4 February 2009 (BelizeBlog) Prime Minister Dean Barrow left Belize today en route to the U.S.A. leaving behind a country in turmoil with it's major industry in chaos, the unresolved shooting death of a cane farmer by the police and a strike by sugar cane farmers entering its second week.TV5 reported that "Tension has cooled down and things were quiet in Orange Walk today even though the thousands of cane farmers continue to strike. Belize Sugar Industries have remained mum and we have not been able to contact Financial Director Belizario Carballo to get a comment on the demand that the core sampler be removed... but we do know that there was no smoke billowing from the factory at Tower Hill as the company remains closed.
"Speaking today with C.E.O. of the Cane Farmer's Association, Carlos Magana, it appears that some inroads in communication have been made as News Five was told that S.C.F.A. is looking at methodologies for quality control that does not include core sampling. Magana declined to say with whom he was discussing those methodologies, but sounded optimistic that a resolution to the strike can be reached."
TV5 Contrasted the stance taken by Prime Prime Minister Barrow with that when he was an opposition politician trying to gain power
And still on the issue of strikes, at Monday's Press Conference,
Prime Minister Dean Barrow made it clear that he would not negotiate
with the cane farmers in "a mob scene." After checking our archives on
past strikes, we found a story of an April nineteenth 2005 press
conference given by, then opposition Leader Dean Barrow. That year the
country was suffering from a low credit rating and investigations of
misconduct at the Social Security Board and the Development Finance
Corporation were ongoing. Barrow made it very clear on that date he was
in support of civil unrest.
Dean Barrow, Leader of the Opposition (April 19, 2005)
"In any case, the U.D.P. will, for its part, begin now a sustained campaign of civil disobedience. I have chosen that word deliberately in contrast to any other that might conjure up the specter of violence. We are convinced that the objective can be achieved without any resort to violence. There are times of course when a peaceful gathering turns ugly and I'm not going to seek to lay any blame on the security forces, but as we go forward there must be a mutual determination. Not only on the part of the United Democratic Party and others who will engage in public protest, but on the part of the security forces as well to prevent situations from becoming too confrontational."
"Things are not only not going to return to normal any time soon, but that in fact there are going to escalate. And I'm not talking necessarily about the confrontation of people in the streets with the security forces. I'm talking about the sorts of things that would be akin to what is happening with the disruption in telecommunications services. Without wishing to speculate too much, without wanting to place the other utility unions in any compromising position, I believe the wise bet would be on similar actions, such as we have seen in telecommunications, occurring. That sort of thing, even more than any sort of street action, is what will force this government to resign."
"When they provoke a situation in which those people's monies and business interests, the economic, the overarching economic interests of this country are being jeopardized, there will be a reaction from that section of the society which will also tell the Prime Minister, you need to go. If I could bruk it down inna Creole, Prime Minista weh di happen interfere with we cheese, you need to go."
Dean Barrow, Leader of the Opposition (April 19, 2005)
"In any case, the U.D.P. will, for its part, begin now a sustained campaign of civil disobedience. I have chosen that word deliberately in contrast to any other that might conjure up the specter of violence. We are convinced that the objective can be achieved without any resort to violence. There are times of course when a peaceful gathering turns ugly and I'm not going to seek to lay any blame on the security forces, but as we go forward there must be a mutual determination. Not only on the part of the United Democratic Party and others who will engage in public protest, but on the part of the security forces as well to prevent situations from becoming too confrontational."
"Things are not only not going to return to normal any time soon, but that in fact there are going to escalate. And I'm not talking necessarily about the confrontation of people in the streets with the security forces. I'm talking about the sorts of things that would be akin to what is happening with the disruption in telecommunications services. Without wishing to speculate too much, without wanting to place the other utility unions in any compromising position, I believe the wise bet would be on similar actions, such as we have seen in telecommunications, occurring. That sort of thing, even more than any sort of street action, is what will force this government to resign."
"When they provoke a situation in which those people's monies and business interests, the economic, the overarching economic interests of this country are being jeopardized, there will be a reaction from that section of the society which will also tell the Prime Minister, you need to go. If I could bruk it down inna Creole, Prime Minista weh di happen interfere with we cheese, you need to go."
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