And we don't know if those so-called "brown-nosers" include any reference to prime minister John Briceno. He's the one who has to bridge the growing chasm between ASR/BSI and the BSCFA.
And now that ASR/BSI is grumbling about the Briceno Administration befouling the investment climate in Belize - it's also a political image problem.
Today in Belmopan, the PM said that they've got it wrong, and explained what he believes is the actual purpose of the COI.
But it's not just ASR/BSI that's upset with the PM, the BSCFA is too. He responded to both today.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"That's their right, if that's what they want but at the end of the day, we want to have a Commission of Inquiry to take a look at the different challenges that the industry is facing from the planting to the harvesting to the transportation and to see how we can make the industry more viable and I'm hoping that everybody can participate in this process, it is a process that is being done in good faith."
Reporter:
"Sir, did you listen to BSCFA's press conference? Essentially they had very negative comments towards you."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I don't listen to them."
Reporter:
"Not anymore?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Never did."
So in a single week the PM has had to juggle the stevedores versus the PBL and the BSCFA versus ASR/BSI, while preparing for three days of the budget debate.
But he says rather than get into a back and forth, he will do what he thinks is right, and that whatever the BSCFA gets, "they look fih that."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"If there's one thing I must be grateful to my father, he taught me about hard work from when I was a very young boy when I used to work at the cane fields so I'm not fazed by hard work but at the same time it's my passion and it is something I love doing to be able to see how we can solve problems and how we can make this country move forward. Every step that I take in my mind, I think that I'm doing the right thing as so how, I don't want to get into a back and forth with the people of the BSCFA, my father was the leader for many years of the BSCFA and I know the militancy of the BSCFA but when they get personal, it's best I ignore them so I'm not going to be in a back and forth, but they do have a right to say what it is that they want. Do I agree with them? Absolutely not, the issue of the commission of inquiry, as I pointed out to them back then that we're going to do it within one month but one month later it came to my attention that there were not consultations with the associations and nor with BSI, if we had not done that, then it would have gone to court and it would have been squashed immediately, actually I was looking after their interest."
"BSCFA, they got what they asked for."
"The commission of inquiry, we can't force you to participate and if we're only going to be listening to one group and we can't listen to the rest of the industry, then it is of no use."
"What BSCFA has done was play in the hands of other people because of thinking emotionally instead of looking at the facts and how is it that we can get this thing done. They have refused to listen to this is the result."
