PAT?DIALJust about two weeks ago, there was a very disturbing media report coming from Charity Village in Esseqibo:? Scores of violent squatters had suddenly started to squat on State property at Charity New Housing Scheme and the Dredge Creek area.? These squatters in their land grab greed invaded privately-owned farms as well, destroying farmers’ cultivation and staking out these privately-owned lands.The Police seemed to have been inactive. The Chairman of the NDC declared that the situation was out of control and necessitated Central Government intervention.This squatting lawlessness bears much similarity to the large-scale invasion of State land which occurred in Region Four shortly after the new APNU/AFC Government?had been installed in office.? Several of these?squatters were caught on videotape by the newspaper reporters falsely and brazenly declaring that the Parties in the new Government had told them to invade State land!Fortunately, the Police were able to clear the squatters off the land in a few days.? No report of similar success by the Police has come from Essequibo.This squatting lawlessness is an organized activity.? Whole families are always involved and their object is to seize as much land as they could with the intention of profiteering on it.Squatting is in effect theft and must be eradicated from Guyanese Society as quickly as possible.? It erodes the authority of the Government and State and the public will eventually come to regard such lawlessness as a norm.? Government should be resolute in stamping out squatting and the Police should be ordered to nip squatting in the bud.In Guyana the State has always been generous and liberal in granting agricultural and housing leases and there is no example of a genuine lease application for agricultural and housing land being turned down.? Those who indulge in squatting are persons and groups with criminal intent.? If individuals and groups require land they could easily apply to the Authorities and there is no cost for doing this.? The overwhelming majority of squatters are perfectly aware of this.In the case of Charity,Authentic Jerseys Sale, the legitimate farmers whose land had been invaded all had leases.? The squatters could equally have applied for leases as the farmers had done.? The Governmental Authorities must immediately eject the squatters,Jerseys From China, assert their authority,jerseys nfl wholesale, uphold Law and Order and merit the respect of the citizenry.The Laws affecting squatting must be quickly strengthened:? The Laws affecting State land have already been strengthened and it is now impossible to claim ownership of State land by prescription.Unfortunately,Wholesale China Jerseys, when the Law was being amended,Cheap Stitched Jerseys, no equal protection was given to private land and this was an omission which should now be rectified.The Laws affecting squatting on private land were fairly adequate?up to the late 1960’s and early 1970’s at the time?Sir Joseph Luckhoo was Chief Justice.? At this time, the establishing of the 12-year rule was uncritically adopted from the current British Legislation.Britain is a highly urban society and the 12-year?rule was established there because such a society needed such a rule.? Guyana was,Jerseys From China, and still is a rural society and had no need of?the 12-year rule;?indeed, the 12-year rule was at variance with the needs of Guyanese Society and this was further emphasized by the heavy emigration which has affected the country.? Many a squatter has made questionable claims of being on an expatriate Guyanese’s land for 12 years but since there was no one to oppose such claims, the Courts have had to accede.? The Laws affecting?squatting on private land must again be brought into consonance with the amended Laws relating to public land.The 12-year rule should be abolished, reverting to the 33-year rule.? The Guyana Consumers Association expects to write the relevant Authorities asking them to strengthen the Laws protecting private land against?squatting greed.The Ministry of Public Security is importuned to instruct the Police to respond to valid complaints of squatting on both public and private land.? The Police, in many cases, avoid their responsibility of responding by saying nonchalantly that squatting is a private matter though it results in the authority of the Government and the State being eroded. A culture of lawlessness being spread and often resulting in present and future chaos and violence.
