ST CATHERINE, Jamaica – The demolition Thursday morning of houses that were supposedly being illegally constructed on lands in the Greater Bernard Lodge development area, has taken on political overtones with some of the affected persons charging that they were being targeted by a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Government, because the location is in a People’s National Party (PNP) stronghold.

At the same time, they are blasting the PNP for not doing enough to protect them. They say they stand to lose millions of dollars, with some of it borrowed from family members and financial institutions.

The area in question is an informal development near Clifton, another informal community that is now being regularised by the authorities. The two communities fall within the master plan for the Greater Bernard Lodge development.

READ: Gov’t to demolish St Catherine structures ‘occupied by gangs’

During Wednesday’s sitting of the House of Representatives, Prime Minister Andrew Holness served notice that the illegal structures would be bulldozed. He said the lands were captured and fraudulently sold by gangsters. He also said criminals were living in the area and preying on the law-abiding residents of Clifton.

On Thursday morning, a number of distraught residents shared their experience with journalists while watching their house bulldozed, or waiting for it to be knocked down.

One woman, after describing her ordeal, was scathing in her criticism of both Holness and the Member of Parliament for St Catherine South, the PNP’s Fitz Jackson, in whose constituency the community falls.

She explained that having received a phone call on Thursday morning, she travelled quickly from Portmore to the location. She said the car in which she was travelling was prevented from accessing the house by soldiers. She was initially blocked from getting onto the site until she told a soldier she owned one of the buildings.

“When me go (over where the houses to be torn down were) mi see dem a demolish (the buildings); dem root up di foundation dem fi some a dem weh never start go up,” she told reporters.

She said that as the demolition crew approached her house she tried to talk with them but “dem start tear down.”

She is disputing the statements made by Holness in the Parliament in which he said notices to quit and to cease and desist were issued by SCJ Holdings Limited, the owners of the land.

“First thing is that we weren’t notified. They didn’t put a stop order or anything on the building, nothing,” the woman insisted. She said the affected parties only heard about the planned demolition when the prime minister mentioned it in the Parliament Wednesday afternoon.

The woman also took issue with the fact that Holness said criminals were living at the location. He also said members of a criminal gang had captured the lands and had sold the lots to other persons.

“What we would a like fi know is how wi ago get compensate back because a lot a money and time were invested in these buildings,” the distraught woman wondered aloud.

As for her own building, she shared that it had cost several million dollars with only the roof left to go on.

“It board up and summen, just fi di roof start go on and dem tear down everything. The people dem weh wi rent di board from haffi come and tear off back dem board and den dem jus lick it down. Andrew Holness nuh come to wi. Remember enuh we’re all human beings, we haffi work hard, mek whole heap a sacrifice and everybody know say time a get harder and harder,” she said.

When asked whether she purchased the space where her house was being constructed, the woman revealed that she paid between $700,000 and $800,000 for the lot.

“Mi haffi throw pardner and mek how much sacrifice. When you go fi buy goods, more than $200,000 yuh haffi spend one time fi buy goods. You know say steel expensive and just fi bring up di foundation, how much ton a steel wi haffi buy fi dat alone. Dat is more than $2 million spend deh so and mi nah exaggerate. The money weh pay fi di land not included,” the distraught would-be homeowner lamented.

She asserted that because the community is not aligned to the governing JJLP why they were treated in this manner.

“Because a nuh labourite place this, a PNP area and you (Holness) inna power weh a labourite yuh wah do wi dat. If it was a labourite place Andrew wouldn’t do dat,” she charged.

She brushed aside the argument that the area where the structures were being built is zoned for farming in the overall Greater Bernard Lodge development plan. She pointed out that communities like Phoenix Park and others nearby were previously farming areas.

And the woman told reporters that it would be an exercise in futility to approach the National Housing Trust (NHT) “because Housing Trust a tief. All when we dead, wi pickney dem dead, wi grand pickney dem still ago haffi pay fi house,” she said.

She argued that even if it is that they were tricked into purchasing the lands, the government should have dealt the matter differently.

“Have a meeting with us. Say then since we got tricked or capture the land as what dem say, come to we and say we haffi go pay and do the right thing, mek wi do some paper work because whatever, whatever. You don’t just come and demolish wi place like that. When yuh do that now yuh mess wid people head, yuh mek people start pre devious an want to do some whole heap a wicked things,” said the would-be homeowner.

“It hot fi yuh stand up right here so and a watch dem a tear dung yuh building,” she added.

She got distracted while speaking with reporters and commented that “a one girl up dere so enuh, she say she ago kill herself…it nuh right, it just nuh right.”

She had a parting question about whether the government did not plan to compensate them. “Wi blood, sweat and tears invest inna that. Wi money just gaawn so, we money just gone so?

The woman also lambasted Jackson and commented that “as fi di PNP, dem ago always a lose”.

She said: “Fitz Jackson just come and him nuh mek nuh sense that’s why dem ago forever lose because mi a nuh labourite and mi nah vote back fi PNP because him nuh mek nuh sense because him should a deh here from morning because him been a get call bout this (but) dem (the PNP) weak”.

For his part, Jackson who arrived at the location, told journalists that he was made aware of the plans to demolish the unauthorised structures and assumed due process would be pursued.

“I’ve heard something to the contrary this morning which I’m raising with the prime minister and SCJ and I’m advised that there’s going to be a limited operation pending verification of those things that have been brought to my attention,” he said.

According to Jackson, some of the persons in the area being demolished have letters of possession and therefore would have been authorised to be there by the SCJ from some years ago.

“But what I’m hearing is that there’s occupation in areas outside that which was designated for formalisation and for which I’m engaged in (discussions)”.

Meanwhile, a male resident whose house was not demolished Thursday, said he stands to lose up to $8 million if his unfinished house is eventually torn down. He said he had borrowed money to fund the construction and said he has receipts to show that he had purchased the land.

He shared that persons attended a meeting prior to purchasing the land and were given receipts after handing over funds.

“First they say you going to get a receipt then afterwards you get a title”.

Having borrowed money from individuals and the bank, he has resigned himself to “suffer the consequences”.

Another male resident accused the prime minister of being uncaring.

“Andrew Holness woulda want to see a man lick down him family home suh? It coming like a prison him want we live and make police and soldier run wi down,” the man charged.