Last week, SATIIM the Sarstoon Temash Institute for ndigenous Management slammed the Department Of Environment for failing to push back a public consultation on the environmental Impact Assessment for US Capital Energy's Oil Exploration in the Sarstoon Temash National Park.
It's an expected but still compelling outcome because the Environment minister, Lisel Alamilla is from Toledo and comes form a conservationist background, where she was friendly with SATIIM. In fact, PACT recently awarded SATIIM a 93 thousand dollar grant.
But, the Kumbaya period, if ever there was one, is over - and now SATIIM is saying that Government has adopted a "fists clenched" approached to the indigenous people.
We asked Minister Alamilla, how did it come to this?:..
Jules Vasquez
"You are from that area, you have been involve at the other end and now you are on the receiving end of criticism. How did that come about?"
Hon. Lisel Alamilla
"It's just the reality of life here. Jules as I sit in this post I am learning more and more about the intricacies about how these things work and ideally I would have wanted to grant them more time. However we are obligated under the EIA regulations that we must facilitate the entire process within 60 days and from the beginning to now we are almost at the end of those 60 days. If not then we are open to a legal challenge from the company but also I think what is most important is that the consultation is not the end of it. The consultation is the process whereby people can go in and speak up, so to me the focus should be for the NGOs to be prepared to present what their concerns are; what are their concerns about the EIA?; What are their concerns about this development within the Sarstoon/Temash National Park?; How can we go about it with the least impacts instead of focusing on whether we can postponed it for one more month."
Jules Vasquez
"For about 3 or 4 days you are the minister with responsibility for Indigenous Affairs. The government moved away from that when that was criticized, but have you sort of drop the ball because you are the one who was supposed to assure for the government that this sort of explosive fallout did not happen and it has happen?"
Hon. Lisel Alamilla
"Jules, it wasn't even 4 days, it wasn't even gazetted, so the portfolio was never made legal. We had the notion and the same group that is now advocating for the rights of indigenous people are the same people that advocated against the establishment of that portfolio. That is a bit confusing, would that have been the best platform for you to be heard."
"We get very confusing or contradictory information. We understand in some instances that the indigenous people's representatives are not against oil exploration. All they want is assurance in how they would benefit economically and how their cultural and traditional practice would be preserved."
"Then in the next instance you hear that people are saying no to oil. What needs to be done is that we need to set up a framework, a mechanism in which to engage indigenous people and I don't think that that mechanism is there yet."
"If you live in the south you know for a fact that the groups themselves have issues within who is their leader and who they are representatives of and I think those are the things that need to be resolve within their group and not put all that responsibility within government."
The Consultation is set for Thursday evening at 5:00 in Sundaywood Village.
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