Earlier this week, we brought you coverage of the latest compliance hearing hosted by the Caribbean Court of Justice to hear from the Government of Belize and the Maya of Southern Belize. They were looking for updates on how far the two sides had progressed in implementing Maya Communal Land Rights.
If you ask the two sides, they'll freely concede that they have made some progress but that there are MANY more steps that must be taken to turn this principle of Maya Community Land rights into a recognized and respected system at the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Also, depending on who you ask, the other side is responsible for delaying the process. You've heard the Mayan side complain that the government regularly makes unilateral decisions that they don't support, for example, submitting a draft FPIC protocol which they did not sign off on.
Well, yesterday evening, Senior Counsel Andrew Marshalleck told us from his observation the claimants are quick to take an adversarial position on minor issues. He reasons that those "quibbling" over minor issues is causing delays in finalizing more critical agenda items on the implementation roadmap, which calls for crafting documents such as a Maya Land Policy.
Here's how he made that case to us via zoom yesterday:
Marshalleck is hoping that the claimants will keep in mind that the government has to tread carefully because the swathe of land that could end up being deemed as Maya Customary Lands could be as much as a million acres. He points out that the authorities and the Cabinet must carefully consider all consequences - intended or not - that could flow from the implementation if it is mishandled.
