Since March, we've done multiple interviews with the leaders of the Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association - the group that put together the Harmonyville community.
One of the organizing principles of the initiative has been that the Harmonyville properties must be for first time landowners. In fact, the central idea that motivated the occupation and subsequent acquisition of the area at mile 41 on the Western Highway is to give equal, unmitigated access to grassroots Belizeans who - the founders argued - have been systematically excluded from the land distribution system.
It is an appealing argument - and to a large extent, it's true. Accordingly, the effort won genuine support from a broad cross section of the community - even those who hadn't signed up for their piece of the 1,500 acre plot.
In mid-June, the list of the 800 persons who had qualified to get one acre was finalized - and at the time the main mover Nigel Petillo underscored the principle that preference was given based on first time land ownership. Here's a clip of that interview Petillo gave us on June 15th:
Jules Vasquez
"So how did you select which 800 persons would be eligible?"
Nigel Petillo
"Starting from number one Jules, we notice let's say the first name is Juan Carlos, we check Juan Carlos name with the Government system information that was made possible to us to see if Juan Carlos have other land in his name because we are trying to make sure that these land goes to first time land owners. So when we saw that Juan Carlos have a land already we put him off on the side for now to make way for a new land owner, somebody that can build a house, a family."
Jules Vasquez
"So these 800 are first time land owners?"
But it turns out, not all of them are. In fact about 10% are not first time landowners. The quite stunning admission came this morning from Petillo himself when he called in to Fus Ting Da Mawnin on Wave Radio. Petillo called in to respond to an earlier caller who said that some of those who have been issued lands are not first time land owners. In his call, Petillo confirmed that, yes, between 70 and 80 people on the list already owned land. But he explained that there was no other choice because those persons put in work, spent money and invested in the development of the land. Petillo said it was a hard decision but one they had to make. And to cap it off the revelation, Petillo added that even he had a piece of land in Belmopan, but it is leased land which he got a couple months ago and it is for a piece of swamp.
We tried to reach Petillo for comment today and he said he would stop by on his way form Corozal, but he never made it.
The names of those persons who have been approved for a piece of land at Harmonyville is posted on the group's Facebook site and you can find a link to that at 7newsbelize.com.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bgyea-Harmonyville/100001201775157#!/notes/bgyea-harmonyville/names-of-people-who-were-approved-by-the-miistry-of-lands-to-receive-land-an-acr/132161100141240
We have received a list showing that 76 of the persons who received lands are not first time land owners. Additionally the list claims that 19 of them are Petillo's relatives, either directly or by marriage.
Notably, it is sorted by first and not last names.
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