What is the President going to do?

Jun 06, 2024 Letters

Dear Editor
The Guyana Chronicle on 5th June quotes the President as saying “we are also going to take strong measures against those landholders with large plots of land and leases that are doing nothing. But they are sitting on it, and they are profiteering on it. Because many of them are illegally selling the leases”.

As an example, let’s flash back to the explosive discovery that well known PNC Member and Activist – James Bond was found doing just the same thing the President is talking about in this article. Charges were laid but nothing more was heard of that published case. It seems that Bond indeed profited and invested his money into his Cigars and Cognac Bar. If this isn’t money laundering, then what is? Who cares and who will do something about these illegal acts? For now, no one is doing anything meaningful.

There are laws in place but to no effect as they are being broken every day by the lawmakers and the powerful in society. When land is issued to you by the Government, it is issued at preferential rates which cannot be obtained on the open market; as such, there are special conditions that come with those lands. One of those conditions is that you cannot transfer to a 3rd party, etc. Here we see that it is known by the highest Authority in the land, the President himself, but his comment on the matter is that we are going to do so and so… When and what are you going to do Mr. President?

Not too long ago were heard of a scheme at the CH&PA, that too has gone quiet. Shame on you Minister Croal and Rodrigues.

The fact is more scrutiny is needed in the issuance of Titled and Lease lands as these are not published in the official gazette as transfers of transported properties are. While it is acknowledged that the process for transferring a transported property is onerous and the use of Titles and Leases speeds up the process, it does lack transparency and credibility and has been misused. A good first step is to have details of titles and leases published in the Official Gazette which the same information that is published for transported properties.

The fact of the matter is that there is no one assigned the responsibility for curbing illegal use of titled and lease land within the CH&PA and the Guyana Lands and Survey’s Commission. Daily Facebook publications advertise lands that were issued by the Government at preferential rates that cannot be sold or transferred within 10 years…these are advertisements clearly indicates transferable in 5 years, not transferable and so on. The scheme here is a cash transaction and the issuance of an irrevocable agreement to transfer the land at the end of the 10-year period. So, I ask again what are you going to do Mr. President? Pass more laws, when existing laws are not being followed?

Yours sincerely
Marcus Perry.

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