We're just a month away from celebrating Belize's National Day or St. George's Caye Day. But even as the country gets in that famous celebratory gear, St. George's Caye, that fabled point from which the invasion attempt by Spain was deterred, is in upheaval. Long time residents who thought they lived in an area without available land are suddenly realizing that well monied individuals are finding room to spread out much to the chagrin of residents.
Alfonso Noble reporting,
Alfonso Noble
It's a historic site like no other, as Belize can trace its formative years to here, St. George's Caye. But 204 years later the caye is once again involved in a struggle, and again, it's over land.
Paul Hunt, Community Chairman
For some time the councilor has been struggling to look at requests for local fishermen and so on. And, you know, because it's such a small island it is very restricted. But one of those components is the issue of mangroves. The problem now is that a permit was given for some filling of mangroves at Blackbird Island across there. But in the process of that the dredging operation seems to have moved on off the main caye contrary to the permits that we have seen that were issued in late June. The permit was specifically to allow dredging for a certain amount of cubic yards of sand. But there was no permit for mangrove cutting. There was no permit for the creation of land and here we have, shall we say a wealthy operation, which is creating land for the interest of people who already have. If land has been reclaimed, as we see, we think that that land should be made available first and foremost to people who have been living on the island for many years and need somewhere to rest their head.
Alfonso Noble
One such resident is Reuben Herbert who's been residing on the island for the past 50 years and still does not own a piece of property. For Herbert who looks on as mangrove fields are reclaimed to expand one wealthy landowner's estate, he's bothered because he has absolutely no stake here.
Reuben Herbert, Resident of St. George's Caye
I have no piece of land here and for the last 50 years I live here, no kind of land.
Rudolph Bell, Resident of St. George's Caye
Land clearing and people just trying to abuse the system and getting all these extra land. Filling without a decent permit. Doing all these unnecessary things just to claim land. And we the poor people that live out here for the past ten years, we've been having problem of getting just one piece of land. There is not much land here, the land that really here is the people that own the land that have an extension to the back, which is mangrove. It needs a lot of filling up and things like that so if people supposed to just come now and fill up the place and try to claim it then we won't have no land for the poor people like myself, noh.
Alfonso Noble
Now, you, the council tells you that you can't cut down the mangrove because obviously it's a breeding ground for fishes and this type of thing. Yet, there is this dredge right behind there pumping a lot of sand into the place and claiming it. What do you think about this?
Rudolph Bell
I think that ridiculous. The government supposed to work with the village council personnel. I think what's happening out here, the government is moving ahead of the village council.
Sharet Sedassy, Resident of St. George's Caye
It's hard to get a piece of land that you want because there is a lot of problem you got to go through to get a piece of land. Right now which part I am I got to move from there any day, you understand me. I don't have, anytime, I cannot say I gonna move tomorrow, I can't say I can move tomorrow but I can say I can move today because the place is selling, you understand me? And they are cutting all the mangrove back there and it's very hard for me to get a piece. They don't want to give it because they say they don't want to cut down the mangrove back there because they say it's a lot of problem. What they are trying to do is stopping it because you have the dredger is fulling up back there and they don't go to the village council to do it.
Alfonso Noble
Now as residents of the island look on as new territory is being carved out, they have become more aware than ever that there is no fairness in land distribution. They now wait, arms folded expecting, by right, to be included on the land deals.
Sharette Sedassy
It's unfair to we, the poor type of people that we can't get a piece of land or cut piece of mangrove because deh seh we can't cut no more mangroves. Well, I just wish I get a piece because I just, I don't know what more to do. There is nothing else to do than just wait.
Rudolph Bell
My hope is to get piece from them, man. Because I am a poor person, I live here. I pay my dues, my respect to everybody. Everybody, I have no problem with nobody out here, so I think it's my turn.
Alfonso Noble
While Bell waits for his turn, the dredge continues it's work, only pausing for a tv time out while our cameras cruised the island. It's about the only time that this dredge that has been operational for the past 4 weeks has been silent, and despite a stop order issued on July 29th of this year, that work that this dredge is carrying out continues. And now residents are waiting for government's response.
St. George's Caye sits some 9-miles off the coast of Belize City.