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MUCH ADO ABOUT FALSE CAYE

InternationalMUCH ADO ABOUT FALSE CAYE
I find it amusing that the PENINSULA CITIZENS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT are crying out “foul” by claiming that there were racial overtones in the public hearing held in the village of Seine Bight some weeks ago relative to the proposed False Caye development. A recent “Reporter” headline also indicates that serious tensions exist amongst the residents of the village.
 
Development is inevitable. The trick for both the government and developer/investor is to create mechanisms to ensure that the positives of a project outweigh the negatives and that the greatest number of people living in the respective communities visibly benefit from such development.
 
The Peninsula Citizens For Sustainable Development (PCSD) are mostly made of fairly wealthy and retired gringos and gringas, who basically do not need jobs since they generally do have sustainable incomes through some form of retirement or social security programs from their countries of origin, unlike a large proportion of the Belizean population, particularly our black youths across the nation. It would seem that those expatriates (majority from the United States) who have existing businesses here on the Peninsula are afraid of the competition that the False Caye proposed development will clearly provide if/when the project becomes a reality. Consequently they are using scare tactics by emphasizing the perceived negative impact of the False Caye proposed development, ostensibly concerned about the degradation and destruction of the Placencia Peninsula’s environment.
 
Historically the people of Point Placencia, who are generally of “light skin,” have always looked down on the residents of Seine Bight as inferiors – lazy, dumb, thieves and drunks – indeed for a great number of years there were no black people living in Point Placencia until recent years. Ask any black Belizean who has ever been to Point Placencia, indeed ask any Seine Bight resident. Although the early Placencia residents were tolerant of the people of Seine Bight, they treated them with contempt with the clear understanding from both sides that, you are black and we are white. The truth, folks, is that racial schism is a fact of life on the Placencia Peninsula ever since Point Placencia came into existence. It is so today, it was so yesterday, it will always be so, as long as one group of people, in this case the people of Placencia, believe that they are superior to those of Seine Bight simply because the people of Seine Bight are black. This has been the case between the residents of Placencia and the people of Seine Bight “from anthem,” as our elders would say. And we do not forget. This black/white thing has in recent years has been further bolstered by the increased presence and control of North American expatriates on the Placencia Peninsula.
 
Of course the black/white thing is not as obvious as it was in the early days of Point Placencia. The reality is, though, it exists. Racism is a fact of life on the Peninsula, subtle but it does exist. Circumstances often force it to rear its ugly head from time to time. This is true in the recent EIA consultation in Seine Bight some time ago.
 
Any black Belizean can attest to the existence of racism across the country. It isn’t any new phenomenon. Have you been to a local bank lately? The front desk of any large business entity or government Ministry in Belize? In fact, look at the recent Cuban scholarship selection.
 
If the youth of Seine Bight were vocal about the white/black thing at the hearing, kudos to them. It simply indicates that they have recognized that despite everything else i.e. modernization, the fine trappings of foreign investments, the ongoing attempt of expatriates to pretend to be one of us – walking the walk, talking the talk; the truth is that Seine Bight is considered a black community. This is despite the fact that it now boasts of a healthy mix of Hispanics, Creole, and Chinese et al. Indeed the Garifuna language is spoken now only by people in their mid 30’s and older. The “Creole” is the language of choice by the youth and the mainstream inhabitants of the village and indeed all of Belize.
 
Point Placencia has had its share of tourism development and continues to do so. It is in fact the hub of 90% of tourism activities on the Peninsula, and at no time in the history of the tourism development of Point Placencia have the citizens of Seine Bight complained about any development which takes place and continues to take place on the Point.
 
However, when a proposed development, i.e. False Caye, located next door to Seine Bight is introduced, the PCSD, born in Point Placencia, is up in arms to stop the development. They completely ignore the potential direct benefits to the residents of the village. It is abundantly clear that the people of Seine Bight, led by their elected chairman, are of the opinion, rightly or wrongly, that the proposed development on False Caye will benefit them directly.
 
Peninsula Residents for Sustainable Development (PCSD), let my people be. In retrospect every development that has taken place and continues to take place north of Seine Bight since the birth of PCSD, has been vehemently opposed by the people of Point Placencia or is it the Peninsula Citizens For Sustainable Development? Naturally all this opposition to every development north of Seine Bight and indeed the whole peninsula is done ostensibly to protect the delicate and sensitive environs of the Peninsula. Hogwash!
 
Interestingly, nary a word on the acres and acres of land which have been and continue to be reclaimed from the Placencia lagoon by the very same expatriates, now Belizeans, who are hell bent on exploiting our land and our people under the guise of caring for our welfare and well-being. Bull!
 
I agree that under various village leaderships in the past, that Seine Bight people have failed to grasp and take advantage of opportunities tourism offers – instead they chose for whatever reason to “piggy back” on the tourism successes of Point Placencia – ignoring their tremendous natural potential of the longest beach area, the rich Garifuna culture and mainly pristine lagoon system and easy and quick access to every other tourist “hot spot” in Belize by road, sea or air.
 
It would seem that the youths of Seine Bight are beginning to see the “light” and recognize that “tourism” is the way to go and that they must ensure that the “tourist product,” i.e. Seine Bight, must do more than “piggy back” on the success of Point Placencia and step up to the challenges of sustaining their natural heritage in order to get significant and direct benefits from tourism. It is their duty and their responsibility to do so.
 
While some of the arguments by PCSD are valid, such as sedimentation from dredging, every single developer on the Peninsula has dredged to some degree or the other, with some well known names reclaiming over 30 plus acres of land from the lagoon.
 
PCSD may, right or wrong, mean well for the Peninsula and /or perhaps for selfish reasons do not wish to see the people of Seine Bight benefiting from this False Caye Development. As it is there is ongoing development on a caye located a stone’s throw from Placencia – no one from Seine Bight is complaining. Neither have we heard any complaints from the residents of Placencia nor PCSD. Figure it out. However, when a development is proposed on a caye next door to Seine Bight, there is a hue and cry.
 
One wonders! Is it because the residents of Seine Bight are black?
 
A final note, the Peninsula Citizens For Sustainable Development (PCSD) do not speak for the people of Seine Bight. Call us racist – we can live with that – we have lived with racial schism for the last hundred years.
 
Let my people be. Do not patronize us with your pretentious concerns.
 
(Ed. NOTE: The above article has been slightly edited. The views expressed by the author are controversial, and so we expect and welcome responses from those who have been indicted, rightly or wrongly.)

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