Titling, land distribution no silver bullet for squatting

THE RECENT Budget Debate has given us a rare treat: political consensus on a critical issue – land ownership. This has received the support in The

Sunday Gleaner editorial titled ‘Land titling will unleash wealth’ (March 24, 2018).

While I am in agreement with the editor, I must caution that merely issuing land titles is not enough. Physical resources, of any kind, in and of themselves have no intrinsic value. Their true value lies in their effective and efficient use, which, in turn, requires sound education about how to create wealth.

We have always been taught that education is the key to success, but, interestingly, no part of that education ever deals with wealth creation. Unfortunately, our politicians, here in Jamaica and other developing countries, are also victims of this education, and so they are consequently unable to lead their people out of poverty.

Often, when the issue of land distribution or redistribution arises, it is invariably intended as a political carrot and not a means of economical empowerment. Zimbabwe is a case in point. Therefore, in the matter of wealth creation, from a political platform, it is the blind leading the blind.

Education about wealth creation is critical and urgent. I would, therefore, implore the Government to dovetail its land-distribution programme with a wealth-education programme, at the community level, that is led by people who know how to create wealth and not some pompous academicians.

As regards squatting, the issuing of land titles alone will not totally solve it, because the real problem is indiscriminate procreation. The facilitation of land ownership will, in the short and medium term, mitigate the current squatting problem.

However, if the real issue of poor family planning is not urgently addressed, the Government will not have enough land to distribute and its effort of empowering its people economically will avail very little. E. ELPEDIO ROBINSON Red Hills PO, St Andrew