And, we turn now to a bit of political intrigue taking place in Patchakan, Corozal. That's the home village of Hugo Patt, the incumbent UDP area representative for the Corozal North electoral division. Patt is getting ready to defend his seat against the PUP Standard Bearer, David Castillo, who has now gone public to accuse him of taking advantage of several of his fellow Patchakan villagers.
PATT'S Ministry of Natural Resources is attempting to expand the village. The community has been growing for several decades, and now, there are villagers who are in need of land. So, the ministry officials identified a location near the village, which they thought is suitable for expansion purposes. The problem is that the proposed expansion area is made up of private properties, and one of the families that own several acres of that land in question doesn't want to sell. So, the Ministry is going through the process of compulsory acquisition of their parcels for a public purpose. We are told that this family is complaining that they are being unjustly deprived of their property, and Castillo is throwing his support behind them in this dispute.
Yesterday, at his party's big manifesto event, Castillo seized the opportunity to criticize his political opponent for the way this issue is being handled. Here are those comments:
David Castillo - PUP Standard Bearer, Corozal North
"It is very unfortunate what is happening in Patchakan Village. It is the first time in actual history. There is the encroachment of the lands department surveying into the Cus family which is about fifteen acres, and [an] additional twenty-eight acreage of land. These lands are cultivated with cane fields, and they are also property lands, but as we all know it is political season. It seems what is happening there is an act of desperation on the minister's behalf, Hugo Patt. He waited until the last minute in wanting to do a land expansion."
"He is breaking all the protocols. He is disregarding, for example, the first process of the village council, meeting with the villagers and to see whether there is a demand for land expansion. So, that stage was disregarded. Then apparently a document, a letter of mandatory land acquisition was prepared from July, but the family recently received it on the seventh of October, just three days' notice. It surprised the family because they did not know of it. The lands department has encroached and demarcate with pegs on the land, but the family did not sit to decide whether they are interested in selling the land. The family has decided that they will take legal action. They'll take legal recourse because it is an injustice. Why is it injustice is because the fifteen acreages of the land are for the mom of the family, of the sons. She is a widow. Her husband passed away a few years ago. This land is used for her livelihood. Whenever the can is being delivered to the factory, she receives revenue that she uses to live, to pay her expenses, and so forth - and also, for her medical expense because she is also ill. The minister has no regard for private property. He has no regard for this elderly lady. It is an injustice."
We spoke with Patt by telephone, and he told us that the Ministry's legal team approached these private owners, and nearly all of them agreed to sell their property to the government for a reasonable price. The only owners who refused were the Cu family members. He explained that they weren't inclined to sell and that their asking price for the purchase of the land was far too high for the Ministry's budget. So, the Ministry is in the process of acquiring it for a public purpose. He acknowledges that the dispute will become a legal battle, but from Patt's perspective, the Ministry is not committing an injustice, and neither are they breaking the law. He told us that the legal process for compulsory acquisition has already started.
