Hundreds Apply for Land

One of the key promises that the People’s United Party made before coming into office was to give land to first-time landowners.  At the Lands Department in Belize City, dozens of persons would gather to submit applications. Hundreds more would appear when DPM Cordel Hyde would hold public consultations in different areas.  His next location will be Cayo, and it is expected that hundreds of people will show up. Hyde says that this shows the level of inequity when it comes to land distribution in the country.  

Cordel Hyde

Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister

“Quite a lot, quite a lot. It speaks to how much deprivation and how much inequity exists in this country where a handful of people have a lot of land and ordinary people don’t. We welcome the fact the people want to sign up for land. We welcome the fact that so many of our people are coming forward to make us to know that they don’t have land and they need land. And we ask them for patience and for tie as w try to find where exactly these lands are available. Out people in the ministry have been tasked with finding that out. I am hoping to get a report in the next few days as to where exactly in the Belize district, the closest we can find to Belize City land exists. And we will make the available freely, and fairly who don’t have land. We’ve not been asking for any minister’s letter. We stopped that so people can freely apply but we beg of people to not congregate so much at the offices in such massive crowds because it is not healthy.”