Boots versus Belmopan in Port Loyola
He is a man known to routinely battle against long odds… and often beats them. Well, tonight Area Representative Anthony “Boots” Martinez is once again on the warpath, this time with the Lands Department and Ministry of Natural Resources. While Boots admits that in this instance the law may not be on his side, he maintains that in Port Loyola things are not always done according to law. Patrick Jones reports.
Anthony “Boots” Martinez, Area Rep., Port Loyola
“No minister tell me fu stop. No minister tell me fu stop. And minister have my personal number.”
Patrick Jones, Reporting
Area Representative for Port Loyola, Anthony “Boots” Martinez, is livid. And the brunt of his anger is directed at the Lands Department, which is trying to stop him from constructing houses on three lots on Faber’s Road. This plywood house sitting on lot number thirty-four is nearing completion, but before the other three sixteen by twenty-four feet structures could get off the ground, trouble started. As it turns out none of the homeowners have permission to build on the land. But according to Martinez, even though titles have not been issued, he sees no reason why they should stop.
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“From July of last year we deh behind them please sign them, please sign them, please sign. Nobody sign nothing. So now we di start to help the people them now, all of a sudden somebody see that something wrong. Man, I am saying mek we stop play political games with people’s lives. The election just gone, dah time fu we work fu the betterment ah the people.”
But along with the desire to work with the people to improve their lives, comes the responsibility to operate within the law. Martinez vows to defy all orders to cease and desist from construction because he sees the move as simply a case of sour grapes from his political opponent.
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“But she want wrong and strong thing, but I am here I’m saying that she had her turn. She did nothing for the people of Port Loyola; let’s move on with progress. And I submitted a budget to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance, we noh get one cent yet in regards to housing and here we are as a community getting together without the benefit of one cent from government yet. And as a community getting together to build low-income houses for people.”
Patrick Jones
“By your own admission the minister has not signed the papers yet officially granting title to these lands, how can you be building on it when you don’t have the permission to do so?
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“How can you be building on it when…these lands belongs to the people of Belize my brother.”
Patrick Jones
“But there is a process, you admit that there is a process. That process is not complete yet?”
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“How you mean that process is not complete?”
Patrick Jones
“The minister has not signed.”
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“The process is not complete yet because of the minister not signing the documents?”
Patrick Jones
“Then you can’t go ahead and break the law and come build illegally here.”
Patrick Jones
“No man, no, no, no. Mek we deal with the thing like how the thing deh inna proper perspective. In other words that if I come to you–I will put it in simple ABC–and the land is available and you accept an application with my lot number, I apply for lease lot number thirty-four, which is available. Now put one and one mek two, this dah no wah case where the land belong to somebody and somebody else the tek it, it’s just as simple, and if you look at it, it’s just playing political games.”
Construction of the houses stated last week, and unless work is halted, erection should be complete by this time next week. And if Martinez has his way, only a court order will silence the hammers and saws.
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“Yes we will continue to build.”
Patrick Jones
“Even though the government has asked you to stop?”
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“Man we will continue to build. This thing belongs to the community. Government ask me to stop? What the government will need to do is sign the paper…Me noh di wrong and strong. You yer weh a say, I’m out here in a…”
Patrick Jones
“So you don’t see it wrong as you telling these people to continue constructing here when clearly they don’t have title to this land. All they have is a receipt, the minister has not approved.”
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“Well that is so right. In Port Loyola we do things a little differently and this is not wrong and strong. We go through the legal avenue. You see this is the problem I have Patrick Jones, in this country the little man always feel the brunt ah the stick because nobody look pan he or she. The only time they look pan he or she dah when they see them the squat pan wah piece of land. We need to change them thing and we the try change them thing. If we want to reform we need to change that.”
Patrick Jones, for News 5.
The house on lot thirty-five belongs to Ruth Dobson, while George Parks and Gilbert Dawson occupy lots twenty-one and thirty-two respectively. Martinez says the stop order was communicated to him on Wednesday by an official of the Lands Department, but he prefers that the minister personally delivers the directive to him either in writing or by telephone.
