7 News Belize

Coalition Explains the Ya'axche Situation
posted (December 8, 2011)
And while the triggering of the referendum, should have been a moment of singular triumph for the Coalition - the shine was taken off their accomplishment last night when Lilsel Alamilla, the executive director of the Ya'axche Conservation Trust, publicly questioned the strategic value of a referendum - and explained why her organization had resigned from the Coalition.

Well, her savage review was much on the minds of the Coalition leadership today - and they dealt with her involvement in the coalition at some length - starting off with a correction to what we reported. Here's Tanya Williams Thompson:

Tanya Williams Thompson, Coordinator, Coalition
"First of all the Belize Coalition to save our Natural Heritage has not triggered a referendum regarding terrestrial protected areas, it's solely on the offshore. The news broadcast said it was on the offshore and terrestrial protected areas, so that's a correction that is being made. Secondly and it speaks very specific to the organization which made the statements, the coalition reached out to that organization it has never formally made its position to the coalition. It withdrew from the coalition stating that it would voice its position under APAMO. APAMO remains a member of the coalition, so that organization has had all the opportunity to voice its position."

"We at the coalition, we are a democratic organization, very diverse organization and we may not always agree, there will be decent and that's acceptable. However, I think if you have slightest important that first of all you inform your colleagues that you're going to the public, because you're working with counterparts and secondly that your very honest and accurate in the information that you present to the public and the media."

Geovanni Brackett, COLA
"The coalition from the very beginning is a democratic organization, on like what has been reported, we didn't get rail-roaded, we are a diverse coalition made up of several different organization whether it was you burn tire type of organization, whether it was writing letters to try to negotiate, whether it was through ads. But we had our own dynamics. We can't run from it, that's how a coalition is we are diverse, but we all understood that we are there for one purpose, one goal and that was to ban oil exploration offshore and yes in protected areas as credible wise we have not had any professional communication with Lilsel Alamilla, Ya'axche."

Later on, Matura- Shepherd characterized Alamilla as an "attack-dog" and implied she was being set up by government to try to undermine the referendum process.

As for the terrestrial protected areas, which are not part of the referendum question, the Coalition says it will continue to strongly advocate for a ban on oil exploration in those areas and to educate the public on this issue.

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