Citizens stake their claim in HarmonyVille, privately owned land

Thirteen hundred acres of land in the vicinity of Cotton Tree Village has been up for grabs ever since the government realized that the Taiwanese owners have not been paying property taxes. According to John Saldivar Area Representative for Belmopan, the principal owner is either in jail or dead somewhere on the other side of the planet. For years some residents of Belmopan and Cotton Tree have been laying their claim to small parcels on the property. The government has recently indicated it intends to acquire the land, but a group of citizens have decided to organize themselves and claim their slice of the pie.  Cabinet has issued  an advisory to stop any new developments by squatters. But according to the grass roots organizers, they aren’t squatters because the land is not government owned. This afternoon they stop by News Five to explain why they decided to lay a claim to the land they know call HarmonyVille.

Jose Sanchez

“The Cabinet sent a release for the thirteen hundred acres, that any new squatter should cease and desist  and stop from clearing new land, are you squatting on the land? What have you been legally advised?

Nigel Petillo, Organizer of HarmonyVille

“Jose we are not squatters, first of all this a registered land act in the laws of Belize. It says the ownership of land may be acquired by open, peaceful and uninterrupted position for a period of twelve years and without the permission of any person lawfully entitled to such possession. Clearly stating and let me stress out, all of our meetings have been well attended, opened. We have people filing machetes, having their axe prepared for cutting. You no hear no reports about people di get chop up. You nothing bad di go on back there. It’s an orderly fashion there. So far, we have all been working together with the immigrants, we the Belizeans especially and nothing. We have members who have a part of our association for over fourteen years. So it’s clear to us we are acting within the laws and hence the reason the government cannot actually tell us to get off the land. They can’t tell us to get off the land. It’s not their land and actually it’s our land now.”

Jose Sanchez

“It’s not the government’s land none at all. It’s supposedly owned by one or several Taiwanese businessmen. So it’s private land isn’t it?

Nigel Petillo

“That’s right. It’s private land.”

Jose Sanchez

“What have been advised regaqrding the Taiwanese men or business owners?

Nigel Petillo

“Well we haven’t heard nothing from them. The government haven’t heard nothing from them as far as I’m concerned. We are going to be working together planning this community harmony. We are working with the government so far.”

Jose Sanchez

“HarmonVille itself, how will the land be divided? Who decides how the land will be divided?”

Kirk Garnett, Organizer of HarmonyVille

“Well, right now we are using the same first come first served basis. Those come first are being the preferential people. Those who are living there will have that preference of having that first process done with them. Then eventually we hope that the government could facilitate the rest of the people that have expressed  the same desire to have piece of this dream.”

Jose Sanchez

“Would you say then that looking at other poor immigrants from Central America, coming to Belize, sitting on a piece of land around Belmopan, Salvapan for example, seeing them come and lay claim drove you to form HarmonyVille?”

Kirk Garnett

“Yes it has because these people were our classmates at school and we used to see them. They came as immigrants from poverty and now we see them with much more than we the Belmopanese, you understand. With all respect, it’s not to sound racial or anything like that. Because like I said we went to School with them and those same people are standing in solidarity with us.”

Jose Sanchez

“So essentially you learned from them?”

Kirk Garnett

“Yes, we learned from them. It took us so long, but this generation we decided, we saw it work so we’re going to make it work for our people.”

The organizers of HarmonyVille say they plan to continue to register new members who want to farm at the site.