Gov’t and Opposition compromise on land dispute

It may not rank with the dispute between Israel and Palestine or the controversy over the status of Northern Ireland… but by Belizean standards the battle between the Government and Opposition over the land at the foot of the Bel-China Bridge is just as intractable. Or rather was…because today, in one of those exceedingly rare moments of political sanity, our leaders actually compromised for the good of the nation. According to a release from the Government Press Office, Prime Minister Said Musa and Leader of the Opposition Dean Barrow have agreed that the United Democratic Party will be given title to the portion of the land currently occupied by its headquarters building. The remainder, containing four buildings erected by Government, will revert to government ownership. Political sources tell News 5 that the compromise is virtually identical to one proposed by the UDP following their defeat in the 1998 general elections, but was rejected by the PUP government, which insisted that the UDP pay fair value for the property. During its last term in government the UDP Minister of Natural Resources gave the party a free grant consisting of the entire parcel, valued at six hundred thousand dollars. Upon its election to office, the PUP seized the land, contending that the grant was illegal, and commenced construction of a housing project surrounding UDP headquarters. The Supreme Court, however, upheld the UDP title, but that ruling was overturned by the Belize Court of Appeal. Rather than go through the expense and uncertainty of an appeal to the Privy Council, the politicians finally came to their senses. For the UDP, the historic agreement will obscure its blatantly greedy land grab, while the PUP will avoid the possibility of losing a potentially costly legal battle in which they sacrificed the moral high ground in exchange for the macho flexing of its political muscle.