Non-Maya Village Leaders Hold Press Conference in Belize City
Today, the National Kriol Council hosted a press conference at Swift Hall in Belize City. It brought together community leaders from Yemeri Grove and other non-Maya, villages in Toledo to discuss the issue of land disputes in the south. The National Kriol Council, as an interested party, has been observing this issue as it unfolds. They want to foster inter-ethnic harmony and understanding and, having spent time on the ground, hosted the press conference to share more information on the moves to bring about a resolution to the land dispute. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Lawrence Usher
Lawrence Usher, Former Chairman, Yemeri Grove 2004-2013
“We’ve decided that we really need to make a stand because we found out that whenever we are sharing our problems, our issues whatever we are going through, it is like a voice in the wilderness. Pretty much nobody listens to us, nobody is hearing us and we all know that the Maya leaders do have a platform – they have the podium. Whenever they speak, whenever they want to show something, it goes out to the rest of the world and the country.”
Duane Moody, Reporting
Today, village leaders from several non-Mayan communities in Toledo District were at the head table for a press conference in Belize City, expressing concerns about the way things have progressed in terms of land disputes in the south. They say that the indigenous Maya people have been using the C.C.J. consent order to expand their claim for land well into what has traditionally been non-Mayan territory.
Roxann Rodriguez
Roxann Rodriguez, Chairlady, Mafredi
“Presently the Lands Department state that no taxes will be collected because the entire Mafredi Village falls under communal land. How could that be possible? There was not even one consultation made with Mafredi. We do not want communal land system in Mafredi; we want to pay our land taxes and remain a private village. We have been deprived of our rights.”
Egbert Jacobs
Egbert Jacobs, Chairman, Jacintoville
“We notice that slowly a Maya village is encroaching on our village land in the Armado area and we have reported it to G.O.B. and we have put some pictures of it and we have it on file. I want to make it very clear that San Felipe has nothing to do with the Armado area. We have people from Jacintoville with properties in the Armado area; we have people with as much as five hundred acres in property. So we are declaring Armado completely as Jacintoville – nothing to do with San Felipe.”
A map, reportedly presented to the C.C.J. back in June of this year, gave an indication of the land being claimed for the indigenous Maya people. It’s majority of the Toledo District, as depicted by the yellow in the map.
Beatrice Mariano
Beatrice Mariano, Chairlady, Barranco
“Upon one of my visit to the Lands Department, I was presented with that map and that is when I saw how much of Barranco’s land has been demarcated and it’s called Mayan land. Mayans because they feel like this ruling gives them ultimate jurisdiction over everything, they continue to do and claim more land. And I must add that these villages have a lot of Kekchi Guatemalans. They are inhabited by a lot of Kekchi Guatemalans who are now privy to this ruling as well so they also claim the right to land.”
A few weeks ago, following a verbal exchange between villagers from Yemeri Grove and Laguna, officials from the ministries of Natural Resources and Indigenous People’s Affairs met with both sides and a temporary border was agreed upon as an interim measure to de-escalate tensions in the area. Yemeri Grove Chairman Herald Usher says that they have not signed off on the draft agreement as yet because it did not reflect what was agreed to in the meeting held on October thirteenth.
Herald Usher
Herald Usher, Chairman, Yemeri Grove Village
“We all use to share, sing and learn to love each other and live in harmony. Since 2015, we have a small group of people who actually dictate the pace. The border between Yemeri Grove and Laguna, I believe since then, probably they move it like five different times. So every day, every week, every month Laguna di grow when it comes to the land size.”
Arden Edwards
Arden Edwards, Former Councillor, Yemeri Grove Village
“Before they started the land boundaries or the visitation of the guys from Belmopan on the ground from the lands department, they drafted a letter for Yemeri Grove and Laguna to sign which they drafted three-fourths of Yemeri Grove into Laguna. They only drew a red line on some of the disputed area. How in the world will Yemeri Grove sign a letter showing three-fourths of their community being owned by Laguna?”
Now, these community leaders say that they are forming a coalition to address the land dispute and to ensure that they too are not being disenfranchised, deprived of their rights.
Arden Edwards
“From our knowledge as Belizeans, as Creoles, mediation means we wah come and we wah sit down and we wah talk and we wah figure out how this thing wah work. But it is a lopsided one-way mediation. I am calling on the Prime Minister and Mister Cordel Hyde and Miss Dolores Balderamos. We have no problem with communal land; let them have their communal land if dehn want, but please respect our village, please respect our village boundaries”
Beatrice Mariano
“Barranco also has younger generation who have a right to land as any other ordinary Belizean. We are born with that right to land; we have a right to earn a piece of this Jewel.”
Roxann Rodriguez
“I stand in solidarity with the other East Indian, Creole and Garifuna communities that are not in favour of the communal land system. So we the people of Mafredi, we need our land; we live off of our lands so we can’t give up an inch of it and we won’t give up an inch of it.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
