The Maya Land Rights Commission - which is the body set up by government to implement the decision of the CCJ - has been much in the news - usually on the receiving end of attacks from the Maya Leaders Alliance and the Toledo Alcaldes Association. Those groups say the Commission simply isn't doing its work - that they're not working seriously ti implement the decision and give real meaning to customary land rights tenure.
Well, today the Commission Chairman engaged us to prove otherwise. Lisel Alamilla was in an intensive session with international consultants to discuss the first draft of a customary land tenure policy. She explained:...
Lisel Alamilla
"Yesterday and today we have been meeting with the consultants in regards to the drafting of a Maya customary land tenure policy. So yesterday the consultant had meetings with some stakeholders and todays it's with the commission members of the commission. Basically, what we are doing is saying looking at the consent order and bringing it down to the level of how we are going to apply that in Belize. What does it look like? What should it include? What are some definitions that we have to include? It's really taking Maya customary land tenure and putting down all that has been said, all that exists, all the stuff that has been in the courts and looking at it and bringing some structure, because really the way we develop laws in Belize traditionally is you really sit down and you develop a policy document. Because that gives you an opportunity to really think things through, really what you want the law to say and you discuss it and then it would go to the ministry that is in charge. For example in the case of the commission, it would go to the attorney general's ministry. He would review it and then they would determine if it's ready to go to cabinet."
She said they should have something substantial to share in one or two months.
Of course, the leadership of the indigenous groups reject this entire approach - and Alamilla said there is more than one way of doing things.
Lisel Alamilla
"They have argued that a policy is not necessary. I've spoken to other people and it's a matter of sequence of how you want to go about it. The way we are going about it is not necessarily wrong, but they don't agree that that is the way to go. They want to start with demarcation of villages. We are saying before you start go into the villages we have to agree on certain things. The last communication from them is that yes we want to participate in the development of this policy. We had invited them. The consultant had met with them twice. It wasn't very fruitful and so we decided that we will proceed and when we have something substantial then we are going to give it to them and then we are going to start with it, because I just feel that we are all arguing. We want to get to the same place. It's a matter of how you are going to get there."
We'll keep following the process.
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