President is asking members to “step up the fight!”

The Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association, more popularly known as BGYEA, has been the single entity behind the push for the common Belizean man and woman to own a piece of land.

Their efforts have secured them over 1,000 acres at Mile 41 on the George Price Highway. Ironically, the area was named Harmonyville; however harmony with the Government of Belize has been a challenge to achieve in the case of BGYEA.

As a matter of fact, back in February of this year, the pressure group led a protest in Belmopan in which they called for GOB to permit the members of BGYEA to pay for their titles for parcels of land that they had claimed in the Harmonyville area.

Although that protest was fiery, the number of protestors on the ground were just a small percentage of the thousands of members that the BGYEA group had pledged that it would bring out. The movement had been relatively quiet since then.

That is until today, when its president Nigel Petillo made an appearance on the WUB Morning Show. He came out with what was seemingly a burst of energy combined with resolve to make the Harmonyville initiative work.

After the show, Amandala spoke with Petillo to find out what BGYEA has been up to. He told us that they had “taken a moment to strategize.” He complained that one of the main problems that they are having right now is that although they have been very diplomatic in trying to create a relationship with the government, it has been to no avail. Petillo stated that they are still trying to make Harmonyville a reality, but they continue to have problems getting their titles from the Lands Department.

He mentioned that when some of the members go to the department with their leases in their hands to make their annual tax payment, they are being told that their name does not exist in the files, yet they have a legitimate lease that indicates that they own the specific piece of land. He said that basically he believes that their efforts to make payment are being obstructed.

He affirmed that the aspiring residents of Harmonyville want to pay their taxes because they want the government to assist them to build roads and create drainage systems through the area. Therefore, he said, “I am asking the government to play their role because we are the ones who elected you.”

Mr. Petillo insisted that the members of BGYEA come together and work towards a change in their approach, since that is the only thing that will make a difference in how the Government of Belize has been treating them, because BGYEA wants to work side-by-side with GOB to make Harmonyville a success. He told us that he and some of BGYEA’s members had already begun to push some roads through the place because they want the government to see that they are serious about their plans. Petillo said that their vision is to show all Belizeans that they are able to live a self-sustainable lifestyle; and he wants the churches, the unions and the government to work along with them to make that happen because he wants everyone to see that Belizeans can be productive.

He then called on the members to “take up their responsibility and step up the fight”, so that they can get what they deserve. Petillo said, “The approach we’ll be taking now is to inform our members of what they are getting involved in; sometimes they need to stand up or come out in their rubber boots; or sometimes go against all odds to ensure that their needs are met. We are trying to make the general public understand that fights like these are absolutely necessary. I am not telling you to get a bat or a machete – not that kind of fight – but we have to put our heads together to make it work out.”

Petillo said that they will keep their members updated on their future plans.