Church can help with captured lands

THE EDITOR, Sir:

Recently, at a function to mark 30 years of ordained ministry by Rev Karl Johnson, Custos of St James Bishop Conrad Pitkin lauded him for the time in the 1990s when he and the custos together prevented the demolition of houses built on captured lands at Paradise Heights, St James.

The day before that function, the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation held a meeting at Boulevard Baptist Church and discussed the squatter management policy and implementation. At that gathering, the role of the Church in the establishment of Free Villages in the 19th century was noted.

Also, in 1494, Pope Alexander VI divided the world in two halves, one half for Spain and the other for Portugal. This sanctified capturing of lands has left a legacy of regularised land and foreign languages in those overseas territories, to the benefit of colonial powers.

The Government could consult the major powers on how to regularise captured lands. Britain did a good job after it captured Jamaica in 1655 and regularised landownership. The United States, France, UK, China, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Netherlands, Russia all have foreign or overseas territories and dependencies. These are captured lands that are now regularised and have enabled the developed world to be prosperous.

The church community and developed countries, over the centuries, have pragmatic experience in regularising captured lands, and the Government should engage both in developing its squatter policy.

DEVON DICK