In other news, there are audible grumblings about private, individual land ownership issues versus communal land rights in the Toledo District.
As we told you back in April, the village of Big Falls, and in a letter dated April 21, 2021, the Alcalde, Eulalio Choko told the Minister of Indigenous Affairs,"…Big falls Village is not interested in holding their land based on customary land tenure."
Well, those same grumblings are being heard in other villages like San Marcos and now the very sizeable San Pedro Columbia. A meeting was held there on Sunday with like minded leaders and here's what they told one media representative about their preference fr private land tenure which they can take to the bank:
Hilberto Co, San Pedro Colombia
"We are not in support of this communal land tenure. I believe that Belize belongs to all Belizeans and secondly, my constitutional right, the constitution of my country Belize states: that every Belizean 18 years and above are entitled for a piece of this jewel and I believe that majority of San Pedro Colombia, they are in agreement, they want their land papers. We want to do a referendum here and that's the only we way we can hear from the people where they are - are they in favor of the communal land? or are they siding on the government. They didn't hold any referendum here so that they can have a clear picture, they are just holding us hostage. They put us in a bag and it is time for us to do something, to start something and here we are now, this is the beginning and we are going to fight until we get our land papers."
Eulalio Choco, Big Falls Village, 1st Alcalde
"My village is not in favor of living under that communal land tenure, because in my letter I stated that it does not help us in any way and then at the same time doing improvements at your home or whatever the cause may be, be education, one cannot access funds from the bank due to the fact that Big Falls name lies under the communal land tenure and now that I have took up the chairman and took up the initiative to collect some names by way of running a petition, like I said we have gotten about 65.2% of the population of Big Falls which is way above what we needed. Right now, we are in the process of sending it to the heads of department again just so to clarify what this person was saying that it was a one man show, when in fact it's a community effort of trying to get out of this MLA."
Edison Choco, Former Alcalde
"I looked at it and I thought about it good and I said I don't want to be under communal land, because I want a piece of land for my children, so that I can leave something behind whenever I am out of this world."
Marcus Choc, San Marcus Village
"In San Marcus Village they don't want to hear about communal land anymore. Yes, maybe they wanted before when it just started, but for so many years it started and nothing be done. Now, I want to borrow a little money to send my kids to further their education, I can't get no help, because I don't have land papers. I don't have any lease, they stop me to pay a lease and the people of San Marcus - that's why they gotten enough of this communal land - they want to get out of it. They want their national land, they want their paper for the land, they want their house lot - that is all they are begging us right now."
Manuel Chub, Chairman, San Marcus
"I find 90% of people they want a clearance especially we are Belizean; we are citizen of this country."
We'll keep following this story.
