Local Government and Rural Development Minister Desmond McKenzie has condemned recent utterances by Opposition Leader Mark Golding and Sav-la-Mar Mayor Bertel Moore in the Brighton-Little Bay land controversy.
Golding and Moore have encouraged residents of Little Bay Brighton and Salmon Point not to give up the fight for the disputed lands.
According to McKenzie, the residents have been illegally occupying the lands and the comments attributed to Golding and Moore are disgraceful and dangerous.
“They have met directly with the residents and told them that they will stand with them in defiance not only of the law but of the clear ruling of the Courts that they must vacate the lands,” said McKenzie.
The battle for the property has been raging for decades and saw one of the proprietors – John Eugster – being murdered in 2004 after trying to reclaim the lands.
The tussle continued with Eugster’s widow, Kathleen, a United States citizen, for control of sections of the 867-acre property.
Notwithstanding a 2011 court decision granting writs of possession and the eviction of at least 27 settlers, Eugster has been unable to regain possession, which is reportedly earmarked for a US$5-billion investment.
McKenzie said Moore’s conduct defies every principle that informs the Local Governance Act should be deplored.
“The remarks of the Leader of the Opposition are even more serious,” he said.
He said Golding’s comment about the people of Brighton, Little Bay and Salmon Point having rights to the lands they occupy because they have been there for over 12 years is especially misleading.
“He ought to know that there is no law that supports this. The Limitation of Actions Act states that persons who have had undisturbed possession of land for over 12 years – in other words possession without notice from the owner of that land to leave – can approach the Courts to seek possession of the lands. There is no automatic ownership of land anywhere in Jamaica through squatting,” said McKenzie.
The minister said the Government will continue to respect people’s property rights.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness recently met with the people of Little Bay, Brighton and Salmon Point telling them that the ruling of the court must be obeyed.
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