THE SQUATTING citizens of Mona Commons are to move. There is a sharp division within the Government over the proposed venue of their state-sponsored relocation. Member of Parliament Colin Campbell, who is also a Minister of State in the Government, is stridently against "exporting" the squatters and is pushing for relocation to nearby UWI-held lands.
The UWI and surrounding communities are protesting the planned move and Minister of Lands and Housing, Deputy Prime Minister Seymour Mullings, is backing them. In his view, the development would be a "backward step" given the environmental concerns and he would reject the proposal. Mr. Campbell reaffirmed his position at a community meeting on Sunday somewhat enlivened by a contingent of soldiers and police.
Mona Commons is an old squatter settlement with younger adults, and certainly all children, who know no other home. But the settlement is illegal and now regarded as a threat to the status of the UWI teaching hospital and to traffic movement in the area.
The community also contains hundreds of presumably pro-PNP voters. Whatever other factors may be on the table, MP Campbell's lopsided defence of one set of "the people" in his constituency against the legitimate interests of another set of "the people", who also have rights, smacks of putting votes first.
In should not be overlooked that the residents of Mona Commons are illegal squatters, while those protesting their relocation are legal property owners. Considering the historical injustices and inequalities in the society, the sympathy factor for squatters is understandably quite significant. But the legal obligations of the Government really do not extend beyond serving notice on the squatters.
On humanitarian grounds, there are other relocation options open to MP Campbell and the Government. Households could be given a relocation grant to assist in independently acquiring their own legal holdings elsewhere. Small numbers of households could be diversified among, and integrated into, several other communities, which is a far more normal and reasonable procedure than en bloc relocation to anywhere. But the politics of squatting is likely to mount a roadblock against these better options.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner.
