No Political Hanky-Panky at Julian Cho, Says DPM Faber

Patrick Faber

As for political and racial undertones, DPM Faber says he is staying far away from the situation, aside from the acknowledging that the institution primarily serves the Maya population in the south.

Patrick Faber, Minister of Education

“Even though these are schools owned by the government.  The government is the proprietor, the government and the minister cannot go in and dictate to anybody.  So that is a misconception.  There are people who are saying, oh it is because Dr. Coc is a U.D.P. aspirant that the minister… I have nothing to do with that and I have had no say.  The board of management is the entity is the entity that is dealing with that issue.”

Isani Cayetano

“What about the appearance of a racial undertone insofar as this entire scenario, considering the composition of the board of directors of Julian Cho?”

Patrick Faber

“Well, you know, this is something that I’ve heard.  I don’t know what is the merit of that but I suspect that that is going to be a factor.  It is evidently a card that can be played but I don’t know if there is any validity in any of that.  Julian Cho, as far as I know, and I’ve visited many times, is a school that caters primarily to the Mayan community.  The children or the young people who attend that institution are by and large of the Mayan villages all the way from the west of the district, coming all the way, in fact to the town.  They come and they go to Julian Cho and I think the dynamics that you are talking about is the fact that Dr. Arzu is Garifuna and Dr. Coc is Mayan, so I think, inevitably, whichever way you play it there might be that claim that there is something racial happening.”