May 3, 2021 Dolores Balderamos-Garcia The tour took Minister for Indigenous People’s Affairs Dolores Balderamos-Garcia and Minister of State Gilroy Usher Senior along with C.E.O. Tanya Santos-Neal and Commissioner of Indigenous People Gregory Ch’oc into communities in rural Toledo over the weekend. Their visit included a meeting with villagers as G.O.B. executes a consent order issued by the Caribbean Court of Justice in favour of communal land rights to the Maya people.
Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, Minister for Indigenous People’s Affairs “With the appointment of Greg and with our indication to the court that we are serious, I believe that we will begin to make progress. I can report, for example, that the community leaders of Midway Village and Barranco Village have already had an initial sit-down because you know that there is a boundary issue that has arisen there. I don’t want to say dispute – it is not as high as that – but there is an issue of boundary delimitation that has to be dealt with. And because of the ruling of the C.C.J., we have found ourselves having to balance competing interests. That’s the main remit of the ministry right now in relation to that case. That’s not to forget our Garifuna sisters and brothers.”