Both men spent a significant time in the interview with our news-station lashing out at their Area Representative who they accused of over-stepping his authority and illegally take away land in their villages.  Both Lucky Strike and Crooked Tree villages are in the Belize Rural North Area, which is under Minister of State Edmond Castro’s.  It is double-trouble for Hon. Castro, but the village leaders say he had it coming.

George Guest, Chairman, Crooked Tree Village

“I really do not understand this how Minister Castro has got all this power when the power should be with the village council who are supposed to be there to look after the affairs of each and every village.  The chairman is selected by the village not by any government it is selected by the villagers to run the affairs of their village not Edmund Castro he was selected to run the affairs of the area that he represents which is Belize rural north. And he is not doing that. He is not respecting the village councils.  He is respecting himself only and the people followed him. Every person in the Belize rural north followed him and supported him for what he was saying. And now he has disrespected that now I am trying to explain this to the people of Crooked Tree because the Minister enters my village and he does not respect me or the villagers. He is not being attend to the villagers on roads and land, and other subjects.  He rather goes late at night like the badger. You said that you would work for the people and you are not working for the people.  I am sorry I support the UDP and this gentleman right here next to me supports the PUP but we support the villagers because they are our responsibility.”  

What is most extraordinary about Guest’s condemnation of Hon. Castro is that he was elected as Crooked Tree’s Chairman under the UDP ticket.  Guest said he will continue to be a UDP supporter, but he must speak against Minister Castro’s disrespect.

George Guest, Chairman, Crooked Tree Village

“We as the District Association of Village Council will stop it because it is craziness; they said that it does not matter if you are PUP or UDP you have to come together to make this country work.”

Oscar Pollard, Chairman, Lucky Strike Village

“We at the District level met about two weeks ago and we said enough is enough. If it is not law we are calling on the Prime Minister to say to hell with this. Show us something else that is law which gives these area reps the authority to operate in the villages with their own committee.  To make a recommendation to the Ministry of Natural Resource because the only strength that we have in dealing with land is to make recommendations to the Ministry of Natural Resource on behalf of our people, and this process is being taken away completely.

Both Chairmen said there are numerous cases in their villages where Hon. Castro has side-stepped the village council to acquire land for re-distribution.