Au Contraire, Greg Ch’oc Says Consultations were Held with TAA/MLA

Greg Ch’oc

Commissioner Greg Ch’oc, on the other hand, has presented a trove of documents supporting his claim that TAA/MLA were indeed consulted at various stages of the process.  According to Ch’oc, an exchange of opinions with all relevant stakeholders on what the FPIC Protocol should contain was critical to formulating the document.

Greg Ch’oc, Commissioner of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs

“We have consulted with them extensively, respectfully and equally because we believe that all of them have the same standing.  All of them collectively and individually, they have the sectors of the Maya society that they represent.  So we have to respect them which leads me to the consultation.  I believe in consultation.  I have demanded consultation from the Government of Belize when I was in the Maya Leaders Alliance, when I was at SATIIM.  I have demanded the right of the Maya people to Free, Prior and Informed Consent and the requirement that they should be involved in formulating the policies.  So I pursue the work of the government, anchoring the work on consultation that I demanded.  I would not be here before you if we had not consulted extensively with all the Mayan organizations.  I don’t want to be here to tell you we consulted.  In front of you here, all these, these are just some of the documents of the exchange of proposals, exchange of revision of the FPIC Protocol, objections, my response to those objections, the face-to-face meetings, transcripts.”