Saldivar Says Squatting Will Not Be Tolerated in Belmopan
Since last week we’ve reported about a house that was knocked down in the Salvapan area of Belmopan. The owner, Nicolasa Cus, is reportedly squatting on land owned by the RECONDEV. She claims that she has been living there for twelve years, but area rep John Saldivar says that it is not so. Over a week ago, RECONDEV started to dismantle Cus’ house, but she has refused to leave. Saldivar says that there is no place for squatting in his constituency and the squatter in question is being misled by political operatives. He commends the RECONDEV for addressing the issue. Here’s what he had to say on the matter.
John Saldivar
John Saldivar, Area Rep, Belmopan
“I support RECONDEV fully in trying to keep control of the situation with respect to lands that they administrate and there is a process that is establish for applying for lands with RECONDEV and that process cannot be jumped by squatting. First of all, let me clarify some of the inaccuracies spread by no not just the lady but by political operatives in the area. Anyone that wants to take a look at Google maps can do so and the maps that I have been shown shows that that particular structure did not appear before 2014-2015 and you can confirm that by consulting with Google. Since that time, RECONDEV has been trying to get this family to come in to discuss the issue and she has quite blankly refused to come in to discuss the issue and she has quite blankly refuse to come in. She has not come in to speak with RECONDEV and instead she has sent a letter from a lawyer threatening the owner of the property, RECONDEV, with a lawsuit if they were to come on to their own property and so I believe though as has been said in the release by RECONDEV, the lady and her family are being misled by political operatives for their own opportunistic purposes. She does not, in my view and in the view of RECONDEV, have any claims to the land and so that’s the end of it. The squatting will not be tolerated in Belmopan.”
Reporter
“So, what will be the next move by RECONDEV?”
John Saldivar
“I believe that RECONDEV is trying to pursue avenues to get a legal order for her to leave the property.”
Reporter
“Sir, would you agree that part of the problem is that whenever there are squatters, that politicians from both parties whoever is in, they tolerate the squatters because they get votes from them. And then when it’s time to move them then it becomes a big problem?”
John Saldivar
“Let me state on behalf of John Saldivar that I have never made a promise to a squatter to stay on a particular piece of land in Belmopan when they do not have any proper claims to those piece of lands. I know that in the past when we have attempted to survey and subdivide portions of lands and when we found people in the areas to be subdivided we called them in and have sat and spoken with them with respect to their traditional claims depending on how long they have been there. But in an area that has already been surveyed that people then begin to squat, no we do not tolerate them to come in and squat.”
