Village dispute threatens progress
In the popular mythology, life in a Belizean village is supposed to be a heavenly experience in which the neighbours are always friendly, exotic fruits and succulent game meats grace every table and the toughest decision you have to make is whether to watch the sunset in the company of beer, rum or scotch. Of course, anyone who has actually spent much time in a village knows that just below the tranquil surface of our rural communities lie serious differences over things like sex, crime, religion and, of course, politics.
Patrick Jones, Reporting
chairman of Maskall Village Selvyn Graham and his brother in law Edmund Castro have locked horns over use of the community centre. Caught in the middle are twenty-five men and women from villages along the old Northern Highway who are students in a tourism training course in preparation for employment later this year. When they showed up for classes this morning, they could not enter the building as the lock on the door had been changed overnight. Graham says he is not trying to close the door on their employment opportunity, but simply trying to get some respect.
Selvyn Graham, chairman, Maskall
?Well I?m not denying use of this community centre, but as chairman I had asked before the programme begin is that they ask for the centre in writing, the time period, who responsible for the opening and closing, and if they were going to pay a small fee. The training is some BRITE and I?m not familiar with the group, and my intension as the chairman I cannot use my centre just like that without something, because under rural development I have to give a letter or something. I?m not against the training but I need something in writing because the centre will be out for five weeks.?
But Castro, who is the Director of the Belize Rural Institute for Tourism Enhancement,–not to mention the UDP aspirant for Belize Rural North–says Graham will get no such letter from him as the building is being used for a public purpose and the majority of the chairman?s own village council are in favour of the BRITE programme. That majority, by the way are UDP supporters, while chairman Graham is a stalwart PUP.
Edmund Castro, chairman, BRITE
?Well I have no need to do such letter requesting use of the community building. This is a building that is for the community and if he had a problem with such a positive programme then he should go to his council and ask for a vote in his village council and try to convince them that this is a bad thing that the villagers along this old road are doing by having access to this community centre which belongs to them. And if he could convince the other members of the council that this is such a terrible thing, and get them to vote along with him, then maybe I would have to follow up with a letter, begging them or requesting and showing my point of view that this is a good programme.?
And with the consent of four members of the village council who over rode the chairman?s directive that the keys be withheld from the students, villagers took matters into their own hands.
Edmund Castro
?Members of the community went there and they just took off the lock.?
Patrick Jones
?And you supported them doing that.?
Edmund Castro
?Yes exactly, I was present. I wished that you guys were here just two point six minutes earlier and then you guys would have witnessed a wonderful community participation and community spirit in terms of this dah fuh we building and we wah use fuh we building for a positive cause.?
Patrick Jones
?I ask about the legal repercussion because it would seem to me then that the chairman would have the right to send the police to come arrest all of you who broke his building.?
Edmund Castro
?Well I think that is what he should do. If he thinks that is the right thing to do, then he should come and arrest the community. And put a lock down on the community and find out who broke the lock, because if indeed he decides to do it again, I think the community is for using their building. And if they have to take it off again, then I think they are prepared to do so.?
Selvyn Graham
?But what Mr. Castro has to understand is that I will be the chairman for the next three years, and once they are using my centre or doing things in my village I must be respected. And I will stand up for my right.He seems that he is bigger than the minister, is bigger than everybody already. And he is just trying to run for the area. I am the chairman, I win my seat for three years and I need to get hat respect. Once I can get that I have no problem. I?m not against the training.?
Patrick Jones
?What will it take right now for you to turn over the key to the community centre??
Selvyn Graham
?Well like I stated before, I need a letter from Mr. Castro the chairman of Brite. Because from the time you planning something in my area, I am the host village, I wasn?t even invited. Not one time has he come to me and tell me about anything. He is using this for his own gain.?
Edmund Castro
“I don?t know what he is talking about because this was discussed in their council meeting. And all the councillors in the village council had agreed that this is such a wonderful programme and they haven?t seen any reason why this kind of training that will help so many villages along this old road must not be held in the community centre.?
Patrick Jones
?Is this then a dispute between yourself and the chairman, a personal thing between you and the chairman??
Edmund Castro
?Well I think he is working on behalf of maybe his boss who is he is fighting vigorously probably for Mr. Maxwell Samuels to conduct this kind of programme in terms shutting the door on tourism in this area. These people have nowhere else to go. For too long we have people in this Belize Rural area that all we do is watch busses come by with tourists and these people have no way of making a dollar. So this is a wonderful opportunity, thanks to the British High Commission and so on, to provide training whereby by December we?re looking at twenty-odd people along this old road that normally would not make a dollar, would have opportunity to make some money.?
The police in Maskall were called out to maintain the peace, but after some tense moments cooler heads prevailed and the classes proceed after a two-hour delay. Castro and his group say they are prepared to repeat the process tomorrow, if necessary.
