JAMAICA | Opposition Unveils Ambitious Land Reform Plan to Tackle Jamaica's Housing Crisis

KINGSTON, Jamaica, June 25, 2025 - In a bold policy intervention that could reshape Jamaica's approach to land ownership, South West Clarendon MP and Opposition Shadow Minister of Land Lothan Cousins, has outlined what he describes as the most comprehensive land reform initiative in the nation's modern history.

Speaking during his sectoral debate contribution, the opposition Shadow Minister presented a detailed framework aimed at addressing the tenure insecurity plaguing over 600,000 Jamaicans living in informal settlements.

Cousins' proposal strikes at the heart of a crisis that has festered for decades, where one in five Jamaicans lacks legal title to the land they call home. His plan would allow long-term occupants of Crown lands to purchase their plots at affordable rates, providing the legal recognition that transforms squatters into stakeholders and communities into assets rather than liabilities.

"We are not giving away land," Cousins emphasized, articulating a vision that balances social justice with fiscal responsibility. "But if you've lived on government land for decades, you deserve a path to ownership.

That's how we build pride, progress, and independence, not just for individuals, but for the nation." The distinction is crucial—this isn't charity but a structured approach to regularizing an existing reality.

The scope of Jamaica's informal settlement challenge lends urgency to Cousins' intervention. Recent data shows over 600,000 people live in communities lacking tenure, services, and safety, with murder rates in informal areas running five-to-10 times higher than in formal communities.

The human cost is staggering: families in places like Lakes Pen and Naggo Head face homicide risks that would be unconscionable in formal neighborhoods.

Census data reveals the problem's acceleration, with households occupying land illegally increasing 44 percent between 2001 and 2011, rising from 21,798 to 31,439 units. More recent analysis suggests continued deterioration, making Cousins' proposals not just politically attractive but administratively necessary.

The centerpiece of his reform agenda involves modernizing Jamaica's antiquated Registration of Titles Act, which currently demands 60 years of continuous occupation before Crown land claims can be considered.

By international standards, this requirement appears excessive. The United Kingdom reduced its period to 10 years, while Cousins proposes a more conservative 25-year threshold for Jamaica, excepting foreshore lands.

"That's more than enough time for the State to act responsibly," Cousins argued, highlighting a reasonable middle ground between protecting state interests and acknowledging ground realities.

His approach draws inspiration from successful international models, particularly Dominica's land regularization program, where long-term occupants received legal ownership, helping to stabilize and uplift entire communities.

The housing affordability component of Cousins' plan addresses middle-class concerns that extend far beyond informal settlements. By excluding land costs from National Housing Trust pricing, the proposal could reduce unit costs by $2.5 to $3 million, bringing homeownership within reach of teachers, nurses, public servants, and young professionals increasingly priced out of the market.

This intervention acknowledges a harsh arithmetic: even with recent NHT loan limit increases to $9 million for individuals, many essential workers remain locked out of formal housing markets. Cousins' proposal offers a pathway that doesn't require endless subsidy escalation but instead attacks the cost structure at its foundation.

Perhaps most compelling is Cousins' observation about existing infrastructure investment. Many informal communities already receive government services—roads, water, electricity—making legal recognition "the final step" rather than the first.

"We've connected the utilities. We've paved the roads. It's time we finish the job and give people the legal recognition they deserve," he noted, highlighting the inefficiency of providing services while denying tenure.

The implementation challenges are substantial but not insurmountable. Current regularization efforts manage just 208 titles annually compared to 58,000 in the 1990s, suggesting the need for both process reform and capacity building.

Cousins acknowledges this reality, proposing consultation-based approaches that recognize each community's unique circumstances while maintaining flexibility for necessary relocations due to environmental or safety concerns.

The financial implications require careful consideration. While excluding land costs from NHT pricing offers immediate affordability gains, the government must absorb these expenses somewhere in its budget. Smart policy design could leverage land sales revenue to fund infrastructure improvements, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of formalization and development.

Critics may question the timing of such ambitious proposals from an opposition party, but Cousins' framework demonstrates serious policy thinking rather than mere electoral positioning. His references to international best practices, acknowledgment of implementation complexities, and emphasis on consultation suggest genuine engagement with the technical challenges involved.

The broader economic argument is compelling. Land ownership builds generational wealth, encourages community investment, and creates spillover effects that increase adjoining formal property values by 15-to-25 percent after regularization.

For a country seeking sustainable development paths, transforming informal settlements into formal communities offers multiple dividends.

Cousins frames his proposals as "the largest transfer of wealth from the State to the people in modern Jamaican history," but the description understates the mutual benefits involved.

When governments provide legal recognition to existing realities, they gain taxpayers, voters with stakes in stability, and communities capable of self-investment rather than perpetual dependency.

The success of any such initiative will depend on execution rather than rhetoric. Jamaica has attempted land reform before with mixed results, suggesting the need for robust institutional frameworks, adequate funding, and sustained political commitment across electoral cycles.

But Cousins' comprehensive approach—combining tenure reform, housing affordability measures, and infrastructure recognition—offers a promising foundation for addressing one of Jamaica's most persistent challenges.

Whether implemented by the PNP or adopted by the current administration, the core insights driving Cousins' proposals deserve serious consideration.

Jamaica's 600,000 informal settlement residents represent not just a policy challenge but a human opportunity—families ready to transform from squatters to stakeholders if provided the legal framework to do so.

The question isn't whether Jamaica can afford such reform, but whether it can afford to continue the status quo.

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