How Will the Indigenous Maya Communities in the South Vote on April 10th?

Pablo Mis

The Maya people in the south have been engaged for twenty years in the process of litigation as it relates to their communal land rights. So when it comes to the taking the territorial dispute between Belize and Guatemala to the International Court of Justice, they have an appreciation of what the process entails and the risks involved in litigation. According to Programme Coordinator Pablo Mis, the MLA has not taken a collective position, but has engaged the communities for years to build their confidence as Belizeans so that come April tenth, they can vote according to their realities.

Pablo Mis, Programme Coordinator, MLA

“We are confident that our communities are astutely aware of the big decision that they have to make. Our effort has been about defending this land, about developing this country of ours, about creating a model within the region about how we are to correct historical wrongs and come April tenth, we are confident that the Maya people will be able to take a position that is in the best interest of this country. Now as an association, taking a yes and no decision, this is something that we have talked about at length. Our position is that the Maya people will have to make that decision on their own. Our work over the last thirty years have been to ensure that they understand and grasp the entire reality of what it means to be a Belizean citizen and we are confident that come that day, the Maya people will take that best route in terms of the future of this country.”