BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – The Belize government is reaffirming its commitment to full compliance with the Consent Order of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and the implementation of a Maya Land Policy.
In a statement, the government reiterated the commitment in “light of recent public statements” following a comment made by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment, Michael Espat, late last month.
It said that the Maya Land policy “not only affords protection to the rights of the Maya people recognized by our courts but “also addresses the concerns of other Belizeans which underpin the comments of Honourable Michael Espat.”
The Maya Leaders Alliance (MLA) said Expat’s statements regarding the appointment of the Commissioner of Indigenous People’s Affairs were “nothing short of racist,” and the Belize Progressive Party (BPP) has also condemned what it termed the derogatory remarks.
In its statement, the government said, “finding an appropriate balance requires considerable deliberations both by expert consultants and the Cabinet sub-committee engaged in the process,” the report said, adding that the government “does not agree with the characterizations sought to be attributed to Minister Expat’s comments but understands that political and other agendas drive them.
“Likewise, the government of Belize publicly condemns any racist language and fear-mongering in dealing with the Maya land rights by any person or group and views such activity as detrimental to the ongoing process.
“The government calls on the various Maya leader organizations to refrain from alarmist pronouncements that could harm this complex process.”
It said that a draft Maya Land policy is at an advanced stage, and the government expects to release it shortly.
“The object of the policy is to provide a framework for the development and implementation of affirmative measures to be taken by the government of Belize to implement the Consent Order as informed by historical court proceedings in Belize, international human rights standards, and international jurisprudence as well as by existing national policies.”
The government said that the policy would be subjected to complete consultation with the Maya people, their representatives, and the public before it is adopted so that all stakeholders would have the full opportunity to contribute.
“The formulation of the policy is indeed the next step in compliance with the Consent Order of the Caribbean Court of Justice,” it added.
On April 22, 2015, the CCJ issued the Consent Order confirming that Maya’s customary land tenure rights fall within the ambit of the Constitution of Belize and are protected by the Constitution.
The Trinidad-based CCJ, which is the country’s highest court, also ruled that the Belize government had contravened the constitutional guarantee of the appellants to the protection of the law and that Section 20 of the Constitution of Belize grants to the courts the power and discretion to effective fashion remedies, including monetary awards, to secure the enforcement of rights protected by the Constitution.
It said under Section 20 of the Constitution. The Belize government shall establish a fund of
BZ$300,000 (One Belize dollar=US$0.49 cents) as a first step towards compliance with its undertaking under the Consent Order to protect Maya customary land tenure.
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