Farmers who are beneficiaries of the federal program “Sembrando Vida” in Yucatán point out that this plan has deficiencies due to various irregularities in its application in the Yucatán countryside.
(Sipse) Mérida, Yuc.- Members of the groups for the Defense of the Maya Territories and the Maya Alliance for Bees (Kaab Nalo’on) of Yucatan stated that the operation of this program is deficient because “it is managed by people who are not from the area, that are not aware of aseries of factors that are involoved in the preservation of the fragile ecosystems in the the Yucatan Peninsula, people without experience or preparation, who also carry out economic terrorism, by suspending the payments just because they say so”.
M.A., a member of one of these groups, and who requests anonymity for fear of losing the benefit of the program, declared that “Sembrando Vida” is a populist and fictitious program in its objective of supporting the peasants.
He asserted that he promotes enslaving days of up to 12 hours, 7 days a week, in exchange for a salary of 1,125 pesos a week, that is, 160.71 pesos per day, which is not enough to cover the needs of their families.
He explained that the few towns in the interior of the State that the program has reached; and where it already works, it is done in a rigged way, with a very low percentage of farmers.
Generally, he continued, these are groups of 10 to 20 people chosen in collusion between representatives of the localities and facilitators of the federal program, with the complacency of the authorities, privileging relatives and their collaborators.
He said that in Dzonot Carretero, in the municipality of Tizimín; San José Tipceh, in Muna; as well as in Sucilá, Panabá, Popolnah, Xcan, Santa Rosa Concepción, and San José Conde, many beneficiaries are victims of mistreatment and unjustified restrictions by those responsible for the program.
M.A. pointed out that these are despots and treat the Maya indigenous with arrogance, in addition to discriminate them for their status as Maya speakers.
Finally, the activist declared that they have received threats of being expelled if they denounce corruption before any media.
“These social technicians are threatening the autonomy of our indigenous peoples,” he concluded.
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