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Grassroots activist Nigel Petillo will organize a protest in Belmopan on Friday against the government’s decision to relocate the University Hospital site. Petillo said he strongly disagrees with the government’s rationale and said the decision to purchase the 15-acre land for $6.9 million is not in the best interest of the people of Belize. He added that the entire deal and the government’s rationale for the technical experts’ recommendation to relocate are questionable.
Land activist Nigel Petillo: “There’s a WASA sewer about five acres from there, and it stinks. The local residents are protesting against it. I know that area too, because when I drive on Forest Avenue, we wondered many times where the smell was coming from. I used to think it was my septic tank that was the problem, but then I realized it was the whole area. The next thing is, there are other lands for sale in the area. Much cheaper. I can take you right now to a piece of land at the entrance to the Rancho area road, and somebody has about 15 acres of land that’s being sold for $150,00 an acre, and it’s not more than a quarter mile away. Maybe ten lamp posts away. So, did we take the time to appraise the value? Did we take the time to find out, or did they tell us that this was the only land available in Belmopan. The next thing to add is that when I spoke to one of the individuals who was involved in the valuation of the entire area, he said to me, Mr. Petillio, we didn’t buy this land by the acre, you know? We ended up having to buy this land by the parcel because the area had been subdivided and approved by the land department, so they said they had to pay this person $35,000 per parcel in the area. U.S. dollars. Is this in the best interest of the Belizean taxpayer? No! That’s the question I’m facing. So we have legitimate questions. We want answers. If the government had been very accountable and transparent in its dealings, we wouldn’t be at this stage right now.”
reporter: I interviewed Minister Bernard yesterday. He said it was cheaper to buy the land than to upgrade the land provided by the university.
Land activist Nigel Petillo: “So what expertise does Mr Bernard have in this? First of all, Mr Bernard told us that the people at the Ministry of Health advised him that it would be better to buy the land because it was a better area, what skills did those experts have to advise him and the cabinet? Because I heard other ministers say the same thing, and the people at the Minister of Health thought it was better, so we did it. Am I serious? That’s what’s going on? We don’t go to the professionals?”
reporter: So I think you’re further along than most people right now. Most people are frustrated, you know, they’re sitting on their couches at home talking… but you’re planning a protest on Friday. Tell me about that.
Land activist Nigel Petillo: “Look, as you said, this is what’s wrong with Belizeans. That’s why I started blaming us the people instead of blaming the politicians, because the politicians already know that we will take it and it will pass like the breeze. We will go home and argue and complain to our spouses, neighbors and friends about government this, government that, but we never take action. The government knows this, too.”
Opposition leader Moses “Shain” Barrow said he would travel to Belmopan on Friday to support the protest and called on all like-minded Belizeans to do the same. Barrow said the land was valued at only $300,000 and paying nearly $7 million was unjustified.
Opposition Leader Moses “Shain” Barrow: “According to the Belmopan City Council, these 15-acre parcels are valued at approximately $350,000 for 15 acres. How can you justify paying $7 million for a parcel or two that add up to 15 acres? How can you justify paying 39 times that? It makes no sense. No technical expert can explain this. No scientist can explain this. It makes no sense at all. The government of Belize is supposed to protect taxpayers’ money and use it to improve lives in Belize, but this is not going to improve lives in Belize. The government’s response has been unsatisfactory and we have a follow-up press release coming out on Friday or Thursday. Now we are going to protest. We will be joining our civil society partners, activists like Nigel Petillo and other members of civil society to voice our outrage and we will be holding a meeting at the Prime Minister’s office in Belmopan on Friday.”
Petillo confirmed to our newsroom late this evening that he had gone to the Belmopan police station earlier but his request for a protest permit on Friday remained unanswered. He said he is willing to protest on his own if the permit application is denied.
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