Selective Law Enforcement?
Date: April 12th, 2019 Dear Editor/Newsroom,
On Friday 12th April 2019, it was reported that a Point Fortin woman was fined, by the Point Fortin Magistrate‟s Court, $51,000.00 for building a ten by ten-foot house on state land. The action to remove her was brought by the Point Fortin Regional Corporation.
Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) do not condone any form of illegal conduct or discriminatory prosecution. FFOS respectfully asks the Minister of Planning and Development Honourable Camille Robinson-Regis, whether the Law should be upheld on the „discretion‟ of public officers or whether the Law should be applied without fear or favour.
What is Minister Regis’ legislative agenda to address the ongoing threat of land grabbing opportunists, several of whom are middle class citizens that are invading the northern, eastern and western boundaries of the Aripo Savannas. These biodiverse Savannas were awarded the highest protection under Law by being declared an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA in 2007.
In 1998, the then Government succeeded in litigation all the way to the Privy Council against 42 illegal squatters residing in the Aripo Savannas/Long Stretch Forest Reserve. Today 21 years later, no enforcement action was ever taken and the problem of illegal land grabbing has escalated nationwide. In 2003, it was estimated that approximately 375 hectares of land within the Aripo Savannas were already gobbled up by land thieves and yet, no intervention by past and present Governments. Fast forward to 2014 where the Ministry of Land and Marine Resources reported that almost 100 acres of pristine forest reserve had been cleared by illegal developers … with scant regard for the environmental impact. According to Minister Rambharat, there are literally “thousands of people living on protected lands across the country. In east Trinidad, 11 forest reserves have been occupied by squatters”.
Minister Regis is called upon and tell us what is her plan to uphold the law.
It sends a mixed signal if one section of our country is prosecuting, possibly persecuting, one squatter while thousands of other land grabbing opportunists are encouraged to continue occupying state land.
Minister Regis please make a statement; your silence is deafening.
Sincerely,
Gary Aboud Corporate Secretary Fishermen and Friends of the SeaSincerely,