Nearly a third of the population are squatters!

[Dr.Dudd]

Nearly a third of the population are squatters!

The staggering statistic was revealed during an examination of allocations to the Ministry of Water and Housing at Wednesday's sitting of the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament.

Housing Minister Dr. Horace Chang told committee members that a recent survey by the Squatter Unit in the ministry has revealed there are just over 700 squatter settlements across the island.

"They vary from the very small to some large ones in my own constituency (St. James North Western), Clarendon is coming along very rapidly and sections of St. Ann. Montego Bay has roughly 30,000 squatter solutions which is almost more than half the population and that is our second largest city," Dr. Chang said.

Over five million dollars has been allocated for squatter management in the 2009-2010 budget.

Members of the House raised concerns about the effectiveness of the Squatter Unit to manage the situation given that the office has only four members of staff.

However, Dr. Chang explained that in its current incarnation, the unit is primarily intended to develop policy.

He noted that Government is taking steps to deal with the problem of squatting more definitively.

"Where most of lands are Government owned, we use the Housing Fund to establish temporary rangers to reduce the expansion of squatting but we're undertaking improvements in some areas. We have the design for a full Squatter Unit but it could not be accommodated in this year's budget. In the meantime, we'll still continue to work with the other agencies involved that have field people," said Dr. Chang.

The Water and Housing Minister added that the long awaited housing policy should be completed by September this year.




www.radiojamaica.com

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Nearly a third of the population are squatters!

Nearly a million Jamaicans on stolen land
Published: Thursday | April 16, 2009




Chang

THE NUMBER of Jamaicans living in squatter settlements across the island could soon rush past the one million mark, with one-third of the population, or about 900,000 persons, occupying lands illegally.

Concerns were raised during yesterday's sitting of the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament about an insufficient sum set aside in the 2009-10 Estimates of Expenditure to deal with squatter management.

The document shows almost $6 million allocated to the Ministry of Water and Housing's Squatter Management Unit.

In the 2008-2009 Budget, some $8.7 million was earmarked for squatter management, but this was later reduced to $4.8 million in the revised estimates.

Opposition Spokesman on Housing Robert Pickersgill questioned whether four persons employed to the Squatter Management Unit could handle what appeared to be a national problem.

Multi-faceted programme

Water and Housing Minister Dr Horace Chang said the Government was working on a multi-faceted programme to tackle squatting.

The Squatter Management Unit was established in April 2008 to curtail the proliferation of squatting and encourage planned development. There are at least 700 squatter settlements in the country.

Part of the unit's mandate is to develop a national squatter-management policy to address issues related to illegal occupation of land.

At least three parishes were identified as having a growing squatter problem. They are St James, St Ann and Clarendon.

It was revealed that in Montego Bay alone there were about 30,000 "squatter solutions".

Dr Chang said the Squatter Management Unit received support from field officers and housing officers from other government agencies to monitor areas and prevent the mushrooming of informal settlements.

Persons who occupy lands illegally cannot be removed that easily, according to the minister. He said the authorities could demolish a structure that was erected but not yet occupied. However, he said if a person built a house on government lands and resided there, it would be difficult to carry out immediate eviction.

Member of Parliament for South St Andrew, Dr Omar Davies, urged the Government to focus on the very serious issue of squatting, which gave rise to other social challenges.

Davies suggested that the ministry should reassign technical officers in other agencies to help reduce the growing phenomenon.

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[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Nearly a third of the population are squatters!

This is hoe th eeditor of the Gleaner see this thirf of Jamaicans. As land theives. They don't seeit as a systemic problem. This say a lot about the colonial mentality that pervades the country from the top. As usual and according to policy, they trat these decendants of slaves as near slaves. they are just there because they refuse to create jibs forthemselves,and earn enough to pull themselves up by the bootstraps. While these colonial masters clammer fr givernment subsidies,and spoecial treatments and every concievable handouts.

[bee_bop]

Re: Nearly a third of the population are squatters!

Have you ever seen the minimal two-storey houses being built in these squatter locations???
I mean, some people who the society considers to be rich would look humble compared to the homes of these squatters. <span style="color: #663300">I heard this was one of the reasons that the World Bank re-estimated the GNP for Jamaica to give account for an obvious under-ground economy.</span>
It's just a free-ness mentality, free-land and all that kind of thing.

[jah_yout]

Re: Nearly a third of the population are squatters!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dr.Dudd</div><div class="ubbcode-body">This is hoe th eeditor of the Gleaner see this thirf of Jamaicans. As land theives. They don't seeit as a systemic problem. This say a lot about the colonial mentality that pervades the country from the top. As usual and according to policy, they trat these decendants of slaves as near slaves. they are just there because they refuse to create jibs forthemselves,and earn enough to pull themselves up by the bootstraps. While these colonial masters clammer fr givernment subsidies,and spoecial treatments and every concievable handouts. </div></div>

trudat

[Marielle]

Re: Nearly a third of the population are squatters!

<span style="font-style: italic">Persons who occupy lands illegally</span>

Persons who occupy lands illegally?? Ur, how many generations of these people have &quot;occupied these lands&quot;?? (i.e. Jamaica)


Those in authority would be better off improving the housing, energy, sanitation and water facilities of these so-called &quot;squatter areas&quot;.

[KD_09]

Re: Nearly a third of the population are squatters!

Occupying lands illegally is still illegal occupation of land no matter how much you need it. Obviously the government is trying to help them, but why are some of us trying to sugar coat it? Squatter settlements are bad from top to bottom because they lack proper planning and that in itself gives rise to social problems. So there needs to be a solution i.e. planned low income housing, but that doesn't mean we should overlook or pretty up the reality of the situation.

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Nearly a third of the population are squatters!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KD_09</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Occupying lands illegally is still illegal occupation of land no matter how much you need it. Obviously the government is trying to help them, but why are some of us trying to sugar coat it? Squatter settlements are bad from top to bottom because they lack proper planning and that in itself gives rise to social problems. So there needs to be a solution i.e. planned low income housing, but that doesn't mean we should overlook or pretty up the reality of the situation.

</div></div>They shouldn't be planjnning low income housing. They should have been building them. ther is no reason for huimanbeings not to have apalce when he can go home to. every animal has.
tghat is why I never get invpolved in no Sudan, or whatever far away poaces, when I know that 1/3rd of the country has no place to legally lay their head. The elite are lucky, but one of thes edays some simply thing will bethe spark that once it start, will rewsult in a complete implosion of the bubble called Jamaicaneconomy,wher the elite suits on top of a shell held up by a very fragile structure of hungry an desperate decendeAants of skaves that have never got a break sionce slavery. while every group from the slave owners to thiose who came after to reppace the slaves on the plan5tations. Why are

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Nearly a third of the population are squatters!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Littleman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Have you ever seen the minimal two-storey houses being built in these squatter locations???
I mean, some people who the society considers to be rich would look humble compared to the homes of these squatters. <span style="color: #663300">I heard this was one of the reasons that the World Bank re-estimated the GNP for Jamaica to give account for an obvious under-ground economy.</span>
It's just a free-ness mentality, free-land and all that kind of thing. </div></div>ther is no logical reason why a person who can build such a substantial structure should not be givben the opportunityu to own the land it sits on.

[Amberal37]

Re: Nearly a third of the population are squatters!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dr.Dudd</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Littleman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Have you ever seen the minimal two-storey houses being built in these squatter locations???
I mean, some people who the society considers to be rich would look humble compared to the homes of these squatters. <span style="color: #663300">I heard this was one of the reasons that the World Bank re-estimated the GNP for Jamaica to give account for an obvious under-ground economy.</span>
It's just a free-ness mentality, free-land and all that kind of thing. </div></div><span style="font-weight: bold">ther is no logical reason why a person who can build such a substantial structure should not be givben the opportunityu to own the land it sits on</span>. </div></div>

Totally agree here.

The idea of the citizens being considered as &quot;squatters&quot; on their own governement's land totally evades me?
If they don't have anywhere else to go, then where else should they go other than the government that is supposed to protect them? Or does this policy apply everywhere else BUT in Jamaica...logic is totally upside down.

The government has already sold off a lot of lands to bad agents, that they only get away with this crime because they maintain a system that totally disempowers the majority of it's citizens (who spend more time wondering where the next bread is coming from).

Now if it is that the government wants to make it more profitable, it could for example say that these people can run businesses (farming, whatever) that are taxed and where they pay rent (more income for the government - which if they were clever, could be used to build decent accomodation).
But no, their job seems to be criminalising its citizens, once again, disgraceful!!

[KD_09]

Re: Nearly a third of the population are squatters!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dr.Dudd</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Littleman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Have you ever seen the minimal two-storey houses being built in these squatter locations???
I mean, some people who the society considers to be rich would look humble compared to the homes of these squatters. <span style="color: #663300">I heard this was one of the reasons that the World Bank re-estimated the GNP for Jamaica to give account for an obvious under-ground economy.</span>
It's just a free-ness mentality, free-land and all that kind of thing. </div></div>ther is no logical reason why a person who can build such a substantial structure should not be givben the opportunityu to own the land it sits on. </div></div>

Well there is a little thing called town and country planning. It affects more than you may realise. Let the man build on an unsafe area, and two twos you hear how the government was wicked for not warning him about the sinkhole under his house. Or how the government is wicked for trying to build a factory on the land, or how he can't get to sleep because the government built the factory next door and now everyone squatting nearby has respiratory problems.

There should be designated squatter zones in the interim, and low cost housing being built as we can afford it. I'm not against people having a place to stay, I'm against people dropping down any ole where and capturing land willy nilly.

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Nearly a third of the population are squatters!

well am totally against squatteers settlements. Ipersonally do not think they should exist. If the government take asmuch intrest inall the people of the country, they could haf gotten loans under petrocarib to invest in the housing. but the government refuse toinvest in asnything thatwill not reaturn immidiate profits. theyare so shortsighted that they don';t realize that the funds are not due for 20 years and duringthat period the earning capacity of the investment will far surpass the inintrest tgheyget by putting it in the bank and await to repay it.