Police and military evict families from San José Moccá and La Cabaña, Senahu PHOTO: indy media
The bias of Oscar Berger's government in favour of prominent
business interests has been a feature of the Guatemalan government's
policy since its inception in 2004. Examples
of this bias include many key appointments within the Berger
administration, such Guillermo Castillo, as Guatemala's top ambassador
in Washington. Castillo is a member of the powerful Castillo family
that owns the Cervecería Centroamericana.
Berger's bias to big business whatever it's justification has created
numerous conflicts of interest. In Guillermo Castillo's case this was
being seen to use his public position in the U.S. to get a better
deal for Cerveceria Centroamericana's products (including Gallo
beer) within the CAFTA arrangement with the U.S.
These conflicts
of interest are repeated right across the Guatemalan government's
policy initiatives. From economic development, such as mining
concessions and other exploitation of Guatemala's natural resources by
foreign investors such as Glamis (Canada) and Taghmen
(UK), through to reconstruction efforts in the wake of Stan,
which critics have remarked was speedier in the economically
more important South, in stark contrast to the less
economically important highlands in the West.
In recent days,
the issue of unpaid labourers being ejected by state forces from farms
they have worked and lived on for many years has reared its ugly head
again. Of course, these evictions through up a key conflict of interest
for the Berger government, which counts many of the
landowners calling for evictions as key supporters.
In the Finca Moca and the Finca Cabañas from the municipality of
Senahú, in Alta Verapaz (01-02-06), more than 400 women and children
saw their homes, sources of security and food destroyed by armed police
and soldiers. While the landowners in this case reportedly owe the
evicted workers millions of quetzales (hundreds of thousands of
pounds), the state has spent a reported Q150,000 (£11,290.67) quetzales
in enforcing these evictions.
Comité de Unidad Campesina (CUC)
and Coordinadora Nacional of Organizaciones Campesinas (CNOC) have both
been quick to express solidarity with these evicted farm labourers. CUC
has been occupying the Central Square in Guatemala City. The national press has not picked the story up very sympathetically. In Prensa Libre- "El CUC anuncia bloqueo de rutas" was there slant on the news of these evictions.
As of (08-02-06) the Guatemalan government has continued to refuse to negotiate on Finca Moca and Finca Cabanas- while attempting to resolve numerous other land conflicts in a further 53 locations across Guatemala.
