Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness went to Coopers Pen in Trelawny to meet and talk with the people who were recently evicted there.

With many rendered homeless, the Coopers Pen situation has garnered a lot of attention both in Jamaica and internationally.

To see so many moved on was heartbreaking and not a joking matter, but it does speak to the importance of respecting and abiding by the law and that it is inherently wrong to capture and squat on land that does not belong to you.

The Prime Minister saw the need to intercede and provide succour to those whose lives have been turned upside down. 

Speaking to the gathered crowd, the Prime Minister said: “My objective is to make all of you property owners. It is important to protect property rights, and that must be unambiguous.

“Let me make it clear, the Government that I lead and me personally are very supportive of the situation you are now in. I describe it as a humanitarian tragedy that has occurred. No one wants to lose their home under these circumstances. The humanity and sense of dignity of the country would never stand by and allow persons who have been displaced in this way to suffer without some form of intervention.”

The Prime Minister read the sentiment of the Jamaican people and stepped in himself, showing empathy. He was not dispassionate or aloof.

He was able to demonstrate government in action, a government capable of providing a social safety net, announcing that acreage had been identified in close proximity to house the homeless. Another location further away but within the parish has also been made available, thus giving the desperate of Coppers Pen an option and to some extend prevents overcrowding in one vicinity.  The Government has stepped in with land and a relocation grant. 

Those displaced citizens at Coppers Pen should be grateful for the Government’s largesse and intervention. It did not turn its back on them. It will help with temporary assistance and back-to-school needs. 

But it must be said that Jamaicans should be patently be made to know that the law must prevail and that you cannot claim access to what you do not own. Ownership is a vital part of nationality and managing the state. This also applies to beach access. If someone or some company buys a beach, then they can determine who comes onto their property. There needs to be a fundamental understanding of property rights. You cannot just take what is not yours.

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness went on to make that very point, stressing, “The JLP does not support the illegal and informal settlement of land. We do not encourage it. You can’t acquire property illegally. Squatting is wrong.”