The St Vincent government is currently investigating the previous administration’s land distribution practices, specifically focusing on 67 plots of land which the administration said were “arbitrarily” given out just before the elections.
Minister of Housing Andrew John says the government has officially placed a hold on the passage of these lands because they are unclear on how the specific recipients were selected, especially since a list of over 2,000 other applicants was reportedly ignored and never considered.
The investigation is part of a broader critique of past land governance, which the NDP describes as being burdened by “outdated processes,” “inconsistent decision making,” and gaps that created space for “disputes and corruption”.
John during his contribution to the budget, highlighted the Diamond Estate settlement as an area where “a lot of irregularities took place” regarding land distribution and formalisation. To rectify this, they are launching a pilot program there to upgrade the informal settlement with proper surveying, roads, and utilities.
The government aims to transition toward a modern land administration system that is “transparent, efficient, inclusive, and resilient”. This involves transforming the Land and Surveys Department into a “beacon of efficiency, transparency, and equity” to ensure land is surveyed and distributed properly to those who truly need it.
A primary motivation for these investigations is the belief that land ownership is the foundation of wealth.
The minister asserts that by fixing a “poorly” governed system, they can dismantle barriers to “economic advancement and intergenerational wealth” for young people and the vulnerable.