“We call on the leaders, we call on our area representative, we call on Minister Martinez, we call on Minister Requena, let us hear you on this.” That was Maya Leaders Alliance spokesperson Cristina Coc directly challenging Toledo East Area Representative Dr Osmond Martinez and Toledo West Area Representative Oscar Requena to publicly state their position on Maya land rights legislation.
Coc said legal teams and technical staff have dominated the conversation while elected officials remain silent. “We’re hearing the legal minds speak, but we’re not hearing the politicians. We’re not hearing the ones that actually write law,” she said.
Coc accused the government of acting in bad faith throughout the 30-year dispute and pointed to its refusal to support the Alliance’s CCJ application for clarification, which the court declined to engage on Thursday.
The Government of Belize has maintained that it is working to develop legislation to implement the CCJ consent order while balancing the interests of all stakeholders affected by Maya customary land rights.
