez. When donations were asked for, it seems that the entire stadium got up to donate.
The funds collected were then turned over to Gutierrez’s wife, Benita… emotionally she thanked the crowd.
Benita Gutierrez
“I wish to give everyone thanks for being kind to us… and for everybody who helped us. I can’t speak right now, but thanks to everybody.”
The association has additionally said that they will open start an educational fund for Gutierrez’s six children and will make the initial donation of one thousand dollars. Kendra Griffith reporting for News Five.
