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Understanding the rationality of Guyanese squatters

Mar 06, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
I read in Kaieteur News of 1st March 2016 that the Minister with responsibility for housing – Ms’ Valerie Adams-Patterson observed that some persons who have been allotted house lots are selling these.  The Minister also voiced government intention to “regularize many squatting areas.” As it relates to the Minister’s observation, it is perfectly understandable why the poor would sell their house lots which they could not use for absence of resources to build homes. As regards Government’s decision to regularize many squatting areas, this is a development I applaud even though regularization will do little to reduce the challenges posed to the society by squatting.
The make- up of the squatter population to some extent explains why a squatting area is usually made up of poorly constructed houses and quickly takes on the appearance of a ghetto. When squatting, the poor cannot afford to use their scarce resource in constructing strong, beautiful homes when they know at any time those buildings could be bulldozed. The construction of more sturdy and beautiful houses in squatting areas is one of the only likely positive outcomes deriving from regularization. But since squatting is a resort of the poor, shabby buildings will continue to be a feature of such areas even with regularization.
The squatting problem is widespread in Guyana and it seems to be most prevalent in and close to our towns and the capital city; this is no surprise. In the case of Georgetown, the squatter community is made up of primarily two groups. First, unskilled and semi -skilled persons who have moved to the city in search of employment. Secondly, the ranks of the squatting population is made up of  natives of the city who are from poor families living in overcrowded homes who are seeking to start their own families.
Squatting in the city and its immediate environ is placing unbearable pressure on the city’s infrastructure. An ugly consequence of this pressure becomes visible with the fairly regular overflowing of the city’s sewage system. A system that was not designed to cater for so many citizens. It seems to me that for us to bring an end to squatting at least the following has to be corrected: (a) we will have to make development a bit more even across the country, if not citizens will be forced to migrate to the city. (b) The minimum wage will have to be a livable wage, (c) The price of material for building homes will have to be within the reach of low income citizens. On this latter point, I have always felt that when we allowed the clay brick production to die we were inadvertently making it more difficult for the poor to be able to build decent homes.  Had we helped the clay brick factories to stay in production there is good reason to believe that the price for these bricks would have fallen, leading to increase use by citizens and a reduction in our need to import so much cement. Also clay bricks are much more attractive than cement blocks and makes painting unnecessary, thus contributing to the further reduction in the cost of building a home.
Mister Editor, when we look at squatting in this fairly comprehensive manner it dawns on us that squatting initially was a symptom of greater problem/s in the Guyanese society. It was because we left this symptom unattended that allowed it to grow into a problem. I am disturbed, since what the honorable Minister had to say about what the Government’s plans to do in an effort to reduce squatting, gives me little comfort that its objective in this matter will be realized.
Claudius Prince

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