AG Peyrefitte Responds to MLA on Maya Land Grab
In the south, there is also a purported land grab of indigenous land. Today, the outgoing Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte responded to a recent statement issued by the tripartite body made up of the Maya Leaders Alliance, the Toledo Alcaldes Association and the Julian Cho Society. On Thursday, MLA spokesperson Cristina Coc told News Five that a number of complaints have been lodged regarding surveying activities being conducted in the villages of Medina Bank, Sunday Wood and several others with the permission of the Lands and Survey Department. The contention with such exercise is that there is an existing consent order which was handed down by the Caribbean Court of Justice in respect of government working closely with the Maya communities as it relates to their land rights. But the AG is of a different view.
Michael Peyrefitte
Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney General
“Cristina Coc, I think I saw her on the news. They have access to a battery of lawyers. I think even Greg Ch’oc is now a lawyer who was the past president. If you have a legal issue ma’am, go dah court. To me, you don’t really have a legal issue because if you had a real legal issue, you would go to court, you wouldn’t go to the media. But they are hoping that they could cast enough doubt on the situation that will make the government look bad, but the government knows its positions and remember, we can argue, you know, because we can disagree on what that document says. That document, that consent judgment states in there clearly that no part of this consent judgment affects the sovereign authority of the Government of Belize and the people of Belize. In short then, that area da noh wahn separate country, you know, that is still a part of Belize. They may not like to hear that, but that’s the case. So nothing can stop the executive of the country to do what it feels like it needs to do for the betterment of the country. But like I said, if they believe they have such a strong case, go to court.”
