Another organization which is locked in a legal battle with Government, and who is also complaining about the ineffectiveness of court ordered mediation is The Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM).
As we've told you, neither the Government nor SATIIM and the Mayan Claimant communities from the buffer zone down south are particularly pleased with the outcome of the case as decided by Justice Michelle Arana. So, since July, both sides were supposed to have participated in court-ordered mediation. Once again, however, the Government attorneys applied for the court to dispense with the mediation. We understand that their position is that since the case will be heard at the Court of Appeal, there is no need for mediation.
After the session in Justice Arana's court, we spoke with the new Executive Director about today's outcome. Here's what she told us:
Froyla Tzalam, Executive Director - SATIIM
"What the session today was about was to deal with the application by the government of Belize and the various parties to dispense the mediation process that Justice Arana had ordered and so a date has been set previously but we were unable to make it, so we heard the session today. Essentially what I understood has happen was that mediation process is not mandatory, it's consensual - at any time. However, our lawyers argued that even though it is consensual it needs to be process, it needs to happen and so that was what that session was about today. I would believe that the court recognizing the lengthy time it's taking to answer those questions. That is why Madam Justice had ordered the mediation process. However, from what I am see and from what I heard, it is not going to happen and if as it says any of the parties may stop at any point, it begs the question will any resolution actually be affected by it."
Daniel Ortiz
"We've heard this issue of court ordered mediation not having any major effect or having the intended effect that the judiciary and judicial officers wanted. Is it your perspective that no one is taking it seriously and that's the reason why it's not moving forward?"
Froyla Tzalam, Executive Director - SATIIM
"Not all parties are taking it seriously, we certainly are taking a very serious lead. We see it as one step of resolving the disputes that we have. However, the fact that it is not mandatory I think underlies the key issue; can and should all parties be mandated to proceed with it?"
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