Some news on Belize (has anyone read this yet)?
POPULATION-BELIZE: WHAT IS DEVELOPMENT ANYWAY?
BELMOPAN, (July 14) IPS - The government and some sections of the
indigenous community in Belize are having a difference of opinion
over the meaning of the term "development" these days.
For the government, it apparently means modernization -- building
roads and making health and other social services more accessible
for instance -- but for some members of the Mayan community, it
means preserving their ancestral land and keeping it safe from
invaders.
It also means continuing to cultivate the land and preserving its
natural beauty.
So the government's ambitious plan to link one Mayan community in
the interior called Toledo to the rest of the country by putting
in place a major highway is not very popular with some members of
the group.
"When the highway is fully completed, foreigners will want to come
in and buy up all the land," said Pio Coc, coordinator of the
Toledo Maya Cultural Council (TMCC), a group that is championing
the cause of the Mayans in Belize.
The district of Toledo consists of some 445,000 hectares of land,
and while government is assuring the population (numbering 20,000)
that the paving of the highway will not bring about any major
disruption to the life of the Mayans, they are not convinced.
"The reservation land will not be increased or decreased. This
assurance was given to the Mayans by Prime Minister (Manuel)
Esquivel," said Lindsay Belisle, Permanent Secretary at the
Ministry of Natural Resources.
The project, which is being funded by the British government to
the tune of $12.75 million, is referred to as the Southern Highway
Project.
"The current isolation of much of the population of Belize prevents
people from gaining access to basic services such as schools and
health care. This project aims to help remedy that," said Britain's
Secretary for International Development, Clare Short.
The highway would link an area which is often referred to as the
"forgotten district" to the rest of the city. It is located in the
deep south of the country, in the general area of Punta Gorda with
roads that are often referred to as being similar to a journey
through the desert.
Punta Gorda, a two-hour boat ride from neighboring Guatemala, is
home for Mayans, East Indians, Garifuna and Creole.
According to a 1980 census, Amer-Indians account for seven percent
of Belize's population of 230,000; Creoles -- of mainly African
descent-- comprise 40 percent, Garifuna or Black Caribs who are of
mixed Amer-Indian and African blood, for eight percent and Mestizos
-- of mixed Mayan and European descent, for 33 percent.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Development, Yvonne Young
said the government feels that by building this highway, the
standard of living of these indigenous people would be greatly
improved.
For instance, they would be able to transport their agricultural
produce to markets in Belize City much more easily.
It would also mean greater access to schools and health facilities
in the city and would no doubt have a positive impact on the
tourism industry.
In the 1980s Belize attempted to develop its tourism industry based
on Mayan heritage, appealing mainly to the U.S. market.
Belize also developed an eco-tourism industry based on its natural
environment, particularly the rain forests and barrier reef known
to be the second largest in the world.
A major hotel construction program began in 1990, but it was not
as successful as was hoped. This was attributed to the recession
in the United States.
In the latter part of 1992, the industry began to show some
improvement in the number of visitor arrivals totalling just under
248,000, and the tourism industry contributed 16.8 percent to the
country's Gross Domestic Product.
The government wants this trend to continue.
However, the Mayans are still suspicious of this latest project.
For some it brings back memories of two years ago when the
government granted a 20-year logging license to a local company,
Atlantic Industries -- backed by Malaysian companies to cut down
trees in their communities.
Coc says it is still fresh in the minds of the Mayans how they were
not even allowed access to those areas once the logging had
started.
There are some who feel that this could take place all over again -
- all in the name of development -- and they feel the need to guard
against this trend.
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