Recovery process should be without sell-off

THE EDITOR, Madam:

As Jamaica recovers from the devastation of Hurricane Melissa, I first thank the leaders, first responders, soldiers, nurses, teachers, utility crews, church groups, and neighbours who stood in the line of fire. Their work has not gone unnoticed. The people see the weight they carry and appreciate every act that keeps our people safe.

Even as rebuilding begins, Jamaicans at home and across the diaspora are asking for something deeper: to protect Jamaica’s land and sovereignty. Genuine help is welcome, but not if it comes with conditions that sell out people’s freedom or weaken Jamaica’s independence. Titles fade; nationhood doesn’t. Wherever we live, the island lives in us, and the black, green, and gold remain sacred.

Jamaica must be built on integrity, wisdom, and fairness. We’ve weathered storms before, and we’ll do it again if we move as one people, under one spirit. Make it easier for Jamaicans, both home and abroad, to invest, return, and rebuild without losing what makes the island sacred. It is heartbreaking to see beaches and public spaces our families once enjoyed now fenced off behind paywalls and private gates. Preserve access, protect our natural heritage, and uphold the birthright of every Jamaican as stewards of what God entrusted to this nation.

This is when opportunists without roots in Jamaica will try to scoop up land, assets, and resources at fire-sale prices, betting on the current hardship. Testing times reveal intentions: if the offer doesn’t lift the people and honour what God entrusted to Jamaica, it doesn’t belong on Jamaican soil. Jamaica is not up for grabs. Too often, partnerships signed in desperation leave paying the bill while others collect the profit. Each short-term deal becomes long-term debt for generations who never consented. Those truly benefiting are rarely the ones patching roads, reopening schools, or rebuilding lives after every storm. Jamaica deserves better than that cycle. Jamaica is likkle but tallawah — and tallawah is not for sale.

Let this be the line in the sand: investment must honour the people, protect the place, and keep a fair share of the wealth. The government should publish land transfers, leases, and concessions in plain language. Tie major projects to binding community benefits, open beaches and parks, clean water, good jobs, skills training, and disaster resilience. Set clear floors for local ownership of strategic assets and create low-fee, regulated pathways for diaspora investment. Require reinvestment at home, enforce clawbacks when promises are broken, and keep heritage coasts and rivers under Jamaican control. Transparency or no deal.

If there’s no real home to come home to, what are we building for? Let this recovery remind the nation who it is: Out of Many, One People. One island. One Jamaica.

SHETAYIA BLACKWOOD