And while the lawyers argued inside the courtroom - outside it was the people in the battlefield park across the street from the Supreme Court. One side had the political clout with village leaders while the other side – the emergent cacao growers had the economic clout. How did it play out? We were there to find out.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This morning in the Battlefield Park the Mayan flag was up, the copal – an incense for purification was burning and there was live marimba music. But the mood was far from festive as battle lines were drawn between the Mayans who support communal land - and what seems like the growing number of those who oppose it. The Concerned Advocacy Group bussed in about 250 Mayans to make known their opposition.
Reynaldo Ico, Concerned Advocacy Group
“We’re out here today to show there is another side to what is happening in Toledo.”
Armando Choco, Concerned Advocacy Group
“If we own our piece of land, we will ensure that is being taken care of, we will ensure that we are planting trees to feed the environment and to feed the urban communities, we will ensure that we plant our food in the ground,
we will ensure that we plant crops for our children and grand children and in doing so, it is nurturing the soil. If we hold it collectively no one will do that. Everyone will just depend on each other.
We don’t want to be in the backbench. We want to come forward. We want for our children to be reporters like you, we want our children to be lawyers, and communal land will not get that for them. They will have to fight their own. I am simply saying that we want our own. We cannot do it collectively.”
Matilda Cho, San Jose Village
“I don’t want communal land because in the future I have my big son and if we don’t have land, what are they going to do. I think it is better to have lease land so they could take very good care of it.”
Miguel Choco, San Pedro Columbia
“I choose then, me personally as one individual, and it is because some of us are moving into modern agriculture. Most people want to plant permanent fruit trees and some are even wiser and getting into agriculture.”
Reynaldo Ico,
“How those affidavits have been signed, there are times when the leaders
were in some way pressured or probably threatened to sign those affidavits.”
Former Chairman of the Toledo Alcalde Association Martin Chen is on the other side - in favour of communal land. They had greater numbers and a wider quest.
Martin Chen, Fmr. Chairman – Toledo Alcalde Assoc.
“We are fighting for our land rights and also that the government should respect that claim for our land rights.”
Keith Swift,
So you want communal land?
Martin Chen,
“Well yes the way we use the land, the way we occupying the land that is why we are asking the government.”
Keith Swift,
What do you make of the people over there who say they don’t want communal land?
Martin Chen,
“Well those people over there, I don’t think, they do not understand exactly what they want. They feel that having a piece of lease land, I know for a fact some of those guys over there have already sold a piece of land and now they want another piece and so the government should give them another piece. We are saying as leaders in the community no, that has to stop and that is why we are fighting for this communal right. But that doesn’t mean that each individual farmer will not have a piece of land. They will have the opportunity to own a piece of land.”
Estimates are that the Maya Leaders Alliance had a bigger showing than the cacao growers.
