Maya Leaders will respond to GOB’s ‘unlawful’ conduct
The joint release from the MLA and the TAA also states that, “the decision by government ranks among the worst of the many recent improprieties and injustices surrounding the rosewood and larger logging industry, and they call government’s conduct intolerable.” But notwithstanding that, the Mayan leaders are still committing their assistance with the possible fallout from government’s declaration of rosewood amnesty, which could lead to a free for all with loggers and dealers taking full advantage.
Cristina Coc, Maya Leaders Alliance
Cristina Coc
“We have attempted to meet with the forest department here to help them to formalize a process in which we monitor together—in partnership with the forest department here. Unfortunately that has not been forthcoming. The meeting was supposed to be today; it was postponed until next week because of the fair that this might become the situation. I don’t know of any specific incident where this has already happened; at least since the notice of amnesty was given. But it was certainly something that we have highlighted in terms of having our Alcaldes monitor whether or not that is the case in our communities. I cannot speak for the other communities, the other non-Mayan communities, but I know as far as it goes for the thirty-eight Mayan communities, our Alcaldes are on the lookout for new loggers coming in and trying to use this as an opportunity to further harvest rosewood. At the same time, the problem doesn’t like with the small farmers and the small loggers. It really lies with the middlemen and the business owners here in Toledo who have had the reputation and is widely known as those who facilitate the illegal logging because they buy and then they sell.”
The release closes with the MLA and TAA declaring that they are, “determining our further response to government’s unlawful and highly unethical conduct in relation to natural resources taken from land that Maya people have safeguarded for generations.”
Saldivar totally cheated the Mayans with his scam.
It’s as if he caught a bank robber running away with money, and said, “I’ll let you go, if you give me half the money!” So he fills his pocket with stolen money, the robbers get away with half the loot they stole, and the bank is out all the money — police collaborating with criminals at the highest level.
Mayan leaders need to truck their people by the thousands to Belmopan to shut things down there with protests — thousands of other Belizeans would join them.
Birds of a feather flock together… UDP government and Criminals.
So after all the hysterical burning we reach this point. Next thing we will hear that GOB will be compensating the owner of the wood they burned. Why the poor people of belize and especially the mayans have to suffer this nonsense? It done bad the rest of the country suffering now the politicians really reaching out to mess up even the poorest of the poor.
@sickntired, I’m sure that to a Belizean politician, “poor” means “powerless,” and that means they can be ignored and walked on like dirt.
If the poor ever organized in this country, their power would be unstoppable. Too bad not a single leader of any church lifts a finger to promote justice in the Jewel. Most of them say they are here to serve the poor, but none of them does it, in fact they solicit money from the poor! I’m a devout Christian, and I’m very sorry at the weakness of the leadership of churches here. In many other countries church leaders organize important social reform movements, but not here.
illegal is illegal. i feel they should burn it, all of it. Then it might teach everyone that : illegal is illegal, teach the gob, the loggers, the buyers and the sellers. BURN IT ALL.