Dear Editor,
The APNU+AFC coalition government cannot be complacent or else the freedom trail that it blazed in the election campaign could be turned into a waste land, and the democracy which it reclaimed on May 11 could be lost. I have read on the social media, that some people are squatting all over the country, especially in the East Coast, Demerara areas. I am convinced that beneath the veneer of calm the enemies of democracy are inciting their supporters to squat on state lands.
The APNU+AFC coalition government must work more militantly and not just accept that it is business as usual. As the new government prepares to assume office, land distribution and allocation will have to be a priority because of homelessness. For 23 years there has been no recognizable policy of land distribution and allocation, although there was a national policy on land and house lot distribution which was formulated in my tenure as a director on the Central Housing and Planning Board (CH&PA) in March 2002.
The low level of political commitment to the shelter and settlement sector is exemplified by the virtual reversal in policy by downgrading housing from an integral element of development to an item of welfare. Although a national housing plan was drafted in 2002, it was never adopted or implemented, resulting now in large-scale squatting. Government should take note of urbanization trends and should not allow substantial squatting to take place, especially in the vicinity of schools, churches, business places, or any other place in the country.
I know that there is a pent-up demand for land, and there have been allegations of discrimination and favouritism. There are still thousands of applications in the system waiting to be processed because there is no transparency or equity in the allocation process.
The incoming government and the new minister of housing, must see land as a national resource. The development and productive utilization of land is integrally tied to national economic and social development. The APNU+AFC coalition government therefore will have a social obligation to efficiently manage and equitably utilize land resources. The minister of housing must replace the regional land selection committees in each region that were dismantled by the former president. These land selection committees must include members of the opposition, even in regions where they won fewer seats, because otherwise the committees will lack transparency and there will be widespread subjectivity with favouritism and ad hoc practices.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan
