U.D.P. supports government against Maya in land case
The Mayan land rights issues have gone from the courtroom to the political arena. The U.D.P., at its convention, announced that it supports the government’s decision to appeal a recent decision handed down by the Supreme Court in favor of the Maya Leaders Alliance. The landmark ruling by Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh on June twenty-eighth granted thirty-eight communities in southern Belize establishment of lawful indigenous rights over communal lands. The verdict came after a decade of legal struggle between the MLA and GOB. The U.D.P. statement goes on to say that “a large number of persons in the wider Mayan community have questioned and sought information and clarification on the actions and objectives of the Mayan Leaders Alliance in securing a judgment, and agrees that such a ruling is not in the best interest of every Mayan citizen and family.” The U.D.P. describes the judgment as unwise, undesirable and impractical.
I am dissappointed at the recent ruling in favor of the Mayas on two points:
1. Not every Mayan are in favor nor are aware at the legal language of this ruling which puts us at a disadvantage and future repricusions. The law is the law written in black and white that cannot be easily changed
2. I have not heard how the Mayas will benefit from it. The decission came down to a American citizen as an “expert” witness on Maya living. Well, he lived in Toledo for about 3 years back in the 70s and visited Belize to testify. So how can he base his “expert” opinion on people that he has never lived with for his entire life? He supported his “expert knowledge” by comparing the Mayas with the Native American Indians in the US. Well, although two native groups are involved, one group happened to be funded by an industriliazed nation while Belize cannot and won’t be able to fund the Mayas. If Belize is having difficulty providing jobs to the nation, how will it fund the Maya as an independent state.
Overall, only a handful of Mayas are aware of this legal sitaution. The three leaders that are heavily involved do not live in the rural communities. They own big homes in Punta Gorda while they are creating a homeland for the majority of the Mayas.
here we go again udp trying to steal lands that actually belong to the maya get up mayans show this gov what you are made of show them that you are not afraid of them like the rest of belizeans this is your lands not only where you live but the whole of belize what a gov udp you are disgraceful instead of victimizing the mayan people do something about crime in your own city .
UDP bettah give wih more details fast on why they think the ruling is “not in the best interest of every Mayan citizen and family” because I’m smelling a grandiose political mistake on their end.
Honestly i don’t understand exactly what this government is thinking about appealing this case further because at the end of the day the ruling will still be the same. This government should be ashamed of itself for being so ignorant to the fact that these Mayan people have always been the descendants of this beautiful land, the Europeans nor the Blacks never even existed here before the Mayas, but as the story goes the oulanders will always fight for what is not theirs. Just look at the mennonite community, they get all rights to do what they please in their community, why? just because they have the money to pay off somebody up the ladder and because they are white. YES TO THE MAYAS WHO ARE STANDING AND NOT GETTING TRAMPLED BY THIS GOVERNMENT!!!!
I support an cultural movement that unions a disenfranchised community, but I must agree that I am uncertain on what the ruling means . . . is it Mayan sovereignity? Which lands are encompassed in the ‘communal lands’? How those this bode for other indigenous communities in other areas of Belize? I do believe in empowering the people, and usually it comes down to the fine print. I would love to see it. Channel 5, why don’t you all do a special story on the implications of the ruling: where it started and may go . .this is a landmark ruling that can change the Belizean story/history
The recent ruling in favor of the Mayas is wrong and I don’t believe it will survive the appeal for one fundamental reason: Either we are ALL Belizeans and have EQUAL rights under the law or we each have different rights depending on our ancestry. This is a relatively new country and we ALL as Belizeans have the equal rights guaranteed to us by our Constitution and the Constitution does not contemplate different rights for different ancestries. We are ALL Belizeans and as such have EQUAL right and this includes equal rights to land.
Politician dem a fraud!
I believe that you cannot get every single person to like something.
This goverment wants to hold anthing and everything that they can use to make money.
That is why I believe that this UDP administration wants to appeal.
Look here the people of the north,central and north,large lands are own by rich or people from
other country why because they have money.
In toledo its not like that every person rich or poor have a piece of land. Think again how much land you own. This goverment is smarter than you if you think the way you think
UDP needs to put a charismatic, level-headed person in the forefront to explain their stance on this issue. It’s very sensitive as the above comments suggest. I hope they are planning carefully. I’m not sure if issuing a press release to the media was a good start.
The Mayans will fight until the end and the UDP will not have access to this land. I prefer the Mayans rather than foreigners to have this land.
We all know that the government want this land so that they can pass it (so that they can fill their private pockets) on to foreign corporations for oil drilling. I say, let the Mayans do this and then they can benefit. This will be a lot more people benefiting as opposed to a few corrupt politicians who are trying to fill their pockets. Exhibit A: Current Oil Exploration and Drilling. Are you a beneficiary of the economic output from these natural resources from your sovereign land?
If the Mayans are the only intelligent group in Belize who are willing to stand up for their rights, then so be it. Perhaps the Creoles and Mestizos can learn a thing or two from this. Don’t let anyone (esp your government) take you on a “pony ride” and make a “fool of you”,
I am glad the decision will be appealed. I am a proud Belizean and no Maya man or woman is more equal than me. As a matter of fact it is my opinion that most of these mayas are discendants from Guatemalan mayan ancestors. How the hell mayans can live all over this country including Belmopan and other Belizeans can’t live in their so called communal land. If I can’t live there then you should not be living outside of your so called land either. I would hope Graig and Christina get a couple trucks and ship back all Mayas to their so called community down south. What is wrong with these Mayas? They want to have a choice as to where they should live in this country…and so far they live every district but other Belizeans can’t. You folks must be crazy. No Maya is better than me…NONE!
revolution lol… u really made me laugh … everyone is equal …..but however the society we live in has class us already, …. politians are gods… certain colors are better… certain langaune is the best … yes we need to be educated on this communal land …go ahead let your government take toledo and give it to the foreeigners to explore oils and do logging … yes everyone wants a choice … i am not better that you and i can assure you that you are not better than me. i am maya and noone can change that… the only one i fear is my creator who is God… but look at the government paying million of dollar to lois barrow that is what we should be angry about .. our tax dollars be payed out while we just look on ….the government taking its own people to court …. any way do a liitle history and you can see that the indigenous people are all over the world… so if you think i should be ship to guatemala or only God knows where i am from .. then you should be ship to your country….to each man his own country….
It’s not only Mayas who live in Toledo, we have the Garifunas, Creoles, East Indians, Mennonites etc, so why must a Maya have more rights that them ??? They try to take away the little bit of land people use for farming and not even try to take away the thousands of acres the Resorts are buying, which is all owned by Foreigners in Toledo.
Guatemala has 13.5 million people, the Mayas are crossing into Belize, squatting on our lands, and taking us to court for it. Some villages didn’t even exist on the map 30 yrs ago, which are the ones taking the our land. If there is oil in Toledo we the Belizeans won’t benefit from it because the Mayas will probably claim for it too.
The people that claim to be the Maya Leaders don’t even live in the Villages with us, nor thatch house, but yet want we the Mayas to live the old way, when they get nice salaries, house, cars etc. and that’s the ugly truth.
Come on we need to step up because I’m not going to live in reserve and be treated like zoo monkey for tourist attraction.
Its like this. A well decorated cake. Viewers will say, ” Very good.” As an individual Maya being affected, I want to own my land title. People from other districts will say “Great” but they own properties.
I totataly agree with what the Revolution said most Belizeans needs to take a strong look at what is really going on in there back yard, who really are these mayans who are doing the negotiation for the mayans people, i`m damn sure they don`t live in that area and only looking out for there own self interest, every one should be treated equal every one no one is better that the other so this do needs to be appealed for the betterment of or Belize.
It’s time that the Mayan people rize up the way that Sub commandante Marcos did with the indigenous from Chiapas, maybe in that way they will start to respect the right we have to land. Government just want the land for their own and, to sell and to pochet the money, and as usual poor people are never benefited from it. PUP and UDP, same $h!#. Wise up Belizeans.
The only ones who are providing oxygen to creating and fuelling racial disharmony in our country is this UDP government, who is fighting tooth and nail and sparing no legal fees to Lois Barrow in order to safeguard their own selfish greed to exploit this potentially oil rich land. This is not about who was here first, its about the right to issue valuable oil concessions.
It is not about whether the Maya should have right to private land or communal land – that juxtaposition is put out to confuse ALL Belizeans. It is not about forcing Maya people to choose provate land or communal land , reservation or village or anywhere in Belize. No one’s legally obtained private land is being taken away. The argument that anyone will be forced to live on a reservation and be treated like a “zoo monkey for tourist attraction” is ridiculous and utterly false; but IS totally consistent with UDP propaganda on this issue.
It is about allowing our original inhabitants to keep some land in trust for the traditional uses for their future generations.
You want to farm Belize and be a steward for the rainforest? WHO is stopping you? Apply for land.
It is not about who better than who or who has more rights than who. For those ignorant of their own country’s history – for which you SHOULD be refused land until you learn – the BRITISH colonial masters “granted” BOTH the Maya AND the Garinagu reservation land in Southern Belize. Why? In recognition of presence there – and for services rendered. Historical FACT.
For those of you who don’t know your own geography – go study the Maya Atlas produced with the help of National Geographic and the University of California/Berkley.
For those who are ignorant of recent political history, KNOW that when Guatemala went to the OAS to claim that their claim on Belize was also being made to “protect the Maya people of Southern Belize”, the Maya LEADERS (some of these same leaders that the UDP is now using) SPOKE loudly and publicly to the WORLD, with one voice and proclaimed their right to self-determination and their belief and conviction that they are BELIZEAN and have always belonged to Belize, and pledged absolute support to OUR JEWEL.
Have you made such a public commitment to our country?
My fellow Belizeans, allow no one to lead us with FEAR and HATRED. Allow no one to lie to you or mislead you. Do not allow yourself to be used as cannon -fodder to attack your fellow Belizeans and to treat each other with disrespect and racism. Stop the ethnic hatred NOW. Learn from Rwanda, Nigeria, Israel and even our neighbor Guatemala.
Our constitution says we are one nation under God. Let it remain so.
The comments I noted both positive and negative opinions due are to the socail lens and class of persons that our society has there after 500 years. The question I would like to pose, who have more rights or are we more equal as Belizeans? If we are to undstand the how Latin America has been colonized, resources exploited, fight for independent and now neo- colonialism. No poor man is in the agenda of party politics who find thems in government role of the past and present day. What about trade agreements designed ? Is it for the poor man? Why do we not analize , as all Belizeans in order to see and comprehend what is happening. The Maya are here and have no borders so we are not Guatemalans, Mexicans, Hondurans, these national counries came after.
The communical land rights case, is a just case, which is another from of land ownership traditionaly pratice by the Mayans and other Indegenoiuse group in Central America. With the Kuna Indians of Panama it is called “conmara”. The green country of Costa Rica the “BriBri” people are recognized by thier government, they own and managed thier lands and are benfit from it. Another example the Mesquito people of Nicaragua also are in control of thier lands.
To finalize my response the mayas are doing the same so that every single maya has a piece of land to produce for him and his family. The UDP party should channel it resoucres to solve the crime situation in Belize city rather be an obstacle to the Maya people who are visioning for a better soceity.
Revolution, your comments sound so racist. You live where you want to live…no one restricts you. Im really certain u dont wanna go live in the maya communal land. No one says the maya people are better than other Belizeans.
For your information, the mayas were the first to settle this part of the world so get your facts right. Im not a maya but I have been south where they live and believe me you dont wanna live there away from all the commodities.
Greg Ch’oc and the other leaders of the MLA are fighting a worthy cause and we should be proud of their bravery. They are Belizeans with the same rights as you and I. Right?
well revolution i am better than you and i am mayan and the whole of belize belongs to us mayans and one day we will rule again hope you are not around when that day comes maybe you will be with yum cimil hehe as to this gov and this pm your day is drawing to and end get up mi jente lets show them what a real revolution looks like.
done seh it Rod! mek them know too!
Them think them far better than we? GOD IS GREATER THAN ANYBODY!
TO ALL THE RACIST AND THE HATERS!! YOU SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT SOLVING THE CRIME IN BELIZE NOT DISCRIMINATING!
WE WANT TO C THE THIEVES, SHOOTERS, SCUMBAGS, BEGGARS AND YOUR TYPE OFF THE STREET!
PERIOD!! I CAN GAVE SUGGESTIONS IF U WANT TO KNOW!
BIG SEXXY! I THINK U ARE A RICH MF! U DON’T SWEAT LIKE HOW THE MAYAS DO! BUT U EAT WHAT THEY REAP! AHEMM !
KEEP WORKING HARDER SO U CAN CONTINUE TO PAY MISS LOIS, CAS U DESERVE IT! CONITNUE SUPPORT YOUR GOVERNMENT !
SHAME ON THE GOVERMENT CAN’T EVEN SOLVE THE CRIME IN BELIZE!
pray to JAH and bless the mayan people!
they deserve belize! to hell with the haters and the racist and whosoever think they are far better than the mayas!
This goes to all who against the MAYAS! Haterz never suceed. All they could do is Preach. I nuh got nuthin else fi tell unu. Straight Talk!