A mini political showdown played out in Lake Independence today. IT happened in the community space behind the Charles Bartlett Hyde building. That's where a dispute about land ownership played out between competing political interests: PUP Sheriff Cordel Hyde and his UDP counterpart Mark King. The issue is a piece of land, block 45 of parcel 61. Hyde says he secured it for the PUP Lake Independence Action Committee in 2007, while King has title for the very same piece of land in the name of the GOB for UDP Lake Independence Committee. Two titles for the same piece of land - sounds shady, right? Well, Cordel Hyde says he got title first, he just can't find it. We visited the area today and found his camp holding their ground:..
Cordel Hyde, PUP Standard Bearer - Lake I
"We got word late last night that the area representative for Lake Independence was going to bring his people out here to break down this building. This building is owned by the Lake Independence Action Committee. They bought from the government in 2007 for $20,000. They sold a lot of barbeque and a lot of turkey dinner to pay for that. Late 2011 it was burnt down - 5 months before the elections. But you can't just go on someone's private property and invade their space and break down their building without at least having a discussion and saying what it is, is your intention. Even if you are the big bad government."
Hon. Mark King, Area Representative - Lake-I
"That area that we went to, to deal with this morning, contractors has said to us that we have a title for that land. They showed up with a paper from the Ministry of Finance and so, we ask our guys to please not to do anything until we verify who the land is for. Our plan for that area is to give back to the community. We want to resurface the entire football field. We want Lake I to have a community building whereby single parents can go and learn computer and whereby the students can use internet for free and we have a larger plan to put with the city council - a nice park in the back there. This is where a lot of community people congregate and so it came off political this morning, but at the end of the day if the building is theirs, we leave it alone and if it's not, then of course we proceed as planned."
Cordel Hyde, PUP Standard Bearer - Lake I
"We have a receipt of the $20,000.00 the committee paid to the government of Belize. We have the initial letter that the committee had written to then prime minister, to seek his approval for the purchase. His approval is there. We have a letter from the government of Belize - the Ministry of Finance, saying that you have to pay the money within a certain period of time. The committee did that. They got a receipt from the government. We can't locate the title at this present moment."
Hon. Mark King, Area Representative - Lake-I
"This land is particularly for the community of Lake I. Krem, Cordel and everybody else cannot continue to think that they can take away what is for Lake I. This land is for the community and I will seek my every interest to the last bit, if they don't have a title. Of course I have a title - to see whether or not we can give this land back to the community and put in the kind of centers and the kind of things that would help the single parents and the poorest of people in Lake I, so that we can move the community forward."
Cordel Hyde, PUP Standard Bearer - Lake I
"If you want to do something for a public purpose, whether it be to help single mothers, help students or whatever - we are not unreasonable people. We can't sit down and talk. I am not an animal. You could call me and say this is what you want to do. The committee will discuss and make a decision on the way forward. But its private property."
Jules Vasquez
"Would you engage them and say here is what we would like to do and would you be willing to handover ownership and control of this property so that we can proceed with it and not have a blighted spot in the middle of it?"
Hon. Mark King, Area Representative - Lake-I
"Well of course that is the idea. If the property is for them, we try to make some kind of arrangement. But then again, like I said, it would be up to them to somewhat give it up."
Jules Vasquez
"What will happen there? We see about 2 dozen of your supporters who have taken a stronghold in the building. We see the police here and the Area Representative Mr. King says that the work on the building will start on 10:30am - presumable the work to demolish the building."
Cordel Hyde, PUP Standard Bearer - Lake I
"King is a crazy man. Listen, there is a right and wrong is doing things. Our people are here to say that they have to follow the rules. We have to do things the right way. You can't come here to strong anybody things. You can't bully nobody like that."
Hon. Mark King, Area Representative - Lake-I
"At the end of the day, I've said this is not a fight for me, maybe it's a fight for them, they put up a little thing this morning, but I am in no battle mode here."
Jules Vasquez
"Your people will not be moved?"
Cordel Hyde, PUP Standard Bearer - Lake I
"Listen, you know it's not my nature to get into any confrontation. But we will not allow nobody to bully us. Nothing about that is right."
Hon. Mark King, Area Representative - Lake-I
"If it ought to be that the documents he had from financing has been verified to be that property, I guess we will see where we go from there legally. If this property is said to come out to be for the PUP, then we leave it alone and we continue to build around that. Because the rest of the property is for the community."
Hyde's camp proceeded to shutter the building with plywood after the King's demolition contractor left the area. This evening Hyde produced an authorization form the lands department dated June 2007. King still has his title dated October, 2014.
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