Southern Villagers Says No to Gob Draft Land Tenure Policy
The Government of Belize’s efforts to implement the 2015 Caribbean Court of Justice Consent Order is at a tipping point. Today, the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs issued a release inviting Maya villages in the Toledo District to dialogue with G.O.B. on key aspects of the newly issued draft Maya Customary Land Tenure Policy. The release follows objections to the draft policy from numerous Maya villages over the course of the week. According to the ministry’s statement, public consultations on the draft policy are set for the next two weekends in Punta Gorda. One of the primary areas of contention within the draft policy is a proposed model for villages to apply for areas of land to be registered as Maya customary land. The model stipulates that the lands being applied for must fall within one to three kilometers of the center of their villages. It further proposes that proof of customary land use must be provided for any lands outside of one to three kilometers. Last night, we showed you a video of one village leader ripping apart the draft policy paper. Tonight, we hear from them about their concerns.
Toledo Resident #1
“We understand that they are locking us in a box of a one kilometer for each village. But if that is true, this is not acceptable. This will not work for the community because we have been refused to about two mile, three miles out of the center of the village to and collect our materials needed for home use. To you all who are in the office or wherever you are, authorities, I want to pass this message that this will not work.”
San Felipe Village Resident
“I am the alcalde from San Felipe and I am here because I do not support what the government is doing, because we will put a stop and send a message to the government, we will work together as united as the Maya people. One thing I can tell the government, please leave us alone.”
Santa Ana Village Resident
“The representatives from Santa Ana, do we accept what the government is proposing? So, this is our way of life. The proposal will accept our being, our way of life, our traditional way of living. We are sending a clear message to the government, this is not the entire village of Santa Ana but the message is clear, we do not accept what the proposal is.”
Toledo Resident #2
“As it relates to what we are discussing about what the government is doing, they want to pen us like pigs in corals. We don’t want the government to fence us in a circle. We are not using to that my people. So what I want to say is that we don’t want the one kilometer like they are saying. Because, when I do my farming I travel for three miles. That is what I want to tell Minister Requena and Prime Minister John Briceño and those in Belmopan to fix and give us a better policy.”
