Gonsalves Blasts Government for Halting Approved Payments
Political leader Ralph Gonsalves has strongly criticized the current administration’s handling of land and housing disputes, accusing the government of attempting to unlawfully reverse land allocations that were properly approved under his administration.
According to Gonsalves, numerous individuals have recently approached the ULP and “people’s defense committees” after government officials at the Lands and Surveys department refused to accept their payments for state lands.
Gonsalves explained that these individuals had already been formally recommended for the lands by the Chief Surveyor and approved by the Cabinet, yet they are now being told the government is “reviewing” the transactions and will not accept further payments.
Gonsalves specifically took aim at the current Minister of Housing, dismissing the minister’s claim that the government has a right to review and potentially withdraw these land offers. Gonsalves argued this stance violates basic contract law and accused the minister of talking “foolishness”. He stressed that once the state makes an offer and the citizen accepts it—either by paying a deposit or arriving to pay within the allotted period—a “binding contract” is established that the government cannot simply cancel.
He further mocked the housing minister for initially alleging “corruption in housing and lands” before walking the statement back to claim that some processes merely “didn’t go proper or right”. Gonsalves firmly rejected the insinuation that only ULP supporters received land prior to the election, insisting that citizens of “all political stripes” benefit from the process and must be given the land they paid for.
Addressing a related issue, Gonsalves highlighted the absurdity of the government’s approach to individuals who were granted land years ago and built homes but have not yet fully paid the balance for the property. He warned that attempting to repossess the land and consequently the house built upon it would incite a “riot in the land”.
Gonsalves advised the administration that their proper legal recourse is to take individuals with outstanding balances to court to enforce the payment, rather than attempting to seize their homes. Ultimately, he dismissed the government’s current strategy regarding land and housing as “bare foolishness” and reiterated his commitment to advising citizens on how to protect their binding contracts.