By Carlena Knight
Although they have seemingly exhausted all legal avenues to halt the selling of lands in Barbuda, BPM Leader Trevor Walker declared he “will continue to fight”.
Walker was one of two who brought a case against the Attorney General arguing that lands on the sister isle are owned in common, but he and Mackenzie Frank lost their case at the country’s final appellate court last June, clearing the way for central government to proceed with the Barbuda land registry.
However, Walker says campaigners are looking at ways to continue their cause.
“We know legally we went to the Privy Council and all that but we are looking at all our options.
“Clearly, [the selling of land] is not something that majority of the Barbudans want. Like anywhere else there are pockets, a small minority who supports the Labour Party, that probably supports what [the Prime Minister] is doing, but I would say more than two-thirds of the island do not support that … it has no local support from the very people who live on the island,” the Barbuda MP said.
He also squashed claims that Barbudans are not amenable to “outsiders” being in possession of land on the sister isle.
“We are not saying people can’t come here to live. My brother is a Jamaican, people live here, people have land from all over, lands are leased – but the notion of selling land is the issue, we are against selling land.
“I don’t think a lot of people understand what we are saying as well because the impression is given that only Barbudans have land on the island and that’s not the case. We just don’t support the notion of land being sold,” he clarified.
And despite protest action lingering over their heads, central government is moving forward with its plans.
According to Prime Minister Gaston Browne, land in Barbuda could start to be sold “in a matter of months”.
“Our government has made a decision already that we are going to establish a register in Barbuda; in fact, the work is ongoing. So, within a matter of months we will be selling land in Barbuda to Antiguans and Barbudans,” Browne revealed.
The issue of Barbudan land has been a hot topic in the twin island state of Antigua and Barbuda for decades, however it was reignited in recent years.
The Barbuda lands case was mounted following the passage of the Paradise Found Act 2015 which nullified critical sections of the Barbuda Land Act 2007.
BPM members contended at the time that Barbuda’s land was owned in common by all Barbudans, and that the Paradise Found Act was therefore unconstitutional.
The government lost an earlier application to have the case struck out by a lower court, but the matter was subsequently sent to the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court which sided with the government.
The case was then taken to the country’s final appellate court, the London-based Privy Council, which last year upheld the Supreme Court’s ruling.