Land taken away from single mother; area rep vows to help
A parcel of land in the Caribbean Shores area has been taken away from a woman who claims she inherited the plot. She is pointing fingers at the Area Representative, Carlos Perdomo, but another minister says the Ministry of Natural Resources won’t get away with this misdeed. News Five’s Jose Sanchez found out more on this land dispute earlier today.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
The Jorguenson family lived on this seventy-five by one hundred plot of land on “I” Street in King’s Park for over forty years. Dawn Jorguenson inherited the land and made arrangements with the government to pay for the title.
Dawn Jorguenson, Wants Family Land Returned
“We were getting ready to purchase it and paying property tax and trying to purchase it a bit at a time cause I don’t have a lot of money to pay it all at once. We got an agreement from the government to purchase it for six thousand and that’s what we were doing.”
Jose Sanchez
“So you were making small payments.”
Dawn Jorguenson
“Yes I was.”
Jose Sanchez
“And what happened?”
Dawn Jorguenson
“I went to Minister Perdomo about two Wednesdays ago him if he could put a little land fill for me to help out because Minister Finnegan said he would put a house on the land for me. So I’m trying to clear it up and get it prepared so we can put a house. There was an old cement structure. It was the first set of government house that was ever built in Belize so it wasn’t really good. It was brittle and could break down any moment.”
The land sits across from the Caribbean Shores Representative’s office and during that visit Minister Carlos Perdomo dropped a bombshell about the land.
Dawn Jorguenson
“He told me that the land done cancel. I said how di land wah cancel when di pay for the purchase and property tax. Why wasn’t I informed? He said oh the letter done send to the executor of the will, your brother and ih done eena gazette. He thought I was going to leave it like that. I went to the gazette office and I informed that everything he told was a big lie. So I went to Lands Department to investigate and they told me two dates that the land was cancelled which was not true. I don’t know. It’s just not fair.”
Jose Sanchez
“Are you going to leave it as it is?”
Dawn Jorguenson
“No. He’s not going to get away with this cause I need it. I don’t want it, I need it. I have a son. He’s going to be ten this month. I need to put up a house for me and my son.”
Dawn Jorguenson is currently living in the Mesopotamia division. Area representative for Mesop., Michael Finnegan, is mad because Jorguenson was making payments up to June twenty-ninth for the purchase of the land.
Michael Finnegan, Area Rep. Mesopotamia
“What was done to her is totally illegal and arbitrary. The Ministry of Natural resources will not get away with it. I have directed her to Michael Young law firm and if I have to pay every single sent for her to get that matter corrected, it will be corrected. Man this lady got this land from in the 60’s. Round I Street and dehn place deh dah weh George Price built from the 60’s. Dis lady get dis land but poor thing died. But dehn lady think dehn had title fi di land. Dehn think dat when dehn give dehn dat yoh got title so di lady just mek out wah will and left di land fi ih daughter and two son. Now they went to the Ministry of Natural Resources 2005 and had gotten permission to purchase the land. So the same Ministry of Natural Resources gave them permission to purchase the land for five thousand dollars. She is paying towards that purchase of the land on an incremental basis that was put into place by the 93-98 U.D.P. government because poor people can’t find all di money eena dehn pocket one lick fi go pay down fi wah land. So we decided that we wah bring in di policy dat you could pay on an incremental basis until yoh done pay fi yoh land even if u done ten years from now. Once you are paying for, when you done pay fi it you get your title. During the process of paying for your land government cannot interfere with your land.”
While Finnegan calls out the Ministry of Natural Resources to correct the issue, a teary eyed Jorguenson, places the blame on Perdomo.
Jose Sanchez
“Assuming Mr. Perdomo sees this tonight, what would you say to him?”
Dawn Jorguenson
“I don’t care what he would say I just want my land back. I don’t care cause it’s not fair. My son is a smart little boy. He always look up to the government of Belize noh care if di red or blue deh in. What will I go and tell him now. I can’t tell him this government we believe in will do this and that. He is the only bad apple in this whole government here as far as I see. My minister Finnegan is trying to help me.”
Michael Finnegan
“I am confident that matter will be rectified and the Jorguensons will get back their land. Christ dah sin! Dat dah poor people; dat dah wah single mother. Yoh get elected as wah politician to serve poor people, especially di indigent and di poor and di poor single mothers. Dat dah weh yoh get elected fah. Yoh noh get elected fi squeeze and fi squash dehn and fi tek weh weh dehn got from dehn. I will not stand for it. I dah fi di poor woman, I dah fi justice, I dah fi fair play, I dah fi single mothers. Those are the most people weh vote eena politics eena dis country and any single mother or any poor person weh feel aggrieved and dehn noh know weh pah fi go, dehn could turn to Michael Finnegan plain and straight.”
Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.
