And moving down south, yesterday you heard the media ask Stann Creek West area rep, Rodwell Ferguson, about allegations of land grabbing in the Stann Creek Valley. The reports were that his own family members were a part of the scheme, but he insisted that the claims were politically motivated, and were false.
Well, today, some of the farmers making the claims travelled to Belmopan to hold a press conference. One of the farmers, Aldon Tasher, explained that he and other members of the community applied for plots of land and were only awaiting the lease. In the meantime, they have been farming and he has gotten permission from the Ministry of Infrastructure to build a road so that the farmers can access their lands easier.
However, he told the media that since 2021, Ferguson's relatives have personally gone to his farm to tell him that they will have him relocated, and that the area rep will decide who gets the land. He also claims that they have accused him of illegal logging, for using the logs he has gathered while building the road. In one instance, while his son was hauling logs across a hill, he was allegedly threatened with a firearm and detained.
This morning, his son recounted the incident during the conference:
Aldon Tasher Jr., Farmer
"I think about the third time he went again and we were hauling the same log across the hill to put them in the stockpile so now this black vehicle come and at the same time my brother came to drop food for me. I greeted them the time of the say and they be like, yeah, you just get effed. I didn't like that so I just jump out of the vehicle and I tell the man what is the problem? The man said you see the big boss here, and I said who is the big boss? The man say (NAME OMITTED), he's the one who own the land."
"When I jumped back in my truck (NAME OMITTED) come after me with the same gun, the pump 12 and took me out of my truck, and when he took me out, I jump out and he jump in, shove it in gear, and look fi take off, well he take off little bit, put it in neutral, haul the park brakes and told me, better you take this truck, and bring violent talking and all kinda thing to me that I didn't like."
"The rest of police come, they lock me up, I didn't eat the same food my brother brought of me, lock me up, I was in piss house hungry, things I didn't like, and Monday morning they took us and when they took us out we went back to see the logs they were stomping and thing and I went to check my truck, batteries gone missing, lights, pigtail wires, all kind of things were missing from the truck."
Reporter:
"Why would Minister Ferguson yesterday tell the press that this is fully political matter, that this is motivated by politics and perhaps even more so by those on his opposition?"
Interviewee
"Sir, you are dealing with a person who is an experienced politician. This has nothing to do with politics, I am not here as a politician, I am here as a citizen of Belize."
Tasher Sr also makes very serious claims against Ferguson's relatives.
We reached out to Ferguson's nephew, Police Sergeant Aaron Ferguson, who said that any allegation made against him is false.
