G.O.B. has Final Authority over All Land

On the Phone: Dolores Balderamos-Garcia

Minister Dolores Balderamos-Garcia reaffirms that the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice recognizes Maya communal and customary land tenure, but says that the recognition does not mean that the Maya people can claim the whole of the Toledo District.  She says that it is one country, we are all Belizeans and G.O.B. has final authority over all land.

On the Phone: Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs

“It just absolutely does not work like that. And I need to make it abundantly clear that the Government of Belize will not allow any separation of our country, any kind of reservation in the North American sense of the word. That is not going to happen. But parties, everybody, all sides need to bear patience and need to allow the government to consult properly to put in place the Maya customary land tenure policy and thereafter to move towards legislation that can balance competing interests. I have said this from day one; we will have to make balance of sometimes competing interests. I also want to mention that there is no need to stoke up any kind of ethnic division within our country – we are all Belizeans – and I do not appreciate and the Government of Belize will not appreciate nor tolerate the stirring up of tensions based on ethnicity. Again, we respect indigenous rights of people, including Garifuna people and Maya people, but we reject the attitude that the whole of the Toledo district is owned by one ethnic group. That is absolutely not so. There will be delimitation of boundaries in consultation with all parties, all interested parties, but in the meantime we have to ask everyone to respect the laws of Belize and you can go to the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice which says that the authority of the Government of Belize over all lands in this country is held by the government. The authority, I repeat, the authority over all land in Belize is held by the government.”