“Di whole a Jamaica a capture land.”

— Chronixx

The kerfuffle which erupted over Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s seemingly ill-advised authorisation of the demolition of building structures that were reportedly erected on property at Bernard Lodge under the aegis of the Sugar Company of Jamaica Holding Limited (SCJH) has once again brought into sharp focus the ongoing issue of land capturing and squatting that have become a Jamaican pastime since time immemorial.

Truth be told, so-called discoverer Christopher Columbus was perhaps the first “land capturer” in Jamaica’s history when he arrived on the island on May 3, 1494, claiming the land in the name of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Interestingly, in May of 1665, another coloniser, the British, ran out the Spanish and captured Jamaica, thus extending its hold on the island until August 6, 1962 when we attained political independence but still clung to the British monarchy as our sovereign lord and master. Long live King Charles III! In this vein it is to be noted that notorious pirate Sir Henry Morgan is said to have been Jamaica’s first governor.

Fast-forward to present day Jamaica and we see that the descendants of African slaves who were brought to the island by both the Spanish and British to work on their sugar plantations are yet to be given their patrimony in a meaningful way as well as reparation for the exploitation of their labour. In this regard successive governments since Independence have failed most miserably to address this vexing matter while fooling the people about putting them first and guaranteeing them prosperity if they give them their votes.

And so, right across the length and breadth of Jamaica, land capturing continues unabated with sporadic attempts at dealing with the problem, but, for most of the time, the authorities have turned a blind eye or privately encouraged squatting, using the latter for political leverage, when this proves to be expedient, to be first past the post and thus rule the roost in Gordon House.

On July 28, 2015 a Jamaica Information Service news story written by Garfield L Angus stated that, “The community of Clifton in St Catherine is to be transformed from being a squatter area to one with major infrastructure and the residents becoming owners of the land.” So what the hell happened between then and now, some seven years later, with a visibly perturbed Prime Minister Andrew Holness revealing in the House of Parliament that gangsters had ostensibly become the new “land owners” and were selling lots to unsuspecting people, belching millions of dollars out of their pockets? Isn’t this a clear-cut example of dereliction of duty and due diligence by the State? Are we to assume that the Holness Administration is so naïve that it had not got wind of this situation long before the excrement hit the fan?

It is no secret that all over Jamaica people eager to own a piece of land have been hoodwinked into purchasing such parcels of land from unscrupulous individuals claiming to be the owners when “nutten no go so!” All the while this criminal activity continues in a most barefaced manner and it is only now that the prime minister, having painted himself into a corner by virtue of what occurred at Clifton, is telling us that a full investigation will be launched into this nefarious and illegal activity. Needless to say, many Jamaicans will just hiss their teeth and remark that not a thing will come of such an inquiry because we have had so many of these probes, commissions of enquiry, and the like that have come to naught.

Here in my neck of the woods, St James, land capturing, which ultimately leads to wide-scale squatting, has become a major social phenomenon with no sustainable solution in sight. Until recently there were some 21 squatter settlements in the parish, most of which surround the city of Montego Bay, which is also the country’s tourism capital.

It is to be noted that squatting emerged as a result of tourism, which acted as a magnet to attract people from all across the island in search of employment or “hustlings” of one kind or another, including drug pushing, prostitution, and selling wares, usually craft items.

Picture this scenario. A young man gets a job at a hotel as a busboy or trainee waiter. He lives several miles away from his place of employment and in order for him to keep his job he has to be punctual. Not being able to reach work on time he decides to find some place to “kotch”, maybe with a family member or friend, but this is not always possible or may just be a temporary solution. Frankly, for him, the only way out is to capture a piece of land and set up a little shack to which he eventually invites his girlfriend/babymother to join him. Multiply this story over and over and it becomes clear that a lack of affordable housing solutions is at the root of land capturing, not just an act of criminality or antisocial behaviour.

Belatedly we see attempts being made to provide tourism workers with accessible housing, but the price continues to be prohibitive. It does not take a course in rocket science to determine that the best way forward is to provide land at an affordable rate; put in the necessary infrastructure, such as good roads, ample water supply, available electricity, and recreational space; provide land tiles post-haste; and let the people build their own structures. After all, in real terms, that is what the squatters have been doing. That weeping Clifton young woman who claimed that she has lost some $800,000 by way of investing in building her dream home on land that she thought she bought legally brings into sharp focus the fact that the State has failed most miserably in dealing with land capturing and squatting.

Concerned citizens can only hope that the lessons learnt from that horrible and nerve-wracking Clifton experience will provide a template for the way forward lest criminals continue to rule the roost and poor, hard-working Jamaicans are given basket to carry water. Land ownership must be at the heart of any grand design to make Jamaica a truly prosperous nation and will lay the foundation for us to be truly economically independent both individually and as a country.

Lloyd B Smith has been involved in Jamaican media for the past 46 years. He has also served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.