Shyne Barrow, the UDP Standard Bearer for the Mesopotamia division, has successfully lobbied the Ministry of Natural Resources to provide land to 135 of his constituents from that neighborhood.
And, although the land distribution program is being announced a few months before the next general elections, Barrow says that this is not electioneering, but the result of 2 years of advocacy at the Lands Department.
This morning, Natural Resources Minister Hugo Patt, and the Lands Commissioner, Wilbert Vallejos, attended a Mesopotamia Land Distribution ceremony, in the heart of the division, to personally hand over documents to the 135 beneficiaries of the program.
During their remarks Barrow and the Lands Minister stressed to the recipients they need to make the most of this opportunity:
Shyne Barrow - UDP Standard Bearer, Mesopotamia
"This is such a joyous occasion. I have worked so hard to get to this point, but certainly [it] would certainly not have been without the Minister of Lands, the Deputy Prime Minister, Hugo Patt, the Commissioner of Lands, PH.D. Vallejos, Ivan Leiva as well, the entire lands executive, who I have tormented for the last 2 years. I go up there at least once a week."
Wilbert Vallejos - Lands Commissioner
"Mr. Barrow is right. He has been in the Lands Department for so many days, sometimes getting on my nerves, if I can call it that, because truthfully, he didn't quite understand how this thing works. I'm sure he does now. He thought that he visits the Lands Department, and says I need 100+ lots, and by magic, I pull out a drawer, take them out, and I give it to him. That's not how it works."
Shyne Barrow
"I don't want people to ever believe that - I heard people saying that this is some type of election stunt. This is some type of political stunt, but I'm up by 1500 votes in Mesop. We win this division by 1,500."
"Even though I'm the new candidate, and I'm not the lion, Michael Finnegan, we're still up. So, I don't have to give anybody a piece of land to vote for me."
"I'm just doing what I am supposed to do. It's not a thing where I don't already have their favor."
Hon. Hugo Patt - Minister of Natural Resources
"I told the Commissioner, as I told Mr. Barrow, that every commitment that we make is a commitment that we have to honor. We made a commitment with the people from Mesopotamia, and so today, we are here fulfilling that commitment."
"For those of you who will be recipients of these land documents, and the lands that you will soon own, I want you to have that in mind - that there are thousands of Belizeans who are actually waiting, like you did, for some time now."
"Consider the fact that it was not an easy task identifying the parcels of land that you now will be getting. Consider the fact that we had to make sure that resources were there, for this to be possible. At the point of time that you pay for this parcel of land, the land is actually yours."
"We cannot stop you from selling those parcels of land that you get, but I am sure that this morning, we have parents here, and we have our youths who are soon to become heads of families. Before even considering selling that land, if that is the case, think of them. Think of the children that you now have. Think of the children that you will have."
All 135 beneficiaries are being given a direct option to purchase their parcel of government land, located in Sand Hill, for $500.
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