By Michael Spence
Michael Spence
It is time we admit a hard truth: Ending squatting and housing every Jamaican cannot be achieved by slogans alone. "Easier said than done" is not an excuse, but it is a warning.
For decades, the National Housing Trust has functioned less like a savings vehicle and more like a housing tax—what some have called a National Housing Pyramid Scheme.
Only a fraction of contributors ever see a draw-down. Worse, successive governments have dipped into the NHT fund for projects only marginally related to housing.
That money should have been used to regularize informal settlements and eliminate squatting. We cannot afford to forget our history.
From 1834 to 1838, the formerly enslaved were freed into pennilessness and pushed onto marginal lands. We are, in many ways, the Black descendants of that forced squatting. The cycle should have ended long ago.
The economic data show why urgency matters. According to World Bank and IMF figures, Jamaica’s real GDP per capita remains among the lowest in the Caribbean:
Haiti: $2,694
Jamaica: $8,003
Dominican Republic: $11,059
Trinidad and Tobago: $18,967
Barbados: $28,335
Guyana: $32,414
Bahamas: $40,005
Cayman Islands: $104,293
Only Haiti ranks below us. That is not a position a proud, independent nation should accept.
Our trade imbalance tells the same story. In 2025 Jamaica imported US$7.6 billion while exporting just US$2 billion. If this continues, we risk becoming more than an “irie dancehall” — we become global socio-economic squatters. Dependent on borrowing, remittances, and, for too many, on the illicit economy of scamming and other crime.
This must change. Jamaica needs more production, more exports, and real import substitution. We need jobs that build wealth, not debt.
We need a housing policy that delivers on its promise and fiscal discipline that protects contributors’ money for its intended purpose.
We have the culture. We have the lyrics. Now we need to ride the rhythm of productivity.
Only then will Emancipation and Independence carry their full meaning. No more economic squatting. It is time to build.
Michael Spence
Michael Spence is a graduate of Cornwall College and the University of the West Indies. He is a trained teacher, a sociologist, and a writer for Bark Di Trute.
Micspen2@hotmail.com
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Im not an educated person but I really love how you put it brother
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with your points.
Education can also pose a problem. This blog is for all those who can at least read and understand.
DeleteIndeed! Education is the academic and historical reading we do for self. Educational trainibg is the fiat of the Academy. Agree with your points. I hope the corruption of the political elites does not stand in the way of real reform.
ReplyDelete