Maya Leaders Meet New Indigenous Affairs Minister to Discuss Land Rights

Leaders and members of the Maya community engaged with the new Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Dr. Louis Zabaneh yesterday in southern Belize.  Spokesperson for the Toledo Alcalde Association (TAA), Cristina Coc, explained that this is the second meeting with the new minister.  She explained that the meetings have been focused on the roadmap of working together and fulfilling the consent order from the Caribbean Court of Justice regarding the Maya land rights.

Christina Coc, Toledo Alcaldes Association Spokesperson: “Certainly there is now, as the Minister clearly outlined, that there is an appetite for continued engagement, which we welcome wholeheartedly.  There is interest to really sit down and understand the auto-delimitation process that the Maya people have been engaged in. There is an invitation for us to meet with the subcommittee, this is the ministerial committee that is charged with responsibility to ensure the effective implementation of the CCJ consent order. These ministers, both Minister Zabaneh and of course, area representative and Minister Osmond Martinez, along with Minister Oscar Requena, all three ministers have been able to deliver already pass the first meeting, deliver already an invitation for us to engage directly with the subcommittee. We’ve not had this opportunity before now, and so this is really a positive step in the right direction. We are going to engage with the subcommittee to have them appreciate and understand the auto delimitation process that we’ve been engaged in to discuss our contentions with the formula that is being proposed by the government with respect to demarcation of our lands and territories. “

Love News understands that one of the next steps is for the stakeholders to meet with the Cabinet’s sub-committee which Coc says is a milestone for them.  Dr. Zabaneh expressed confidence in overcoming the obstacles with the support of his Cabinet colleagues in the south. 

Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Transportation, Indigenous, Constitution & Religious Affairs: “We met with the subcommittee of the cabinet and I gave them a report on the last meeting we had with them and now we were able to share with the community here that continuation with the subcommittee. Now we plan a presentation from the Maya community to the subcommittee that will occur next Monday and this is because we  want to ensure that that communication is clear and that we’re moving forward as best as we can, fulfilling the directives that we have under the  CCJ determination that occurred in 2015. I have the privilege now to work with my colleagues, the representatives in Toledo and the subcommittee of cabinet and we feel that we must move expeditiously so that we can  gain ground and make progress that is tangible and so that is what we’re doing right now. “

During his time in the south yesterday, Dr. Zabaneh also visited the terminals and transport offices in Punta Gorda, Dangriga and Independence.  He was accompanied by CEO Chester Williams and the Chief Transport Officer, Leon Gentle.