Dear Editor,

Every night, the national news showcases land titling ceremonies across Jamaica. Yet in the wake of Hurricane Melissa and a brutal drought, a deafening silence surrounds Westmoreland’s communities of Non Pariel and Canaan.

As a staunch Westmorelite and proud farmer’s daughter, I cannot stay silent while our families are left to suffer without legal proof of the land they have owned for decades.

These settlements are a vibrant, multigenerational mix of family homes and working farms where grandparents, parents, and children have lived and tilled the soil to feed this nation. Today, without titles, residents are completely locked out of post-hurricane reconstruction aid and drought relief.

In Non Pariel alone, over 80 families remain trapped in legal limbo. Elders like have paid for their lots in full from as far back as 1980 under government subdivision schemes yet, because these properties are classified as forestry lots, these families cannot obtain titles through traditional first registration or the ad hoc adjudication process. The path forward is singular: only a direct order from the political directorate can release these titles.

Passing this land insecurity down from parent to child for over 40 years is unacceptable — especially as climate disasters threaten our very survival. We do not need more speeches. We need Prime Minister Andrew Holness and the political directorate to exercise their executive power and issue the required orders for Non Pariel and Canaan immediately. Give our families their titles, their security, and the justice they have earned.

A proud farmer’s daughter and Westmorelite

Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland