Maya Community Appalled at PM Barrow’s Comments on Myles’ Detention

Pablo Mis

This afternoon in Santa Cruz, dozens of villagers were attempting to determine the possible outcome of this volatile situation.  While residents maintain that the buildup, as well as the resultant incident on Saturday, was not racially motivated, they insist that the customary law under which the community is governed applies to everyone who chooses to live in Santa Cruz.  The unfortunate episode has brought to fore several issues, including race relations, squatting on sacred grounds, as well as the interpretation of the recent CCJ ruling on customary land rights.  It is a multilayered issue, one which the Maya Leaders Alliance and the Toledo Alcaldes Association is attempting to address comprehensively.

Pablo Mis, Maya Leaders Alliance/Toledo Alcaldes Association

“We are here this afternoon up on the request of the Alcalde basically to give them an update of what has transpired since Saturday as you are aware they have been many assertion being put on social media and over the various media houses so the Alcalde has asked us to come and ensure that we update the community members on what is being said. It is important to reiterate that the decision to ensure that the village rules are upheld was made collectively by the village and following that form of organizing the community they have asked us to come again and update them so yes indeed this is a collective position of the village.”

We will have more on this developing story in Wednesday’s newscast.