Alcalde Vs Village Council; Which Has the Final Say?
We have long been reporting on the alcalde system that is practiced in indigenous Maya communities in the south. What comes to mind is the 2015 citizen arrest of Rupert Myles in Santa Cruz Village in the Toledo District. Thirteen persons were later charged as a result of that incident. That case raised several questions about the role of the alcalde under the Inferior Courts Act. But then, there is the village council system, for which elections are held every three years. There’s a chairman and councillors whom villagers vote for as leaders in their communities. So in communities where there are both village councils and alcaldes, who has the final say or authority to make critical decisions? Tonight’s Five Point Breakdown looks at both systems and reveals information that many may not know. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
For decades, we have heard of alcaldes, as well as village leaders in a cultural and historical sense – predominantly practiced as a customary jurisdiction among indigenous communities. But this time-honored tradition is a system of local governance introduced by the British as a form of indirect rule in colonial Belize.
Who is an alcalde?
Valentino Shal
Valentino Shal, C.E.O., Ministry of Local Government
“The alcalde is the village chief, is the leader of the village, but is also the ambassador of the village. This was formalized under the colonial British rule. I think it served many purposes. I think it helped the communities to organize themselves, remain organized and to address issues that the state could not address at the time.”
Who uses the alcalde system?
As Belizeans, we have come to associate the alcalde system with the Maya culture, this leadership and governance structure was also practice by the indigenous Garifuna people. Historian Sebastian Cayetano says that the alcaldes of Barranco date back to July sixth, 1886 when Diego Paulino was selected as the first alcalde for the village.
Sebastian Cayetano
Sebastian Cayetano, Historian
“In the Garifuna community, the alcalde system was there from way back, 1886 – the first alcalde. And then the last alcalde in Barranco was Mister Ignacio Nicolas. The alcalde system ended to give way to the village council system. But the people had high and great respect for the alcalde system because the alcalde was the community leader, he also exercised legal authority. So he took care of the village; whereas the village council only takes care of the community.”
Valentino Shal
“It is practiced right now only by the Maya communities, but it is a system of local government, judicial management that can be done by any rural community in the country, as far as I am aware. In the past, the Garifuna communities in Stann Creek district had alcaldes and other communities up north also had alcaldes. So the system can be applied in any rural community.”
There are currently one hundred and ninety villages and communities in Belize – some located in remote areas and whose residents still practice a customary way of life. They too are engaged in the democratic process of electing a village council every three years. While this is the lowest level of local government, village council elections have been overwhelmed by partisan politics; the most recent was held in 2022. This process, however, should be free of any political influence.
What is the role of a village council?
Pablo Mis
Pablo Mis, Executive Director, Julian Cho Society [File: May 16th, 2023]
“On the ground, in practical terms, the village council takes up the responsibility of administering the day-to-day needs of the communities that may be related to putting in place some rules, some policy. Let’s say for instance related to animals and crops, land use – but all of this emerges from the instruction of the community. The alcalde takes up the responsibility of convening the community. So for example in many of the Maya communities, a village council would find it very difficult to call a public meeting, a village meeting, without the help of the alcalde.”
And so, if alcaldes are responsible for managing communal land and presiding over local courts within the villages, is there a conflict with the village council system? According to the Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Local Government, there are two distinct acts that set out the parameters of each of these governance systems.
What are the laws governing alcalde and village council systems?
Valentino Shal
“The authority of the village council is derived from the Village Councils Act and so that is a law, I believe, was passed in 2001 – if I am not mistaken. And it outlines what it is that the village council is responsible for and a lot of it has to do with the overall wellbeing of the community, the management of community assets, the management of community spaces and the promotion of the development of the community. The alcalde system is established under the Inferior Courts Act. And again, just like the Village Councils Act, it outlines and specifies the roles, the scope of powers, the responsibilities of the alcalde in the Inferior Courts Act. In the act it is regarded as a judicial organ and so it manages things like disorderly behaviour, trespassing, just generally interfering with your neighbours business, which is disallowed in the alcaldes act and so the alcalde has the authority to charge people for offenses under the Inferior Courts Act.”
The alcalde system is not used in other parts of the region. It is expected that they are to work harmoniously in areas where the system is practiced, but on the ground in these villages, who has the final say?
Village Council versus Alcalde System; Who Has the Final Say?
Valentino Shal
“If, I believe, both positions follow the respective law under which they are established, I don’t think that there will be any issue between the two in the exercise of the duties and powers that they have been given. The problem is that sometimes you have overlaps in what they think they ought to be doing, there are differences in personalities, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If each person understand their roles and functions, duties and powers, they can coexist.”
Sebastian Cayetano
“In the Kekchi villages where the alcalde can arrest the village council chairman, but the chairman cannot arrest the alcalde. But in the Maya communities of the south, the alcalde is still highly respected and that’s the preference of the Maya people.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
