Making wills will curtail violence and family disputes, says Chuck

WESTERN BUREAU:

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck is urging Jamaicans to embrace estate planning, peaceful conflict resolution, and closer cooperation with the police, as critical factors in limiting family disputes and social disorder, which he says is helping to fuel violence across the country.

Chuck, who was speaking at yesterday’s first of several regional Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Policy Development and Estate Planning Forum at the Ocean Coral Spring Resort, in Trelawny, Chuck said inheritance disputes and unresolved conflicts continue to place a heavy burden on the justice system while contributing to tensions within communities.

“We have a major problem in that the administrator general is burdened. They dispose of hundreds of cases every year, but the more they dispose of cases, the more cases come in,” said Chuck.

According to Chuck, too many Jamaicans continue to die without wills, leaving relatives divided over the distribution of houses, land and other assets.

“The Administrator General comes under the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, and I would like to get rid of that department, but the way to get rid of the department is that everybody needs to make a will,” he said.

Chuck further noted that many estates remain unresolved because beneficiaries cannot agree on how property should be shared.

“Sometimes you have several persons in an estate who all have different opinions as to how the estate should be disposed of. One wants the house, the other six want it sold, so that they can get their portion, and the end result, nothing is decided,” he noted.

According to Chuck, more than $50 billion in estates and assets remain tied up within the Administrator General’s Department, with some properties deteriorating because of insufficient resources for upkeep.

“The Administrator General has over $50 billion of estate and money tied up that they don’t necessarily want,” he said.

So, to prevent the problems caused by not making a will, Chuck wants all Jamaicans to make wills and begin planning for retirement and financial security early in life.

“The most important outcome of this meeting is that everyone inside here should have made a will,” said Chuck, in encouraging Jamaicans to put their financial situation in order before retirement. 

“In fact, I would encourage every single one, and I want you to pass on that message [that], by age 40, you should have another source of income apart from your main source of income.” 

In linking unresolved “dead lef” disputes and domestic disagreements to Jamaica’s broader problem of violence, Chuck said mediation and ADR are essential in preventing conflicts from escalating.

“Violence solves nothing. What violence does is to escalate to further violence,” said Chuck, arguing that many disputes worsen because individuals refuse to respect opposing views. “The slightest thing causes conflict and dispute. Instead of finding ways and means to resolve the conflict, they use violence.”  

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com