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Pres. Ali says Govt. willing to assist Mocha squatters who sued State over demolition of homes
Kaieteur News-The government of Guyana is willing to assist the Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara (EBD) squatters who had sued the State over the demolition of their homes, President Irfaan Ali said on Thursday.
In a live broadcast via his Facebook page, the President said that his government has an “open door policy” for all citizens and is willing to work with and assist the squatters.
President Irfaan Ali (Pres. Ali says Govt…
On Friday, the High Court dismissed the case filed by the six Mocha Arcadia, EBD squatters. The court also ordered the squatters to pay $1 million to the State.
“First of all, let me say on the Mocha Arcadia squatters issue, we are a Humane government; we don’t see PNC /APNU whatever form the PNC / AFC whatever form they have; we see every single citizen as a responsibility of the PPP/ Civic government and that is why we offered all those who were squatting in Mocha an opportunity one that was fair the few who are misled by Norton and the PNC and the AFC,” President Ali said.
He stressed that while the court has ruled, his government is for the people.
“We are a government that will embrace the people every single time and whilst they say silent on you; your president is ready to receive you. Your president is always ready to work with you. Your government, the people’s Progressive Party Civic government has an open door and open policy to make the life of every Guyanese better, including yours,” he said.
The President noted nonetheless that he is happy that the squatters had an opportunity to see who cared for them and who wanted to use them.
“I’m happy you had the opportunity to see who saw you as pawn. It is unfortunate and sad that such political entity and individuals exist but now you know that you have a friend in us…” he said.
Last year, squatters, Mark Gorgon, Shenika Simpson, Roxane Allen, Joyann Ellis, Junior Ellis, and Luretia George, who had been occupying lands on Block ‘X’ Plantation Herstelling (now part of the Four-Lane Heroes Highway), argued that they had acquired prescriptive rights to the land and sought $200 million in damages.
The Applicants claimed, inter alia that they hold prescriptive rights over the Mocha Arcadia lands, while also seeking declarations for breaches of their fundamental rights under Articles 141 (Protection from Inhuman Treatment), 142 (2) (Deprivation of Property) and 143 (Protection against Arbitrary Entry) of the Constitution.
However, Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George ruled that the squatters, “have no rights, interests or title to the lands, which are lands owned by the State,” a statement issued by the Attorney General Chambers said.
Justice George’s ruling outlined that the squatters failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove their claims. The court found that they had not demonstrated any prescriptive rights to the land prior to the enactment of the Title to Land (Prescription and Limitation) Amendment Act of 2011. Additionally, no credible or tangible evidence was presented to prove they had acquired legal title to the land or had any right to remain there.
The court also noted that the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) had issued multiple notices to the squatters to be relocated and informed them that the land could not be regularized because it was needed for the construction of the Four-Lane Heroes Highway. The CHPA had also made efforts to incentivize the relocation by providing house lots to the squatters. Despite this, the six squatters remained on the land and refused relocation. As a result, in January 2023, the government demolished their homes, while over 150 relocated.
Furthermore, the Chief Justice ruled that the squatters were trespassers and that CHPA had the legal right to remove them stating, “CHPA was entitled to remove them; they therefore remained at their own peril.”
The squatters’ claims of constitutional breaches, including violations of their rights to protection from inhuman treatment, deprivation of property, and protection from arbitrary entry, were also dismissed as unfounded and unsupported by credible evidence.
(Pres. Ali says Govt. willing to assist Mocha squatters who sued State over demolition of homes)
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