Reprinted from the Daily Nation, Barbados —

Unfair land distribution in Barbados has now reached crisis proportions.This was the shared view of president of the Clement Payne Movement, David Comissiong; director of the Commission for Pan-African Affairs, sociologist Dr Ikael Tafari and clinical psychologist Reverend Dr Marcus Lashley.

They were responding to comments made by Sir Roy Trotman in the Senate recently that land would be the major reason for the next social confrontation in Barbados. His remarks came on the anniversary of the 1937 Riots.

However, Comissiong told the Daily Nation Tuesday, though the situation in Barbados was of crisis proportions, he was unsure whether it could lead to social unrest similar to the Riots.

Comissiong, who is also head of the People’s Empowerment Party, offered suggestions on how the fair distribution of land could be addressed.

Among the solutions which he listed were: Alien land-holding legislation; prohibition of gated communities; constitutional provisions against private beaches and guaranteed access to them; and a programme to provide state land to Barbadians at a reasonable price.

“It is a very serious situation. The country needs to make a clear decision that we are going to tackle it, how we are going to tackle it and measure our success of tackling it over a period of years,” he said.

Tafari agreed with Sir Roy, adding that “there was no real up-to-date evidence on the distribution of land to the black middle-class”.

He said the perception was that wealthy people owned Barbados, land was being sold out to foreigners in the gated communities, and inequitable distribution of wealth was linked to the lack of ownership of land.

“I agree with Sir Roy 100 per cent. Land would be a major factor,” he added.

Lashley urged society not to forget the connection between land and identity.

“A sense of who you are is tied up in the ownership of land . . . . The majority who own land are not native Barbadians [who] are able to come [here] and enjoy prime real estate and the enormous benefits of society,” he stated.

Lashley said many Barbadians were angry at tourists and foreigners who migrated here. And, he noted, Barbados was not taking this situation seriously.

Antillean · Bridgetown, Barbados

The Antillean is a pan-Caribbean nonprofit media outlet, covering news, features and opinions on social issues in the Caribbean region and the wider Americas. Our mission is to encourage conversation on, and enhance the visibility of, social currencies within the hemisphere – issues which are often underreported in the mainstream media.

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