42 The Mafia World of State Unions

The Peasant Health Network, education, the ministry's health network, the universities, the La Esperanza State Refinery, were the syndicates in the hands of the Stalinist Maoist Movement.

In each of these unions, the mediocre became power, for example in education the teachers, more corrupt, had control, as in the Universities, or in the Peasant Network.

The Stalinist Maoist Movement, in addition to being financed with the contributions of public employees, doctors, or teachers, was financed with what it took from the contributions of the peasants affiliated to the Peasant Health Network. That was the price that the members paid for the labor gains they had achieved, thanks to the work stoppages and strikes they made.

The strikes were at the beginning of the school years in the Sierra, this is in October, or in the Costa in March, and these strikes could last for months when state education became the worst education in the country.

These strikes were also common in the health network, which made the medical care in the health network, which included that of the Ministry of Health, Social Security, and the Peasant Network, to be deficient.

In the health network, the union of the auxiliaries was more powerful, because they had more members. This allowed the assistants to be the true owners of the dispensaries, and subcentres, where they decided who the doctor attends or not, or who they give or not medicine or vaccines. Normally they exchanged the shifts of medical attention, or the delivery of medicines, for all kinds of favors that ranged from the delivery of gifts such as cheese to the cover-up for absences or delays.

The Stalinist Mao party was an enemy to the death of the president's party, they also had the provincial government. When the president arrived to visit to inaugurate works such as the new airport or the huge bridge over the river, those of the PSM blocked his caravan, to express the hatred they felt for him since he took away from the party the management of the funds of

Within the Network, this party had sown regionalism and opposition to Cuban doctors, since public positions in the areas of health and education were the mechanism by which they attracted supporters, they did not like the government to put officials and if they did these were rejected or suffered harassment and discrimination, if they did not contribute to the union or unionized, that is, if they did not pay the party.

The Stalinist Maoist party operated like the mafia cartels. Maxima refused to join the union and contribute. This was almost like signing his dismissal, every first week of the month he experienced the distancing, which the rest of the union doctors practiced with those who were not with them, in the monthly meetings

-I believe that this association of doctors and dentists of the Peasant Network is actually an association of liars and idlers- she dared to say at a meeting.

Those words further radicalized the regionalism that was lived against the mountain people and the xenophobia against the Cubans in the monthly meetings.

In Santo Tomás, Maxima ate his lunches at the restaurant of an alternate assemblywoman from the president's party. She was from the neighboring province of El Maní, she worked every day with her husband, her restaurant becoming the most famous and sought after by tourists, who came to the luxurious villas of San Medardo, the beach of the rich of the Saw.

"The government is offering to build 14 technology study centers, it would be good to apply to one," she proposed to the assemblywoman while she ate.

- Yes of course!. What do we need? -Answered the assembly members.

-I already proposed to those of the Peasant Organization that they do the technological institute on her farm when I was working in Trinidad, but to those of SENECYT, I asked for 4 hectares. in a flat place. The place had electricity, water, a river was perfect, but they didn't like it.

-The biggest landowner in town, who is my friend and who has a shrimp farm, where my husband worked, I think he can give us a piece of land. If you want we can go see which would be the best because he has hundreds of hectares.

Máxima went with the alternate assembly member and her husband to see the flatter terrain, there was one on the edge of the road, it had electricity and a water source.

Máxima visited SENECYT every Monday and Tuesday of the following weeks, she each saw that she had to travel to Quito, to see her family,

After months of insisting, the officials were evaluating the land. At first, they liked her

- Now they ask us to make the donation from the owner.

-They live in Quito.

-When can we visit them?

-I have to attend the National Assembly next week, I can make an appointment with them.

"Then let's do it," replied the doctor.

The meeting with the landowners was a success. The land was already available, and even that donation was registered in a notary's office.