G.O.B. is Obliged to Consult with all Maya Organizations

According to Ch’oc, the Maya Leaders Alliance is an umbrella organization comprised of several organizations that are in fact the appellants in the Maya land rights case.  On that basis, he says, the Government of Belize is duty-bound to consult with the individual groups.

Greg Ch’oc

Greg Ch’oc, Commissioner of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs

“The record is before the court who the appellants are under the M.L.A. It is the Kekchi Council of Belize, the Toledo Alcaldes Association, the Toledo Maya Women’s Council, the Julian Cho Society. S.A.T.I.I.M. was not there, for some reason. Tumul Kin Center for Learning, perhaps erroneously was put in there, but these Mayan organizations came under the umbrella of the Maya Leaders Alliance before the court… Toledo Maya Cultural Council. So, if you look at the ten points of agreement, the membership of the Maya Leaders Alliance has evolved. In 2000, for example, there was no J.C.S, but it was organized somewhere around 2005 and it was accepted to be a part of the Maya Leaders Alliance because we have always been about inclusivity. We’ve always believed in including every community and organized group working within the community in the south.  So, all the organizations that I mentioned are appellants before the court. So the Government of Belize is legally bound to consult with them. It’s not a choice; we can’t select who we should consult. They fall under the umbrella of the Maya Leaders Alliance.”