Agricultural project in Harmonyville buffer lands stopped in its tracks

David Barnett

According to BGYEA, the private investor, Samuel Patton, has since backed out of doing business with them, but the issue remains that they have already purchased the corn seeds that were to be planted and there are still no access roads to plots of land in Harmonyville. So the next step, according to the grassroots organization, will be determined following a meeting with its membership on Sunday.

David Barnett, Vice President, BGYEA

“Our move is completely different from a squatter on the land. A squatter on the land reaps for himself, plants for himself; does everything for himself. What we are doing is planting out the buffer to help the community. We have asked you Mister Prime Minister, you the Deputy Prime Minister; you know that we need roads. As a matter of fact, on that strip of land that is the buffer land is supposed to be an access road for those people who live alongside the buffer. There is no road there. So how will people get to their land if the buffer is not clean, if a road is not there?”

Nigel Petillo, President, BGYEA

“If our members want to go and plant corn with us, plant corn..ay ya!”

Duane Moody

Nigel Petillo

“Although it is going to be…”

Nigel Petillo

“Mister Moody, you have sometimes ina yo life weh yo have to stand up. This dah one ah dehn time weh yo need fu stand up. Not Nigel Petillo, not David Barnett, not BGYEA; country. We are at a point in history right now, in Belize’s history, where the population of this country could make a stand and indicate to all politicians, to all parties, all governments that we wake up. Wah time come now weh we noh wah tolerate weh you just wah kick we and dictate to we. If we come up with an idea weh make sense like this, not because we dah noh elected officials or we dah noh the educated, know-how, guayabera-wearing individuals, the idea is not good. We had asked our government to support this initiative, to come on board with us. We see this initiative as one that is of great importance to the development of Harmonyville.”

BGYEA today retained the services of Attorney Audrey Matura-Shepherd to represent them in this case.