7 News Belize

MARK KING GIVES LAND...
posted (April 13, 2015)
The new Chetumal Street Bridge has been operational at the Western end of Belize City for four months now - and the squatters who had set up on what is now the road are now just a very faded memory from 2011.

But fast forward to 2015, and the hardscrabble "Gungulung" neighborhood that runs adjacent to the new bridge's southern approach is the scene of another squatting squabble. But, this time government is playing peacemaker not enforcer. 11 families along the river are squatting along a piece of the river bank which is private property.

The landowner has sent them an eviction notice - but they have nowhere to go. So, the issue has now fallen, inevitably, to the Area Representative Mark King. Today he called the media to UDP Headquarters in Belize City and told us that he had worked out a solution:..

Hon. Mark King, Area Representative - "Lake-I"
"What we are looking at is that they were given notice of the eviction by a law firm, I think Godfrey's Law Firm and I was notified like a week and a half ago by the persons being evicted. I took note that these persons were all Belizeans unlike the Emmanuel squatters whereby several of them or majority of them were not Belizeans. These persons were all Belizeans and the end of the day they live in the Lake-I Constituency. So I contacted the attorney and they were very lenient with me. They gave me weeks to sort out the situation. I think the offer made to them was a thousand dollars and one week to move. Yesterday I was contacted by the commissioner of lands and I was told that they have 11 parcels of land in the Cotton Tree area. I then contacted the persons and they all accepted except for one person. So, 10 out of the 11 accepted the land in the cotton tree area and then today at the Mahogany Street office, they'll be filling the application for lands at one o' clock. Those will be taken to the lands department for verification and processing tomorrow and by I'd say end of the week, a lease should be granted to them in Cotton Tree. I can tell you they are extremely happy. They are extremely thankful, they are Belizeans of course and they are extremely thankful that we can look out for them. At the end of the day, like I said, I don't want this to be the precedence set, that we are going to give illegal squatters land. They can still, if you are a Belizean and you live in Lake-I and you need a piece of land and you're squatting. There's a process of wither coming to my office or lands department so we can help you. it takes a while, so we need you to come in early and at the end of the day I want them to know that I went out of my way to try and get them that land."

Jules Vasquez
"But are these people UDP's or do you have the expectation that these people will vote for you?"

Hon. Mark King, Area Representative - "Lake-I"
"Well I have no expectation of anybody voting for me first of all, that's a different thing. That is controlled by strategy."

Jules Vasquez
"It's not an unfair expectation, man, I am getting you a land lease, I would want you to stay registered in Lake-I rather than register in Cayo South and second, it's not an unfair expectation to say it would be nice if you voted for me. I got you a land lease, you were squatting on private land."

Hon. Mark King, Area Representative - "Lake-I"
"First of all Jules, that's a good theory but things are only that in theory. I don't know that I can threaten or ask these people to vote for me or continue to vote for me. It is only expected that they may do so, but at the end of the day I am thinking that these people are in trouble right now, they have kids and at the end of the day they are Belizeans and we must have some kind of compassionate way to help them and that is what has been done here."

Jules Vasquez
"However, you would like to see them stay as registered Lake-I voters?"

Hon. Mark King, Area Representative - "Lake-I"
"I would like you to register in Lake-I."

And while King invited all eleven residents to his office this afternoon - the solution was not as clear cut as he may have made it seem. As with any land issue - there was a lot of confusion - and one man expressed displeasure with the arrangement:..

Area Resident
"Now they want to move us from here."

Jules Vasquez
"But you're on private property."

Area Resident
"Private property? Why didn't they stop us when we were chopping all those mangroves?"

Jules Vasquez
"So you've lived there from 2002 to 2015?"

Area Resident
"Yes sir, now we already chopped it out and started to plant, put some fruits..."

Jules Vasquez
"Sir but, Minister King says he found a land for you at Cotton Tree."

Area Resident
"I don't mind living in Cotton Tree, but we need the spot, because we have to work here in Belize."

And while he was displeased and outspoken, others we spoke to who lined up at the office told us they would be contented if they got help to move - while others had nothing to say and just wanted clarity on what the offer was. As King said, they should get their lease by Friday.

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