Today's event in San Roman Village allowed the press an opportunity to speak with Florencio Marin Sr.
At the beginning of the month, Dean Flowers, the President of the Public Service Union, leveled harsh criticism at the Briceno Government Administration for re-engaging the retired PUP Parliamentarian. He was making the broader point that there are young public officers who have been waiting to be given an opportunity to put their education, skills, and training to work for the Belizean public. But, instead of being given that chance, retirees are being retained in senior positions on short-term contracts.
In the case of Florencio Marin Sr., the government has seen it fit for the leaders in the sugar industry to make use of his expertise and influence with cane farmers. It's part of a bigger plan of avoiding another costly stand-off and protest, like the one that happened back in December at the start of this season.
Here's what Florencio Sr had to say about how he has been engaging in dialogue with the cane farming associations and the millers in a spirit of compromise:
Florencio Marin Sr - Advisor In The Sugar Industry
"I met with Prime Minister John Briceno on the 4th of January of this year. I sought an audience with him to brief him on my international work on meetings with the COPAL group of political parties, with which the People's United Party is affiliated. That was from my side. Then, the Prime Minister, after that, said, 'I am glad we are meeting. I have an invitation for you. I would like you to assist me with the sugar industry.' That came from the Prime Minister. And I said, Well, what is it about, sir? He said, 'Well, I want you, in particular, to liaise between the cane farmer associations and the manufacturing side of sugar. And being the Prime Minister and being the leader of my party, I couldn't say no. I agreed to assist the Prime Minister. And he said to me, 'You will report directly to me.' And I said, 'Of Course.' And later on, he sent Minister Mai to finalize the issue. And I started to work on the 1st of March of this year. So, my job as I saw it, was to get down to the roots with cane farmers and find out the issues affecting them. After about a few weeks, about three weeks, I was able to capture the issues at the roots. Then, I moved to meet with the people at BSI/ASR. And I must report that I found the hierarchy in the company very friendly, and very cooperative with me. I had I told them about the issues, and what the Prime Minister had asked me to do. So today, I am happy to say BSI/ASR is cooperating fully with me, and so are the cane farmers associations. I have invited all four cane farmers' associations to visit with me at the SIRDI's office, where I have an office. We have gone down over all the issues affecting us, and I have been communicating actively with Belize Sugar Industries. And I have informed the Prime Minister's office of my activities."
Industry insiders suggest to our newsroom that the elder Marin may be making inroads with the farmers of the BSCFA. The leadership of the association and the millers have both asserted publicly that their negotiations over a longer-term commercial agreement have been positive. We'll see where it goes.
