By Andrew Clunis
The issue of land ownership has been a vexing one for Jamaicans since the post-slavery era.
Newly emancipated people received no compensation for generations of forced labour, nor did emancipation provide them with meaningful access to land and economic resources.
The consequences of that historical injustice have not simply disappeared with time; they continue to shape patterns of land ownership, poverty, housing insecurity, and economic opportunity in Jamaica nearly two centuries after emancipation.
Any serious discussion about informal settlements, squatter communities, and land ownership must therefore acknowledge this history. Restoring dignity requires a balanced approach that respects legitimate property rights while also confronting the historical inequalities that have contributed to today's circumstances.
Where appropriate, regularising long-established communities, providing secure tenure, improving infrastructure, and creating pathways to legal ownership can help address these inequalities while strengthening communities and the wider society.
In 2026 people are still being bulldozed off land they have occupied for decades, losing homes with families disrupted and displaced.
The latest incident took place at Coopers Pen in Trelawny in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. 20 houses were demolished making adults and infants alike homeless.
The demolition happened after the culmination of a protracted court battle in which the legal owners of the land prevailed.
It is the most unfortunate of circumstances but the fact is that squatting is illegal and the people occupied the land unlawfully. The owners of the land acted in an inhumane manner and surely there could have been a better mediated solution to the situation.
The owners should have had dialogue with the government to arrange for relocation of the residents before taking such a draconian action.
The Prime Minister has appointed Robert Montaque as minister with responsibility for land titling and settlement. Montaque has to be proactive now and ensure there are no more Coopers Pen.
Every Jamaican is entitled to land and should be afforded a space they can call home. Squatters are human beings, and their basic human rights and dignity should be protected. That doesn't necessarily mean they have an unlimited right to occupy someone else's property.
There are far too many informal settlements across the country while there are thousands of acres of government lands laying bare. The PNP tried to regularise these communities but its Operation Pride programme failed miserably due to corruption.This administration has a great opportunity to do for poor people what no other has done. Help them own land in Jamaica. That would correct the egregious actions of the colonial powers and would make the word independence ring sweet.
Opposition spokesman on Human Rights Isat Buchanan is out of line on the issue and should be soundly chastised. How can he as a member of the legislature encourage citizens to defraud the government by making false claims in Coopers Pen? How can he be supporting scamming in this troubled environment? He is doing an injustice to the affected persons in Coopers Pen and if anything, will only serve to affect legitimate claims.
But why is anyone alarmed by his sentiments. His character is not without shade and his criminal past reveals a criminal mindset. Does he not think before he makes these utterances?
What is important now in the scheme of things is that the people of Coopers Pen get all the help they can get. Relocation and regularisation must be high on the agenda and the government must move with alacrity to ensure that some kind of dignity is restored to these families.
Of urgency is the need to identify all the squatter communities across the country and create new settlements where communities can develop and life can become productive for all concerned.