Last night we told you about the major development in the ongoing public issue of the land at mile 41 on the Western Highway. As we have reported government has agreed to acquire and subdivide 1,300 acres of the land from the owner, a Taiwanese businessman who has not been paying his property tax. But a grassroots organization led by Nigel Petillo has its own highly publicized designs on the land. They first drew public attention to the areas, and then, instead of waiting around to see who will be chosen by the lands department, Petillo tipped the scales of power and invited any Belizean to sign up for their piece – thereby leveraging a popular groundswell against the supreme authority of the Lands Department.
And, as we reported last night, Petillo’s gamble paid off –Prime Minister Dean Barrow met with him yesterday agreed to let his movement take the lead on the project – which basically means that land titles will be granted to those recommended by Petillo. That was confirmed to us today by the Prime Minister. It’s an unprecedented concession to a grassroots organization, and today Petillo and his executive panel stopped by our studio to discuss the accomplishment and the dicier issue of who will get an acre of property in the place called Harmony-ville.
Nigel Petillo, Coordinator
“We have met with the Prime Minister, we have met with the Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Gaspar Vega and we have spoke about plans to move together as a people and as a government. The Prime Minister assured us that he certainly has heard the cry of the people and he respects the cry of the people and the gathering of the people and he is prepared to work with us and allow the smooth transition of the process that has belong there at mile 41 meaning the distribution and the list that has been there already, who have exercised interest in the land, who have invested in the land, the first comers. The Prime Minister has assured us he will allow that to take place. We are grateful for his blessings and his coming in and playing a role and ensuring that the have nots get a piece of this jewel.”
Jules Vasquez,
“So it will be your list that you all have amassed which will form the list of landholders, titleholders for this tract of land?”
Nigel Petillo,
“Yes basically, it is the list of people, the members of the movement. This means 800 people so far off the list will be allocated and placed in a one acre plot of land. One acre because we will be doing an agriculture based community where you can in a sense sustain yourself, agriculture, little small crops and so forth.”
Jules Vasquez,
“You have 2,511 members and only 800 people will get land. It sounds like
you have 1700 broken hearts.”
Nigel Petillo,
“It sounds like we have 1700 people who are next in line, who are waiting for their land. It means 1700 other people will have to open their hearts and understand that the other brother next to you is in more need. If you already have a land in your name then we are saying that Harmony-ville is for those who have not, those who have no land. We want to prioritize that and make sure that you who have four or five land, in fact if you have one land already hold on, make the others in this country who haven’t gotten a piece to get a piece.
This movement is not about being greedy. This is a righteous move, this is a move for the have nots, the people you always see in the community working hard and nuh have nothing – this is how we feel about it: those people deserve a break in life. This is for them.”
Jules Vasquez,
“At the end of the day who will make the review, who will have the oversight because the minute they start hearing anything good about a politician they start to suspect that compromise and halfway instead of full way. Are you still in charge of this process, is your group still in charge of this process?”
Nigel Petillo,
“Well it was our initiative to go out there and stand up boldly and invite people to show interest in a piece of land that they are interested in.”
Man #2,
“It is all about the need to educate each other and take care of each other. That is the country I believe can move forward, less selfishness and more awareness of our fellow brothers and sisters.”
Jules Vasquez,
“The land distribution system as it works, the authority decides who will get land. In this case you all have done something revolutionary in that you all have decided who will get land.”
Nigel Petillo,
“You see that’s where your leaders play their role, good leaders, leaders with understanding, leaders who care for their people. It is not about putting power in anyone’s hands or trying to make us Ministers of land. We respect every single Minister and their role they play but we are grateful for this opportunity because of the strength displayed by us.”
Jules Vasquez,
“Once people start hearing you agree with politicians, it is just our nature that we start saying, he sold out. People will say that and it is real. What is your response?”
Nigel Petillo,
“You need to understand that by government acquiring 1300 acres that means that government will be able to facilitate us with titles for those land. This is not about trying to disrespect the government and this is not about being sold out. At the end of the day none of us here have been personally benefiting from government in any sort. We have all been law abiding citizens whether or not unu respect our appearance, however, we are hard working citizens of this community who have realized that to a certain extent we are not getting the
best of the system and by coming together we did this. I don’t have nothing to beg the Prime Minister for, I am not even the ask that they spend in Harmony-ville. We will do this ourselves.
We can assure you, I mean we are not here to vote, or to make money, this is nothing like that. I am not expecting nothing back from no one, none of us. We are just doing for who need it. And we know who needs it, who feels it knows it so it won’t be hard for us to identify who need. We will get the information from Natural Resources, we will research and make sure first time landowners get land at this place.”
Jules Vasquez,
“How will the issue of placement will be dealt with because we know that everybody in general likes to be by the highway and like to have the best soil etc. etc.?”
Cadet Henderson Jr., Organizer
“Well we are thinking about putting residential lots in the front and agriculture areas in the back and commercial areas also and we don’t want people too far in the back that they can’t access light, water etc. so we want them upfront as well so everybody will be upfront basically, nobody won’t be getting any part of the land that’s more better than the other.”
Jules Vasquez,
“When I went out there with you all I saw an immigrant, he may be a naturalized Belizean, but he seemed to have been an immigrant but there is a home there that has a pasture and it has good number acres and it seems to be over 5 acres, might be as much as 10 acres, and he’s right at the front. How will that square against Belizeans who will have one acre?”
Nigel Petillo,
“Well I strongly believe that Belizeans are entitled to a piece of land before any other nationality. Our push in dealing with this is we are going to find out if the person who is there is a Belizean. If he is a Belizean then he is entitled to a piece of land there. The next issue is the size of the land he has been working. If that farm or that ten acre that you see that one man farming, he should be grateful to be able to get an acre with a paper which says it is his.”
Petillo also asked us to advise the 2500 members of the movement that the meeting scheduled for Sunday April 11 has been moved to April 18th. He says they will use the extra week to clean up the list – that is parse out first time landowners – and they will then announce the selected persons at the meeting of Sunday, April 18th. And further to our conversation with the Prime Minister, he said that indeed the Ministry of Natural Resources will work in consultation with Petillo’s group and take into account their recommendations.
