Submitted by the Mahogany Coconut Think Tank/Watchdog Group

“These fields and hills beyond recall are now are very own” Barbados National Anthem.”

Really?

Two or so decades ago, Barbadians could scrape up a few thousand dollars, approach their bank or credit union and with pride, proceed to purchase a piece of land. They refer to such an exercise as: “owning a piece of the rock.”

The Mahogany Coconut Group has been in the forefront of demanding that the collective BLP/DLP government, develops a land use policy, that will ensure that the dream of Barbadians owning a piece of land does not completely disappear.

Far from even pretending to attempt a progressive land use policy, the BLP/DLP politicians and their assortment of greedy lawyer friends, have shamelessly become the main architects of ensuring that land is out of the reach, of the average citizen. The real estate moguls and speculators are reaping millions on a daily basis while others are paying as much as $600. Bds. To rent a room in somebody’s house.

We are now convinced that the prophetic words of the late Prime Minister, Mr. Errol Barrow, that one day Barbadians will wake up and discover their country no longer belongs to them, is rapidly becoming a revelation.

As a public service, we now list a sample of the exorbitant land prices being offered in Barbados:

Parish Price BDS. Price per Square Foot

Christ Church $240,000. (12,000 sq.ft) $20.00

St.Michael $ 315,000. (10,500 sq.ft) $30.00

St.George $ 520,000. (6,500 sq.ft) $80.00

St.Philip $ 525,000. (6,385 sq.ft) $82.00

Should this trend continue, we can safely predict, that within another twenty years, the average Barbadian will be essentially landless. Citizens will be at the mercy of unscrupulous landlords and even slumlords. Barrow’s prophecy will be fulfilled.

We hope not!