"Balkanization" - the word may sound foreign - and indeed it is; it comes from the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. That area was divvied up into different territories in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
And, since then, the term has passed into common usage. It means to divide a region or body into smaller mutually hostile states or groups.
And that's what successive PUP governments have accused the Maya of Southern Belize of trying to do with their claim for customary land rights.
But, is that really the case - or is it simply language meant to inflame national hostility against their cause. Daniel Ortiz dig deep for answers:
The push for Community Land Rights has often been characterized as an attempt by Belize's Mayas to gain control of all the land in Toledo. Early arguments suggested that it would lead to "balkanization", where the 6th District of Belize is going to break away as some new, sovereign territory that does not have to respect the laws of Belize or the Government's authority that comes from those laws.
It an idea started to take shape that from as far back as 2003.
File: December, 2003
Hon. Said Musa- Former Prime Minister (December 2003)
"I must state this very categorically as Prime Minister of Belize, that I will not preside over the balkanization of Belize. I will not create a homeland just for Maya, or a homeland just for Garifuna, or a homeland just for Creole. All of Belize belongs to all Belizeans. That is the number one and the first principle."
File: June, 2005
Hon. John Briceno - Minister of Natural Resources (June 2005)
"We have to recognize those rights, but it does not have to be at the expense of the balkanization of this country. We have one country. We have one Belize, and we are all Belizeans."
File: November, 2020
Hon. Dolores Balderamos-Garcia - Minister of Human Development, Families, and Indigenous People's Affairs
"There must be no balkanization of Belize."
Recently, Prime Minister John Briceno reiterated and amplified those views.
Hon. John Briceno - Prime Minister (February 2022)
"I think they will not be happy until we give them the Toledo district and that's never going to happen under a PUP government... Toledo is a part of this country and as a government, we have a responsibility to the people of Toledo."
Cristina Coc - Spokesperson, MLA/TAA (UNCUT: February 23, 2022)
"It is very divisive for the leader of our country to say that the Maya people are claiming all of Toledo. Toledo is a very big place. It would anger anybody in PG, but we're not claiming PG. So, that is a mischaracterization. What you are claiming within the Toledo District are the 41 Maya villages that are currently being used and occupied by Maya people in those villages. It is a very divisive thing. It is a part of the divide and conquer [tactic]."
According to the spokespersons, the Maya respect Belizean law. It is the state that has not treated them fairly, simply because they don't have a freehold title document that says that their village is their permanent home.
Dr. Filiberto Penados - Maya Scholar (February 14, 2022)
"If you think about indigenous struggles, it's not an offense. It is usually said, what do the indigenous people want? It's like an offensive, like when you're playing a game. Really, it's a defense. If you're losing your land, you're losing the possibility of being yourself, defining your future, and constructing an alternative future. So, often, they say, you know, indigenous people want to create a state within a state, and why do they want more? It's not about wanting more. It's kinda the wrong question because you're asking what do they want. But no, it's what other people want from them."
Cristina Coc (February 23, 2022)
"We had an insecure tenure, right. We were seen as squatters on that land. We were not seen as property-holders."
According to Senior Counsel Godfrey Smith, who was once a Minister of the Government of Belize and Caribbean Appeal Court judge, an important element of the mischaracterization might be a less than full understanding of the 2015 Consent Order from the Caribbean Court of Justice, and the wider implications.
Godfrey Smith, SC - Attorney (February 14, 2022)
"Aha! But, see, they use the word 'consultation'. They didn't say consent. Okay, so, understand this, you have to move to the next slide, which is - the consent order continues."
"The government shall cease and abstain any acts that adversely affect the value, use, [and] enjoyment of the land, unless, such acts are preceded by consultation with them, in order to obtain their informed consent."
"Why is this thing being frustrated? In my view, [it's] because politicians from both political parties - it's difficult for people who are accustomed to exercising the power to distribute land, and get patronage and power from that, to recognize, we can't do that anymore. That's a big deal."
"Some politicians are looking for a way around the judgment. What if we do this or do that? In my view, it can't be done."
But, there is an important elephant in the room, though, which could also fuel that "all of Toledo" generalization. The total sum of Maya Community land isn't some small or insignificant portion of the district. There are many, many acres being claimed.
Cristina Coc (February 18, 2022)
"You ask about the size. How big is it? I'm afraid to answer that because when we answer that, the politicians become uneasy when we say it. There is approximately - there is a rough estimate of almost 1 million acres of land that is under customary land use right now. That encompasses all 41 Maya communities. Now one might think, that is a lot of lands. Why do they want all of that land? If you divide that land by the over 25 thousand Maya people who reside here in Southern Belize, you'll realize that it comes out to about 40 acres per person. And that is not counting the children yet. That is just counting the adult population."
That episode of Uncut repeats on Sunday morning on Channel 7.
