Dear Editor,

The following is an open letter to Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Leader of Opposition Peter Phillips which was delivered to them two weeks ago. No response has been received up to the time of forwarding:

Peace and goodness to you both!

I have been reflecting and praying for some time on the need for all of us to address the perennial problem of squatting. If we are not careful this trend will mushroom into a possible human explosion, not excluding lives lost in the squabble for a “piece of the rock”, by hook, crook or gun.

The two last instances that caused me to put pen to paper were:

1) the embarrassing photo of blatant squatting adjacent to Gordon House;

2) the headline in The Sunday Gleaner, June 3, 2018, informing one and all that squatting is the implicit new norm whereby squatters allegedly “rent houses provided to them by State agencies”.

Please do not think that I believe this problem can be solved with a wave of a wand or some secret formula, or yet by prayer alone. It is a complex social problem that must not be used as a political football. The question of agrarian reform that could be pegged at post-Emancipation era; the deep innate desire or ambition to own one’s personal territory (home); the plague of unemployment and underemployment; the scourge of illiteracy and innumeracy; and shaky family structures are all ingredients related to the squatting mentality that will not go away immediately.

I do not have the answer, Gentlemen, but of this I am firmly convinced: This must be tackled in a bipartisan way, and soon; otherwise the perceived impunity of those who squat will spread right throughout the land and give the impression that we are a lawless or anarchic country. Now is the moment to begin serious bipartisan talks, perhaps during the Vale Royal sessions, but talks followed up by strategic actions.

It pains my heart every time I go to the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) and see the fait accompli occupation of the Mona Common. The congested Golding Avenue is a nightmare not only to ambulance drivers, but also to ordinary vehicular traffic, primarily because the Government of the day — 40 years ago — was afraid to address the capturing of lands supposedly belonging to the UHWI. Even in the 1990s, one prime minister allegedly suggested “relocation” as the answer, but that was all talk. One wonders if it was because it was not the political thing to do. Hence, a myopic approach to governance failed to envision that a culture established for so long a period is not easily or justly remedied by removing squatters. Rather, the solution might have to be a relocation of the entrance to the UHWI so that ambulance service would not be hampered and the credibility of the hospital as a teaching institution not be compromised.

Also, Gentlemen, you yourselves are well aware that Government after Government expends huge sums of money to clear drains and gullies, because in many instances gullies become the latrines and skips for those squatting on the edge of gullies. There must be legislation forbidding occupancy of such lands, if indeed the Government intends to quash this squatter mentality that is not only unhealthy, but also demeaning to those who are compelled to live in such social conditions without facilities that make for hygienic existence.

I am not overlooking or excusing others who are better off economically, but who nonetheless unconscionably dump items into gullies even though they could do better. They also demonstrate a lack of pride in their country and contribute to the annual costly operation to clear said gullies.

Gentlemen, I am political, but not partisan. It is because of my stance of being political (concerned citizen) why I dare to write you directly to express my concern, before airing my grouse in the media. Please be aware that I daily pray for both the Government of the day and the Opposition. Certain issues, like squatting, cannot be solved unilaterally. Will your legacies be known for putting country above party and selves? Now is the time to bell the cat!

God bless!

Most Rev Donald J Reece

Archbishop Emeritus of Kingston

Acting pastor, St Richard of Chichester

don.j.reece@gmail.com