Mayor Belisle Denies Promising Land Survey for Votes

Eugenio Cal

Today, when we spoke to residents of the creek-side parcel, they maintained that they have been allowed to live there by both previous Mayors Anthony Chanona and Simeon Lopez. They say both promised to survey the parcel and make their residence legal. But neither did. And more recent than that, they claim that while campaigning for votes, Mayor Khalid Belisle also visited them, and also promised that within a month of getting into office he would survey the area.

Eugenio Cal, Ordered to Vacate Premises

“When I live here, I gone to Mister Mayor Chanona. He told me that I have to stay here. He measured the place for twelve of us. I told him I will wait; if no survey by March or April you could stay. The next mayor could survey that place…I can’t move you the mayor told me. Well the next mayor come again and I gone there. Mister Lopez came here and see the place and okay, I can measure this place for you, but ih noh measure it and ih left it again. Mister Belisle again came here and he said vote for me and I will survey this place for you. I vote for the man, we vote for the man, but look here. They broke down this house; this house is expensive and then they told me….the city council tell me that I have to move that house. If yon oh move it, the backhoe wah come and bruk it for you.”

Khalid Belisle

Khalid Belisle, Mayor, Belmopan

“That I have to reject out of hand, Mike, and I’ll tell you why. Both areas that border this creek…when our campaign actually went into that area, I didn’t accompany my team because I was ill with the flu back in February. So I missed campaigning particularly in that area so there is no way they can say when I came campaigning, that I made that promise because I wasn’t there. Since being elected, I’ve had people approach me—we’ve had neighbourhood meeting around Belmopan every so often—I’ve had people approach me and tell me, Boss you know I di squat on this piece of land…is there anything that you can do for me? And I always tell them I have to look at where you are, in terms of that creek. I am certain…I would like to think that there may be properties in the proximity of the creek that would be legal; that you can properly survey and you can put down. But I always tell them I have to look at it. As far as mayors Chanona and Lopez making those promises, I would again have to doubt those claims. I know both gentlemen very well and I really don’t see that they would have put themselves in a position to carry something out that they knew would be contrary to the law and contrary to the regulations of the city. And so I guess that’s a case of he said and we said; but I know on my part that it is not so.”

Mayor Belisle also denied allegations that he had promised land for votes at the last municipal elections.