Bullets can't kill poverty

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Bullets can't kill poverty

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
fi smaddy who love chat bout plantation thinking vs black jamaicans, ur citing di Gleaner is funny not to mention laughable...the Gleaner of that time. as a reference for impartial journalism is like the current PNP saying misusing funds is wrong an strikly a JLP ting...unbelievable AND not believable....an ur paraphrase of said Gleaner is no great sale fi me eida.... </div></div>

LOL!

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Bullets can't kill poverty

fi smaddy who love chat bout plantation thinking vs black jamaicans, ur citing di Gleaner is funny not to mention laughable...the Gleaner of that time. as a reference for impartial journalism is like the current PNP saying misusing funds is wrong an strikly a JLP ting...unbelievable AND not believable....an ur paraphrase of said Gleaner is no great sale fi me eida....
Th ehleaner was the major news media 0f th etome and the only one that has archive that can be checked. Just because they cause th eproblem doesen't mean that they won't make money repurting it too The forign media was reporting it to, so they had to report it, but with their own spin on it. One thing we all can say it happened.

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Bullets can't kill poverty

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Littleman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Littleman says:
<span style="color: #660000">That economy that was growing at the 6% rate, was focused on a minority, the rest of us had to accept whatever <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">scraps</span></span> fell of the proverbial table. Granted, I was a young 'un then, and not so serious in my thinking at the time, but I do remember <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">where my place was</span></span>, as I'm sure some Jamaicans of the time would. The first sell-out was the one commonly referred to as the <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">spy</span></span>, who used to go to Miami to let the folks there know that Jamaica was going communist, and shouldn't be invested in. Now, even if there was that significant a threat from communists, the approach should have been to improve investments as a way of weakening the threat...
If the so-called Menlie had not been in power, a lot of Jamaicans would have had <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">lives in the dark</span></span>, afraid to make themselves known, or seen. Menlie, or Manley, inspired people from common walks of life to have confidence in their ability to be themselves, to have hope, and to believe that the society existed to serve their interests as well, not merely that of the elite.
Naturally, as I stated before, mistakes were made, due to uncharted waters, hazards unseen were dealt with as they <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">impacted</span></span> us, a dynamic situation is not the best one in which to remain error-free.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Were it not for Manley, most of us would be looking over the proverbial fence, to see how the more privileged of our society lived, not having a hope ourselves of being able to fully participate.</span></span> </div></div>

<span style="font-style: italic">January 26, 1981</span>
<span style="font-weight: bold">Jamaica After the Election: Opportunity for Economic Recovery</span>
<span style="font-style: italic">by Kruger, Alexander
Backgrounder #131</span>


<span style="font-style: italic">(Archived document, may contain errors)</span>

131 January 26, 1981 JAMAICA AFTER THE ELECTIONS OPPORTUNITY FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY INTRODUCTION On August 6, 1962, the day Jamaica achieved its independence from Britain, the country's first Prime Minister, Alexander Bustamante, announced &quot;the irrevocable decision that Jamaica stands with the West and the.-United -S.tates I This irrevocable decision held true for one decade 1962-1972 the most prosperous decade in the island's history. During this period, Jamaica became an attractive site for foreign investment, rapidly increas- ing the. country's productivity and with it the Jamaican's standard of living. This prosperity came to an abrupt end following the victory of Michael Manley and the People's National Party (PNP) in the elections of 19

72. Manley proceeded to implement socialist reforms which eroded the country's economic structure until the economy nearly collapsed in 19

80. These reforms reduced the standard of living sharply and caused nearly half of all Jamaican professionals to .flee from the povertyistricken island. The recent election results in 1980, with the landslide victory of the pro-U.S. and free enterprise Jamaica Labour Party (JLP leader, Edward Seaga, have once again brought hope to the Jamaican people for better times ahead. Jamaica has the potential of becoming a viable free enterprise alternative to Cuba'.s' communist model Under the Seaga Administration MANLEY'S ECONOMIC FAILURE During its eight years in offic?, the Manley government almost completely destroyed the Jamaican economy.

Manley's defeat, unemployment was running at more than 35 percent; the figure stood at roughly 50 percent among the nation's youth.

Inflation had skyrocketed as well; prices had increased by 78 percent since 19

77. Even for those who could afford Jamaica's exhorbitant prices, it was still difficult to locate any'commodi At the time of 2 ties. In fact, the scarcity of such staples as bread and soap reportedly was the cause of riots in Kingston supermarkets.

Overall, Jamaica suffered a 25 percent reduction in its standard of living from 1972-1979 Manley placed the blame for his nation's plight upon imperial Manufacturing output declined by 10 percent during Manley's ism and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. In reality, however, much of Japaica's economic turmoil was home grown last year alone. Agricultural production diminished, with the important banana crop having fallen 78 percent in volume since Manley assumed power declined sharply since 1972 becoming Jamaica's principal source of foreign exchange developments derived largely from policies initiated by Manley during his eight years in power reforms under the banner of lldemocratic socialism&quot; measures ostensibly designed to decrease the island's still pervasive poverty, but which, coupled with Manley's pro-Cuban rhetoric began to take the appearance of &quot;creeping communism.&quot; Manley forced foreign mining companies to sell the majority of shares of their bauxite operations to the Jamaican government, and later introduced an expropriatory tax on bauxite exports. As a result Jamaica's share of world bauxite exports fell from 18 percent to 12 percent, with its net-'-production- declining by a third Overall Gross National Production had Only marijuana production increased These In his early years in office, Manley introduced a series of In a similar action, the Manley government nationalized eight of the island's twelve sugar plantations; since 1974 Jamaica's sugar production has fallen by 22 percent. Punitive tax policies, aimed primarily at the country's middle clas's contributed to a massive exodus of educated Jamaicans. During Manley's two terms in office,'an estimated 40 percent of Jamaica's professionals fled the island primarily to Britain, Canada and the U.S.

Manley's counter-productive socialist measures, combined with increased government size and spending, forced his govern turned to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for emergency relief Over the .course of the next two years, the IMF supplied Jamaican government pursue sounder economic policies. In 1980, however, when the IMF demanded that any new aid be accompanied by austerity measures, Manley terminated loan negotiations. As a result, the Manley Administration was unable to secure new loan agreenents from any of the 100-plus commercial banks holding more than 1 billion dollars in Jamaican government debts. The loans the Manley Administration did obtain 50 million from Libya and $43 million from European and OPEC nations, were insufficient to counter Jamaica's 1980 deficit. ment to seek loans to remain functioning. In 1978, Jamaica Jamai.ca. with 350 .million an tems:which; required that the 3 Due to Jamaica's insolvency, foreign exchange reserves were depleted, making it impossible for manufacturers. to import vital industrial commodities. This, in turn, exacerbated Jamaica's unemployment problem: from January 1980 through September 1980 78 factories were forced to close, adding at least 5100 people to the island's unemployment rolls. According to the best economic surveys, per capita income in Jamaica fell about 40 percent during the Manley years I FOREIGN POLICY UNDER MANLEY Since 1974, Manley pushed his country closer and closer into the Soviet orbit, and developed particularly good ties to the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. Manley became a staunch suppor ter of Cuban interventionism in Africa and defended the placement of Soviet combat troops in Cuban bases. At me same time, he condemned the U.S. military presence in the area as tlimperialism.tl Ironically, the Soviets have praised Manley's Jamaica as a true non-aligned country within the Third World.

Manley's hostility to the West extended beyond the North-South debate; he opposed Western society on a variety of social and political issues. In a speech before the Conference of Non-Aligned Nations in Havana on September 4, 1979, Manley declared: &quot;We may call ourselves communists, socialists or humanists or simply progressive, but all anti-imperialists know that the balance of power irrevocably changed in 1917 when there was a movement and a man in the Great October Revolution, and Lenin was the catalyst and unmovable r0ck.I the U.S he went on to state NO area in the world has been more exposed or has experienced more or been closer to imperialism than Latin America and the Caribbean. We have seen Guatemala's progressive forces extinguished destroyed in the Dominican Republic and undermined and finally overthrown in Chile.Ill Ilthose who struggle for the independence of Puerto Rice and denouncing the Ileconomic blockade against Cuball and the U.S military presence in Cuba's Guantanomo Bay. In the speech Manley indicated llnon-alignmenttt should not be confused with llneutralityll in the conflict between the Western and Communist worlds. In a similar speech presented by Manley during his April 1979 Soviet tour, he praised Cuba and the Soviet Union for their actions in Africa and referred to Brezhnev as 'lour respected comrade, the genuine friend of all national liberation movements the leader and ally of all those who struggle against imperial- ism To specifically associate imperialism with In the same speech, Manley pursued the anti-U.S. stance by supporting Foreign Broadcast Information Service, Latin America, Daily Report Tuesday, September 18, 1979, Vol. VI, No. 182, Supp. 026, Speeches at Sixth Nonalined [sic] Foreign Ministers Summit Neetings, Part I, pp 43-45.

Steven D. Symms, &quot;Manley's Soviet Love-Fest: Is Jamaica the Next Cuba Congressional Record, July 17, 1979, p. E3691. 4 The Carter Administration's Ilideological pluralismll policy designed to demonstrate its &quot;tolerance of ideological diversity,Il provided the Manley government with a large increase in U.S foreign assistance. In contrast to the Ford Administration which provided Jamaica with a modest $2.2 million in economic assistance for 1976, the Carter Administration increased the economic assistance to Jamaica to $32.1 million for 19

77. This American nations and the Carter Administration, since these traditional allies of the U.S. received far less generous assist ance from the United States. An economic officer at the Jamaican Embassy in Washington pointed out prior to the Jamaican October 1980 elections that, since 1977, the U.S. has given Jamaica almost $100 million in aid apart from the $22 million which had been made available to Jamaica through the Food for Peace Program.

In addition to economic aid, the Carter Administration also sought to provide the Manley government with diplomatic support I policy created friction between the pro-U.S. Caribbean and Latin In 1977, Manley was received warmly by President Carter at the White House on the very day the Jamaican leader chided the World Bank for having failed to invite Cuba to a conference on Caribbean development. Although the $100 million in aid failed to persuade the Manley government to become less hostile to the U.S Carter sent four high-level delegations to Jamaica one headed by First Lady Rosalynn Carter, one by State Department official Philip Habib, and two by former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young.

It is fitting that Andrew Young should have been sent twice to Jamaica to represent the Carter Administration, for in many ways the President's accommodating view of Manley's anti Americanism is the product of the former Ambassador. In an article written for the Washington Post (August 25, 1980) Ambassa dor Young wrote &quot;The American difficulties with Jamaica began with Henry Kissinger in 1975&quot; when Kissinger attempted to solicit Jamaican support for U.S. opposition to Cuba's intervention in Ango 1 a.

Ambassador Young conveniently overlooked a variety of hostile actions taken by Manley prior to 1975: his expropriation of American-owned. mining operations, his anti-American invective and his attempts to establish an OPEC-style bauxite cartel. Even if Young were correct that the first sign of friction between Washington and Kingston arose over the issue of Angola his failure to see anything amiss in .Manley's hypocritical approval of Soviet imperialism reflected the Carter Administration's failure to understand the threat imposed to the U.S. security by pro-Soviet or anti-U.S. elements of the Third World. Manley, of course, was weil aware of the Carter Administration's leniency with his nation; thus, Carter ought not to have been surprised when, after having accepted millions in aid from the U.S Manley- proceeded to attack the U.S. so vehemently before the Havana Conference of the so-called non-aligned nations, and again in the Soviet Union during his April 1979 tour I I 5 CUBA AND JAMAICA criticism of the U.S., contributed greatly to the flight of talent from Jamaica sionals that left the country, Manley sought help from Fidel Castro, who provided doctors, teachers, and management personnel from Cuba. Manley tried to downplay the Cuban role, claiming that only 450 Cubans were working in Jamaica; opposition party JLP) leaders claimed that an accurate figure would be closer to 5,000 Prior to Jamaica's latest election, Cuba's diplomatic delegation was the largest in Kingston, attracting criticism from both the Jamaica Labour Party and Jamaica's free press It is widely believed that the Cuban diplomats were engaging in systematic destabilization. There is evidence to support such claim: Ulises Estrada, Cuba's Ambassador to Jamaica through October 1980, is the former head of Castro's 'Iliberationll campaign aimed at fomenting revolution throughout Latin America. Thus, it should come'as no surprise that a 19,000 pound container of shotgun cartridges was confiscated enroute to the Moonex Interna- tional Establishment, allegedly a Cuban front company operated by a Lichtenstein.company with branches in Panama and Jamaica.

Shortly after the discovery of the shipment, the Cuban manager of the Jamaican company branch, Rupert0 Hart, was spotted in Miami on board a Cuban diplomatic jet with the Cuban Ambassador to Jamaica and the head of the Jamaican Ministry of Security ty by training and indoctrinating a new police force comprised of PNP supporters (the Jamaican Home Guard) and a communist guerrilla type brigade (the Brigadistas). The Home Guard and the Brigadistas had been built up to the point where they were nearly as powerful as the combined regular police and the Jamaican Defense Forces.

The Home Guard and the Brigadistas, loyal to the People's National Party, provided that party with an excellent tool for political intimidation or a possible coup the local police force traditionally had been impervious to politicization. Manley, however, sought to change this by sending new recruits to Cuba for basic training and by procuring an increasing proportion of his armaments from Eastern bloc sources Manley's socialist economic policies, as well as his harsh In order to replace the thousands of profes Cuba also sought to play a role in Jamaica's internal securi The Jamaican Defense Forces and Manley also attempted to politicize the Jamaican press. 1972, his government bought Jamaica's only independently owned radio station, giving it complete control of the island's electro nic media. Jamaica's last remaining independent information service prior to the election was the newspaper Daily Gleaner.

Next to his political opposition, it has proven to be Manley'a single greatest and most influential detractor. Accordingly, the PNP government attempted to silence the Gleaner. Using Jamaica's economic difficulties as a convenient pretext, it gained control of the importation and distribution of newsprint, thus giving it the power to shut down the paper completely. The government then funded a competitive daily paper, and, when the Gleaner published In I an article stating that both Cuba and the Jamaican Security Ministry were involved in the covert importation of weaponry, a PNP Parliamentary committee served an unconstitutional summons to Gleaner reporters in order to determine the author of the contro versial article THE 1980 ELECTIONS Given this combination of economic disintegration coupled with the destabilizing influence of communist Cuba and Manley's announcement of upcoming elections in Jamaica, it is not surpris ing that Jamaica experienced an unprecedented rise in crime and violence. Kingston was a virtual war zone, unsafe to walk through even in broad daylight. What had been particularly troubling about this rise in social disorder was the fact that much of it was politically inspired, with the capital literally divided into PNP and JLP territory, with political murders and reprisals a common occurrence.

Following Manley's February 1980 announcement of an election date later during the year, opponents to the People's National Party expressed their concern that a replay of the 1976 elections might take place. At that time Manley called for elections, ar?,d then used internal strife as an excuse for declaring a state of emergency and imprisoning his foes.3 A tactic employed in the 1976 elections was used in 1980 namely, the importation of American CIA critics who were more than willing to claim that the U.S. government was responsible for the destabilization taking place, and that the ultimate goal of such illegal interference in Jamaica's internal affairs was the overthrow of Manley.

In 1976, the PNP brought in CIA turncoat Philip Agee; in 1980, it was Louis Wolf, co-editor of the &quot;Covert Action Information Bulletin.&quot; Wolf made public a list of 15 so-called CIA operatives in Jamaica, and provided such information as their telephone numbers, home addresses, and license plate numbers. The Manley government allowed the state-run media to publish Wolf's list twice! Furthermore, PNT youth operatives distributed such information in flyer form, clearly demonstrating PNP support for Wolf's visit. The day after the publication of Wolf's list, the home of a political officer at the U.S. Embassy listed by Wolf as chief CIA operative was attacked by gunfire.

On October 5, Manley announced the date for Jamaica's general elections was scheduled for October 30, 18 months ahead of the constitutionally reauired election date and both parties stepped up their campaib rfietoric tion in Jamaica's electoral process in supposed complicity with Charges by both parties of interven See, Jeffrey B. Gayner The Marxist Threat to Jamaica,&quot; Heritage Founua tion Backgrounder Number 9, May 20, 1977. 7 foreign governments swept the island. However, with Jamaica's economy in shambles, and no visible signs of improvement, the economy became the central issue of the elections; this in turn diminished Manleyls chances for re-election. Although public opinion polls projected Manley's defeat, supporters claimed the polls were an instrument of the upper and middle classes, and therefore did not represent Jamaica's majority, the poor.

On October 30, violence spread throughout Kingston as rival groups tried to keep their opponents from voting. This, however did not prevent the majority of the Jamaicans from voting; the turnout reached 80 percent. Seaga and the Jamaica Labour Party won the elections by the largest electoral landslide in Jamaica's history by obtaining 57 percent of the popular vote. This made Seaga Jamaica's new Prime Minister and gave the JLP 51 out the 60 seats in Parliament. The election turnout and the results clearly indicated disaffection with Manley's socialist pro-Cuban path and his poor economic performance Following the elections, the People's National Party opted to re-elect Michael Manley as the party leader and the next opposition leader. The PNP also reconfirmed Donald Duncan as secretary general of the party. Duncan, who is openly Marxist stated he would not concede to the I'fascist terror of Edward Seagall and that &quot;we now move into the next phase: revolutionary politics. However, Robert Niesh, chief of the Jamaican Army General Staff, cautioned llradicalll forces opposing Seaga's govern ment not to disrupt the country's reconstruction plans. Niesh further indicated that the 6000-man army and police forces have the capacity to face and combat any situation which might threaten Seaga's government. Winston Spaulding, Seaga's Minister of National Security, has &quot;pledged all the assistance which the cabinet can afford&quot; toward the security forces to decrease violence and crime in Jamaica.

To depoliticize the governmentirun media compri'sed of the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation, the Jamaica Daily News and the Agency for Public Information the Jamaica Labour Party has proposed to set up Ita non-partisan Public Media Commission, the membership of which would be selected by joint agreement of government and opposition.Il5 It would be the Commission's task to depoliticize and re-orient the government-run media, so that the media will not serve as a propaganda tool of the government.

The JLP has also proposed that the government-run Jamaica Daily News and Radio Jamaica be turned over to private ownership and control, while the government-run Jamaica Broadcasting Corpora tion television be used to.supplement education through academic programs John Huey Seaga Faces Some ilajor Obstacles in Restoring Jamaica's Economy The Wall Street Journal, November 3, 1980, p- 35.

The Jamaica Labour Party, Change Without Chaos, A National Programme for Reconstruction (October 1980 The Media p. 26. I 8 FOREIGN POLICY UNDER SEAGA The Jamaica Labour Party's &quot;Foreign Policy Guidelines1' indicate that Jamaica is regionally linked to Latin America and sub-regionally tied to the Caribbean, culturally, socially and economically. It is sentimentally bound to its African roots politically grouped with the Commonwealth, the O.A.S. and the Third World; and economical ly involved with the trade and financial patterns of the industrial world This complex Jamaican inter-relationship with the international community has caused Seaga's government to assume a difficult and at times conflicting foreign policy.

Although the Jamaica Labour Party government has stressed its desire &quot;to have friendly relations with the governments of all countries providing they do not interfere in our internal affairs,'I6 the JLP has placed special emphasis on developing stronger relations with the United States. The first country visited by Seaga as Jamaica's new Prime Minister was the U.S.

During this November 1980 tour, Seaga stated &quot;we are ready to contain the expansion of Cubanism,lI and while he complained over the lack of any sound U.S. policy toward the Caribbean in the past, he praised the Reagan Administration by stating we have had excellent vibes from the new administration&quot; and that !'the Reagan administration is coming to power at a very propitious time Seaga and the Jamaica Labour Party have taken various steps to reduce Cuba's communist infiltration, interference, and influ ence in Jamaica. On November 1, the same day Seaga was sworn in as Jamaica's new Prime Minister, the newly inaugurated Jamaica Labour Party government delivered a note to the Cuban government requesting &quot;that Ambassador Estrada be recalled from Kingston immediately.&quot; On December 2, 1980, Ken Jones, the new director of the Agency for Public Information delivered instructions to remove the photographs of Fidel Castro and other communist leaders on exhibition at the Agency's offices.

The Seaga government has also initiated a process to icvesti gate the Cuban-trained Brigadistas. However, this process'might be lengthy since all the files on the Brigadistas were removed from the Housing Ministry to an unknown destination. The Seaga 6 &quot;Minister Hugh Shearer Outlines Foreign Policy FBIS, Latin America Daily Report, Tuesday, December 16, 1980, Vol. VI, No. 243, p. S2.

Alison Muscatine Jamaican Leader Says Caribbean Communism Wanes ,I The Washington Star, November 24, 1980, p. 20.

Administration, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has requested that the Cuban government provide all information pertaining to the Brigadistas program, as well as information the 1500 Jamaicans who received training in Cuba through this program The Jamaica Labour Party is implementins a mo-Western on foreign policy, which will Itcombat the threat of- alien ideologies1 through an improved life&quot; propelled by &quot;private initiatives understanding how essential to national development are profits savinss and investments.Il While Jamaica plans to incorporate a lower-profile foreign policy it will place greater emphasis on the Caribbean area its &quot;natural area of interest and influence which in the past had been neglected foreiqn policy advocates Won-interference it will nevertheless Even though Jamaica's commit itsel'f to the struggle against racist regimes express ttdisapprovalll over human rights violations and SEAGA'S ECONOMIC RECOVERY PROGRAM In October 1980, the Jamaica Labouz'Party announced its National Programme for Reconstruction to counter Jamaica's collapsing economy this program consists of a number of major public sector projects, a sector, programmes for improvements in agricul ture, mining, tourism, manufacturing, housing well as a range of initiatives to deal with the problem of unemployment. set of policies to stimulate the private construction and financial institutions as I This ambitious economic recovery program proposes a series of measures needed to increase the private sector's capability of generating production and employment, and increasing export sales and revenues To carry out this economic recovery program with private sector assistance the Jamaica Labour Party government intends to decrease government regulations, provide tax incentives llrationalizell the government's bureaucracy, insure the availabili ty of raw materials and spare parts needed by factories, manufac turers and farmers, and provide funding for new projects in Jamaica. However, even though the Jamaica Labour Party government expects considerable private sector growth, it estimates it will take three years before Jamaica can &quot;earn rather than borrow its way out of&quot; its present economic difficulties The Jamaica Labour Party, Foreign Policy Guidelines.

The Jamaica Labour Party, Change Without Chaos, A National Programme for Reconstruction (October 1980 Resources for Development: Foreign Exchange,&quot; p. 12 10 During his November 1980 U.S. tour, Seaga visited several international lending organizations including the IMF, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank to discuss and develop a lending program for Jamaica's reconstruction and to solve its immediate insolvency problem. Following exploratory talks with the IMF, Seaga announced-that Jamaica was eligible for loans up to 600 million over the next three years (1981-83 at attractive and concessionary rates of interest.&quot;

However, the Jamaica Labour Party foresees financial short ages for its production expansion projects. Therefore, it has devised a strategy to attract funds and foreign investments into the country through the formation of a '!Capital Development Bank.&quot; This bank project is designed to encourage foreign inves tors to assume operations in Jamaica by providing 'lequity and loan financing&quot; for If joint-venture projects comprising foreign and Jamaican interests The Jamaica Labour Party will request that friendly governments and international development institu tions subscribe to the &quot;initial authorized share capital of U.S 100 million&quot; along with Jamaica r In order to obta,in an additional funding source for Jamaica's economic recovery, Seaga has initiated negotiations to resume channels of commercial credits for his country. This task has been difficult due to Jamaica's poor credit ratings developed during the Manley years. Nevertheless, Seaga has been conducting negotiations with the I1commercial banking system'l to obtain letters of credit for the country's most &quot;urgent needs.&quot; Further more, Seaga has had to initiate negotiations to refinance and reschedule Jamaica's external debt, which accounts for $898 million out of the country's llgross national debt&quot; of $2.2 billion.

Due to Jamaica's insufficient financial resources, the Seaga government has placed special emphasis on the country's two principal legal sources of foreign exchange and revenues, the bauxite and tourist industries. The recuperation and expansion of both these industries are of critical importance to the island's economic recovery particularly the tourist industry which has drastically deteriorated due to Jamaica's adverse image and violence.

To remedy the depressed tourist industry, the Seaga Admini stration has initiated a program to improve tourist services including air transportation and tours: it is restoring historical sites and has begun an advertising campaign aimed at attracting tourists from abroad. The Seaga government has'also enacted a program to increase Jamaica's bauxite markets overseas, Darticular ly within the United States where the stockpile of bauxite is being increased for strategic purposes. Internally, the government has encouraged the country's two bauxite producing organizations Kaiser and Reynolds, to expand their operations in Jamaica In the case of agriculture, the Jamaica Labour Party govern- ment plans to initiate a program shortly to reactivate Jamaica's 11 I banana and sugar industries. The production of these agro industries.has drastically decreased during the Manley years because of insufficient funds and foreign exchange with which to purchase fertilizers, tractors and spare parts for farm-related equipment. Seagals agricultural program consists of improving irrigation facilities, allocating &quot;foreign exchange for fertili zers chemicals, trucks, tractors, spare-parts, e I providing technical assistance, improving rural living conditions, providing production incentives, and promoting private ownership of farms instead of the state-manage'd cooperatives, which have failed to produce the needed crops In addition to the proposed programs to reactivate Jamaica's tourist, mining and agricultural industries, the Jamaica Labour Party has also designed a recovery program for the island's manufacturing and commercial enterprises. This program consists of allocating the necessary funds and foreign exchange to import the goods, spare parts, and raw materials required for this sector to resume production.

Even though the Seaga government will reduce its involvement in commercial enterprises, it will continue to assume a major role in Jamaica's economy. The &quot;monopoly-type enterprises in the utilities and transport sectors&quot; will remain under the government's control. However, they will receive &quot;proper management I' thereby providing the Jamaican .populace with improved services at lower costs. The Seaga government will also initiate several major public sector projects aimed at reducing the islandls unemployment crisis, reducing the rural migration to the urban areas, and providing improved services to all Jamaicans, particularly within the depressed rural areas. These public sector projects include a rural development program, aimed at improving the rural living and working conditions; a local transportation program, to link rural and urban areas through an improved railway network; an electricity generating program, to increase efficient electricity sources; a water program, to increase water supplies for both domestic and irrigation usage; a health program, to restore and upgrade medical facilities; and a youth program, to train young sters in certain skills and to keep them temporarily off the job markets.

However, because of its limited financial resources, the JLP government has set priorities Ifto meet Jamaica's most urgent needs for food, fuel and raw materials To fulfill its fuel requirements, the Seaga government has concluded two crude petro leum purchasing agreements at attractive terms with Venezuela and Mexico for processing in Jamaica's refinery. A third petroleum purchasing agreement is still un2er negotiation with Trinidad, as well as a $23.5 million Inter-American Development Bank loan for petroleum exploration within Jamaica. The government has also obtained limited funds and foreign exchange to import urgently needed raw materials and spare parts required by Jamaica's manu facturing industries, which currently are operating at less then 50 percent capacity; similarly, funds were obtained to import the country's short-term food needs 12 U.S. POLICY INITIATIVES With the elections of Edward Seaga as Prime Minister of Jamaica and Ronald Reagan as President of the United States to the Cuban centrally planned economy model within the Caribbean region To assist Jamaica in confronting its devastated economy the U.S. should provide financial assistance to rebuild the private sector and to meet Jamaica's most urgent requirements In the period following the rise to power of the Sandinista forces in Nicaragua, the United States provided over 100 million of assistance to this Marxist government. With the rise to power through free elections of a strong supporter of the free enterprise system, the United States should probably provide even greater assistance. Moreover, as indicated earlier in.this paper, the U.S. provided significant support to the Manley government and thus the level of assistance provided to Seaga may provide a test case to indicate whether the Reagan Administration intends to encourage developing governments to follow more conservative economic and political policies Jamaica has the potential of becoming an attractive alternative In the fiscal year 1981 program proposed by the outgoing Carter Administration, the U.S. promised to provide the Seaga government with 540 million in Economic Support Funds (ESF) to stimulate the private sector. Supplemental ESF possibly may be needed to help stabilize critical balance of payments problems the new government may confront.

Through existing ESF programs and other foreign assistance programs proposed under AID, the U.S. should be able to assist in Jamaica's economic reconstruction by restoring and expanding private sector production and employment, particularly within the depressed manufacturing and agricultural industries. Funds for these industries should rapidly be made available to import the needed spare parts, fertilizers, equipment, raw materials, and other products necessary to resume operations U.S. financial assistance should also be channeled to reactivate the tourist industry, improve and upgrade Jamaica's transportation services and help finance programs to provide Jamaica's poor with essential needs such as health and food. With economic improvements Jamaica need not rely heavily on marijuana as a cash crop for foreign exchange, and the U.S. should do all that it can to stop the exportation of this product to our shores.

Although substantial U.S. government assistance programs may provide vital help in the immediate future, ultimately Jamai.ca must succeed on its own. Rather than becoming deFendent on foreign grants, the Seaga government Ehould primarily encourage private sector investment and development. The U.S should use itsvarious programs to encourage foreign investment in Jamaica Such programs include the Trade and Development program or a possible use of OPIC insurance guarantees since Jamaica's per capita of GNP has fallen below $1,0

00. Moreover, the U.S. should 13 work through the International Financial Institutions to provide loans to -Jamaica..

The overall objective of U.S. economic policy toward Jamaica should be to encourage their government to reduce its role in the economy and attract both foreign and local investment. This policy should also include the elimination of protective tariffs so that the consumer need not bear the burden for high government costs or inefficient industries. However, due to Jamaica's deteriorated economy, these policies should be implemented through a transitional p,eriod graduating from the present government controlled economy to a mixed economy, and thereafter to the ultimate goal of a free market economy must be remembered.that Cuba has lost an ally with the defeat of Manley, and it may instigate subversion on the island to create difficulties for Seaga To prevent this from occuring, the U.S should provide Jamaica's security forces with the training and equipment necessary to counter any aggression which threatens Jamaica's society or government Finally, Jamaica may confront some security problems. It CONCLUSION the poli for Few countries offer a better opportun Reagan Administration to both signal a cy and implement on a global basis its economic recovery. Under the previous i .ty than Jamaica for shift in foreign general prescriptions Manley Administration Jamaica aliqned herself with Cuba and adopted socialist economic policies which brought the country to the- brink of bankruptcy.

Despite the foreign and domkstic policies pursued by the Manley government, the Carter Administration provided significant finan cial and political support to Jamaica This action contrasted sharply with policies pursued toward traditional allies of the U.S. in Latin America With the Caribbean now in economic and political chaos, the Reagan Administration has an opportunity to construct a new policy in the area built around nations which share our economic and diplomatic objectives. Jamaica provides a sound basis for constructing such a new policy by encouraging economic growth through the free enterprise system and creating' new diplomatic initiatives to isolate the Castro regime and the Marxist revolu tionary movements now disrupting much of Central America. If successful in achieving economic recovery, Jamaica can provide an excellent alternative model to Cuba for other countries in the region tc emulate. At the same time Jamaica can also contribute to bringing political stability and security to the most volatile area in the Western hemisphere.

Alexander Kruger Policy Analyst The author wishes to acknowledge the valuable research assistance provided by Neff Breen on this paper during his internship with The Heritage Foundation.

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Bullets can't kill poverty

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Littleman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Littleman says:
<span style="color: #660000">That economy that was growing at the 6% rate, was focused on a minority, the rest of us had to accept whatever <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">scraps</span></span> fell of the proverbial table. Granted, I was a young 'un then, and not so serious in my thinking at the time, but I do remember <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">where my place was</span></span>, as I'm sure some Jamaicans of the time would. The first sell-out was the one commonly referred to as the <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">spy</span></span>, who used to go to Miami to let the folks there know that Jamaica was going communist, and shouldn't be invested in. Now, even if there was that significant a threat from communists, the approach should have been to improve investments as a way of weakening the threat...
If the so-called Menlie had not been in power, a lot of Jamaicans would have had <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">lives in the dark</span></span>, afraid to make themselves known, or seen. Menlie, or Manley, inspired people from common walks of life to have confidence in their ability to be themselves, to have hope, and to believe that the society existed to serve their interests as well, not merely that of the elite.
Naturally, as I stated before, mistakes were made, due to uncharted waters, hazards unseen were dealt with as they <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">impacted</span></span> us, a dynamic situation is not the best one in which to remain error-free.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Were it not for Manley, most of us would be looking over the proverbial fence, to see how the more privileged of our society lived, not having a hope ourselves of being able to fully participate.</span></span> </div></div>

<span style="font-weight: bold">Office of the Prime Minister</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold">Political Stalwart Edward Seaga Says Farewell</span>

<span style="font-style: italic">BY: ALICIA DUNKLEY
Tuesday, January 25, 2005</span>


Retiring Jamaica Labour Party Leader and Member of Parliament for West Kingston, Edward Seaga (left), shakes the hand of Prime Minister P.J. Patterson (right), when members of the House said farewell to Mr. Seaga at a sitting on January 18. Opposition Spokesman on National Security, Derrick Smith (centre) observes the exchange.

Jamaicans witnessed another true gem of a moment in the country's political history on Tuesday (January 18) when Edward Phillip George Seaga bade farewell to more than four decades of a stellar career as Leader of the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), and Member of Parliament for Western Kingston.

Gordon House was redolent with the memories of his endeavours, which have left an indelible stamp in the political arena and Jamaica's landscape.

At 32 years of age as a member of the Legislative Council in 1959 Mr. Seaga became the youngest member of the Joint Select Committee, and was active in the preparation of Jamaica's Independence Constitution. Mr. Seaga also served as Minister in the first post-Independence government.

His political life was undeniably one of unrivalled firsts. He served West Kingston as Member of Parliament for 43 years after having won in the 1962 elections. This record remains unbroken.

Since then, Mr. Seaga has served as Prime Minister from 1980 to 1989 and as elected leader of the JLP from 1974 to 2005. During his Prime Ministerial tenure, he also spearheaded the country's liberalization programme preparing Jamaica for participation in a global market economy.

During the Parliamentary tribute in the House of Parliament, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson noted Mr. Seaga's unrivalled contribution to the social and economic fabric of the nation, stating that Mr. Seaga could not be denied his true place in the archives of Jamaica's legislative history.

Of Mr. Seaga's historic involvement in the drafting of the Independence Constitution, his service as Prime Minister for nine consecutive years, his leadership of the JLP for 30 years, his over four decades of representation of West Kingston, Prime Minister Patterson declared, &quot;quantitatively and qualitatively his innings will not be replicated.&quot;

Homage was paid to Mr. Seaga's extraordinary shrewdness in financial matters. As Minister of Finance and Planning between 1967 and 1972, Mr. Seaga, in collaboration with the late the Most Hon. Hugh Shearer produced outstanding economic growth rates.

In the 1980s, as Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Planning Mr. Seaga led Jamaica to economic recovery forging the way for new ties, which led to the establishment of the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), which gave Caribbean countries special, and unprecedented trade access to the United States.

The Jamaican economy was rebuilt during this period and enjoyed average annual growth of five per cent, which peaked at eight percent in 1987. Mr. Seaga spearheaded the establishment of a large number of cultural, educational and financial institutions, which were catalysts for the development of Jamaicans.

Among these are, the H.E.A.R.T, the Jamaica Festival Commission, Things Jamaica, The100 villages programme, Digi-Port Montego Bay, JAMPRO, Jamaica Unit Trust, Student's Loan Fund, the Export-Import/EX-IM Bank, the Jamaica Stock Exchange, the Jamaica Development Bank, and the Agricultural Credit Bank.

Other institutions and initiatives include the National Development Bank, the decimalization of the currency, Metropolitan Parks and Markets, the national school feeding programme, the Self Start Fund, Solidarity, the Food Stamp Programme, Programme for the Advancement of Early Childhood Education (PACE), the Golden Age Movement, the Media Divestment Programme and the return of the remains of national hero Marcus Garvey to Jamaica for interment.

Mr. Seaga was also responsible for the development of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) in the early 1960s, in answer to the problem of unplanned urbanization, which threatened to undermine all future developments in a context where rural urban migration had contributed to a majority of Jamaicans living in urban centers. He also conceptualized and spearheaded the development of the Kingston, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Negril waterfronts.

Of Mr. Seaga's accomplishments the late Professor Carl Stone said in 1992 &quot;I don't think there is any other in the Caribbean who has built so many institutions and so many new beginnings and so many ideas in the sphere of public management .I have a deep respect for Seaga.&quot;

Mr. Seaga has been credited with creating a system of effective community governance and implementing programmes of development, which have transformed, some of the most deprived areas of the nation's capital into a modern community with unprecedented access to social services.

Under his leadership the people of West Kingston have asserted pride of place among urban communities as a showcase of Jamaica's popular culture and have also acquired enviable reputation for prowess in sports.

Reviewing Mr. Seaga's accomplishments National Security Minister Dr. Peter Phillips said viewed from the &quot;purely quantitative perspective (Mr. Seaga's) contribution has been phenomenal.&quot;

&quot;Whether you were for him or against, there is no doubt that he has been a towering figure on the political stage,&quot; Dr. Phillips stated. The Security Minister said Mr. Seaga's 45 years of unbroken parliamentary service to the Jamaican populace, his dedication to his constituents and the entire process of national development had secured him a place of respect and honour in the memory of the legislature.

Meanwhile Opposition Spokesman on Finance Audley Shaw in his homage labeled Mr. Seaga as a &quot;towering political visionary and icon&quot; while noting that his interest and initiatives in the development of culture both in his constituency and the nation was by far his most important contributions. He pointed out that as Opposition Leader since 1989, Mr. Seaga's storehouse of practical ideas and solutions was never ending and remained as a blueprint for those remaining in the chamber to continue the task of nation building.

In chronicling Mr. Seaga's achievements Member of Parliament for North Central St. Andrew, Karl Samuda said the closing of one chapter of the nation's history books paved the way for the penning of another, on a platform created by the life and experiences of the political giant.

A visionary to the end Mr. Seaga gave sound advice for Education, the Economy, Agriculture and the criminal justice system in his farewell address to the House.

He called for more attention to be paid to the plight of the poor, noting that it was the 'have-nots' who had excelled and who had made Jamaica a household name in many instances.

Pointing to the deterioration of the criminal justice system, he said the legislative body had been remiss in not having passed the Charter of Rights. This he said would have been a guarantee to the prevention of the abuse of rights.

Mr. Seaga said some way must be found to have the Charter brought before the house and into legislation. While noting that there was a lack of financial and human resources to deal with criminal justice and crime, he said a will must exist to provide for the necessary resources and a clean up of the security forces.

Where Education is concerned Mr. Seaga said there is a need for more emphasis on early childhood development as a solid base for a successful finish. He warned that ignoring this factor made the system prone to failure, which in the long run would affect the economy.

While noting the positives of the recommendations of the Education Taskforce on Education for primary and secondary education he put in an impassioned plea for a review of the early childhood education system. Investing in Education at this level he said must be seen as an investment, which will impact positively on the economy and the social infrastructure.

As for Agriculture, he said the lot of farmers must be improved if success is to be achieved in this area. With the ending of his political career Mr. Seaga will continue his contribution at the University of the West Indies as a Honorary Fellow at the graduate level.

http://www.jis.gov.jm/officePM/html/2005...YS_FAREWELL.asp

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Bullets can't kill poverty

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Littleman</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="color: #660000">I used to think of Manley as Menlie, but I realise now that had he not done what he did in the 70's Jamaica would be much worse off. I was but a child in the 70's, and couldn't appreciate the seriousness of some of the social imbalances that prevailed then, even though some of the experiences I now regret today.
As Dr. Dudd said, there would have been civil war had changes not taken place. A lot of the financial crisis had to do with Jamaica being cut-off from funding, with anti-communist hysteria ruling the day. Certainly Manley made mistakes, but these can be seen in the light of errors of judgement, which any government is capable of in such a dynamic situation.</span> </div></div>

<span style="font-weight: bold">Michael Manley – Did he protect our Rights?</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold">Did Michael Manley trample our Constitutional Rights in Jamaica? </span>

One of the enduring memories of my childhood was an impromptu visit made by Michael Manley’s mother, the Hon. Edna Manley, O.M. (Order of Merit) to my father, the Hon. Ira D. Rowe, in the late l960s.

It must have been shortly before my father’s appointment as a High Court Judge, when he was Solicitor General of Jamaica. I got the impression that the interview was tense and that it had something to do with her son, Michael Manley and his socialization; he was hanging around with certain people, that his mother, Edna Manley did not approve of and she was concerned about where the socialization might lead.

I never saw Mrs. Manley at close quarters again but, as a youngster growing up, I saw quite a bit of Michael Manley. He seemed to be everywhere ... on the TV, on the golf course, at the Stadium, in Parliament.

Manley was a powerful Parliamentarian always and my first impression of a Budget Debate was one that was dominated by Michael Manley. It was in this very Parliament that the Gun Court Act was passed.

Michael Manley’s father may have been the greatest Jamaican ever. He was a brilliant barrister. Michael significantly was not a lawyer. He thought that laws should promote a social end only; this was part of his London School of Economics training.

Michael Manley had a conflict with lawyers early in his career as an N.W.U. organizer. Hugh Small, a brilliant young barrister, accused him of mis-managing Union funds. Small's allegations were meritorious and were never disproved. Small was concerned that the workers' rights were not as important to Manley as they ought to be.

When Michael Manley was elected President of the P.N.P. ahead of Vivian Blake, Q.C., another brilliant lawyer, many thought his quick ascent to influence too fast. Even the left wing Abeng newspaper criticized the selection of one Manley to replace another as being nepotistic. However, Michael Manley's popularity and charisma 'stole' the political 'show'.

Did Michael Manley trample on anybody's rights once he achieved high office? Did the Fabianism of the London School of Economics accommodate individual rights and constitutional freedoms?

Shortly after Manley’s election in 1972, the ‘pork barrel’ started and Jamaicans were treated to the ‘Special Employment’ or ‘crash’ program, an unfortunate blatant reward for party supporters, for voting the right way in the l972 elections.

The Special Employment Program was legally valid but probably mis-managed as the participants were the targets of political pressure.

Crash program workers were seen receiving large cheques for what appeared to be almost no work and the impression given was that if you were from 'downtown', you were a ‘sufferer’ and had the right to 'free' money. The crash program money gave way to national ideology.

As early as 1972, Jamaica was redefining terrorism in international Courts stressing that it did not apply to the 'freedom fighter' of South Africa.

We all applauded as Prime Minister Manley called for a &quot;universal moral foundation&quot; for the conduct of world affairs at the 27th Session of the United Nations General Assembly but, local cynics asked, “Did the Moral Foundation apply to the Crash Program at home as well?&quot;

A National Youth Service was introduced into Jamaica, which bore too close a similarity to the Cuban Brigadistas for most American observers at that time.

The Brigadistas may have exceeded their authority since they sometimes participated in traffic stops with the police. These incidents promoted a lack of confidence in the Manley Administration, its orientation and the consistency of its policies.

Was the National Youth Service a violation of the rights of prospective students who had to spend time working for Government agencies rather than going to school?

Jamaica’s foreign policy underwent a sea change as Manley, Forbes Burnham and Castro flew together from Trinidad to Algeria for the non-aligned conference in Algiers in 1973. These foreign policy changes were never debated in Parliament and were never tabled there for discussion or debate.

One of the strengths of the Westminster system is the enduring check and balance between the Legislature and Executive but, if the Executive acts without reference to the Legislature, then the system will be put under pressure and might suffer constitutional cracks.

Some of these cracks, which appeared under the Manley Administration, included the suspension of Habeas Corpus and the politicization of the police. Habeas Corpus is the ancient foundation of constitutional liberty.

As a result of Algiers, Jamaica was now non-aligned and promised to send troops to South Africa. More than 100,000 met him in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in a State Visit shortly thereafter. With the adrenalin of Algiers pumping, Manley turned finally to local issues.

Mr. Manley decided to acquire the Jamaica Public Service and the Jamaica Omnibus Service as the Government sought to take over the ‘commanding heights’ of the Jamaican economy.

We are still facing the negative impact of these decisions today. The Jamaica Omnibus Service owners did not receive a fair compensation for the takeover. The Right to Property is protected in the Jamaican Constitution.

Two critical pieces of legislation were passed. The Suppression of Crimes Act, allowing Police and Soldiers to patrol together and the Gun Court Act, specifying draconian penalties for gun offenses.

Laws flowed from the 1974 parliament like the great Rio Cobre of Jamaica. There was a Family Court Law, a National Minimum Wage Law and laws providing prime land to sugar workers in collectives or cooperatives.

The sugar workers quickly exercised their Right to Strike against themselves and literally destroyed Jamaica’s first attempt to legislate Fabian type laws.

So, for the historian, so far Manley was exciting but not coherent. Michael Manley who had a Trade Union background, decided to levy the companies in Jamaica who owned bauxite; namely, Alpart, Kaiser Bauxite Company, Reynolds and Alcoa.

This levy increased Jamaica’s revenue from the Mining sector enormously and Manley considered it the landmark achievement of his administration; however, it may have destroyed the growth of the sector forever.

Manley then launched into the outer space of ideology. His feet never quite touched the ground again. JAMAL, the literacy program, did well but was never completed as Jamaicans began to define themselves along the ideological divide.

Manley certainly embraced black Jamaicans. Did Jamaicans love him because he had ‘nice’ hair and several women?

‘Politics of Change’ became ‘Democratic Socialism’. Manley invited those who wanted to become millionaires to take one of the &quot;five flights to Miami&quot;.

Cubans began to construct Micro Dams in Jamaica and Leslie Ashenheim, a Director of a Jamaican newspaper, ‘The Daily Gleaner’, wrote to Manley accusing him of introducing Communism to Jamaica.

The 1976 elections were crucial and the political violence of the period, July to December 1976, were blamed on both political parties, although Michael Manley’s constituency was not the worst.

The PNP won the election but, in 1977, Jamaica was racked with sectarian violence.

As Mr. Manley advised at a speech at PNP headquarters, that the first objective of the socialist is to unite the masses not to divide them.

Mr. Manley never united the Jamaican masses. Did he fail his own test?

Does the IMF stands for ‘Is Manley’s Fault’? Did Jamaica need to borrow to keep herself afloat? After their victory in the 1976 elections, why was the PNP split in half?

Mr. Manley decided not to go to the IMF and then changed his mind.

A State of Emergency, which had been imposed, was lifted in mid-1977; however, members of the politically influenced Jamaica Defense Force killed five young men at the Green Bay firing range.

A Coroner’s Inquest determined that the killings were murder. Somehow, military officers had committed state-sponsored murder. Could this be related to the original disregard for law, which started in the administration in 1972 with the Special Employment Program?

The Manley Administration had reached its low point and it was Manley’s disregard for the law that placed it there. The Manley Administration had forgotten that every citizen had the right to life.

These murders shocked the nation and brought an end to Manley’s political Camelot. By the following year, Manley’s friend, John Hearne, started referring to him as ‘Snoopy’ the dog that could bark but did not know his way home.

Rastafarians in Papine, Jamaica, referred to Mr. Manley as “man kill menlie’ because of the death of Norman ‘Gutto’ Thompson at Green Bay. Thompson was Rastafarian.

On August 26, 1978, John Hearne, a prominent Jamaican Journalist and Author, accused Manley of officially ordering and approving torture at Green Bay.

The Green Bay massacre, a great civil rights violation, seemed to rob Manley of popularity and the party lost power in l980.

Mr. Manley returned a sadder, wiser man in 1989 but, by this time, the efforts were spent and the ideas were gone.

I do not believe history will put Michael Manley in the same category as his father Norman Manley, ‘The Father of our Nation’.

At times, Michael Manley was more important to the Third World generally than to Jamaica specifically. He was an icon for the liberation of Africa and he wrote to Bishop Tutu, which helped secure the release of Nelson Mandela.

Manley was extremely popular, but not for the upliftment of the Constitutional Rights of poor people.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<span style="font-style: italic">Speech delivered to the Florida Atlantic University
First Michael Manley Symposium, October 2004
by Professor David P. Rowe</span>

http://www.constitution-and-rights.com/rights-2.html

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Bullets can't kill poverty

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Littleman</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="color: #660000">I used to think of Manley as Menlie, but I realise now that had he not done what he did in the 70's Jamaica would be much worse off. I was but a child in the 70's, and couldn't appreciate the seriousness of some of the social imbalances that prevailed then, even though some of the experiences I now regret today.
As Dr. Dudd said, there would have been civil war had changes not taken place. A lot of the financial crisis had to do with Jamaica being cut-off from funding, with anti-communist hysteria ruling the day. Certainly Manley made mistakes, but these can be seen in the light of errors of judgement, which any government is capable of in such a dynamic situation.</span> </div></div>

<span style="font-weight: bold">1970s Flashback - The 1980 General Election</span>
<span style="font-style: italic">published: Tuesday | August 29, 2006</span>

<span style="font-style: italic">Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer</span>

The security forces and criminals clashed frequently during the months leading to the 1980 General Election. Here is one of those battles, which took place in West Kingston. - Contributed

GOING into 1980, the Jamaican Prime Minister, Michael Manley was a man under pressure. It was almost certain that his People's National Party (PNP) would be forced to call early general election that year.

That they did, and on October 30, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) led by Edward Seaga, whipped the PNP 51 seats to nine, the biggest margin of victory in elections since Jamaica gained Independence from Great Britain in 1962.

Manley's turbulent eight-year tenure as the country's fourth Prime Minister had ended.

There were not only celebrations among the country's middle-class which had feared a Communist takeover due to Manley's socialist leanings. In 1974, Manley declared that his administration would pursue a policy of Democratic Socialism. He consistently denied accusations that he would go Communist.

<span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">Grassroots programmes </span></span>

The poor, many of whom benefited from the PNP's grassroots programmes, also voted against Manley who came to power in late 1972 with a mandate to elevate the country's impoverished masses.

Kenneth Baugh, who was one of the JLP's new parliamentarians, said the overwhelming victory was not surprising.

&quot;It was a great relief for the people, because things had gone very wrong in the country,&quot; Baugh said in a recent interview with The Gleaner. &quot;The economy had failed, and there was no money to pay public sector workers. There was also the danger of us becoming a one-party state&quot;.

One day after the elections, D.K. Duncan, the PNP's general secretary, claimed that the polls were marred by widespread fraud. He accused members of the security forces, chairman of the Electoral Advisory Committee, Professor Gladstone Mills and Director of Elections, Carl Dundas, of not doing enough to stop the alleged vote tampering.

&quot;They should look into their hearts and say whether justice has been applied in this election by an independent, impartial group of men of integrity,&quot; Dr. Duncan said. &quot;I warn Edward Seaga, the corrupt members of the judiciary and the police force, that they can attack the blood, the life and the body. But they cannot attack the idea.&quot;

<span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">Fiery Manley</span> </span>

The PNP executive's tirade summed up the tension in Jamaica leading into elections which were announced by Manley in Sam Sharpe Square, Montego Bay, on October 5.

A massive crowd turned up at Sam Sharpe Square that evening. It inspired a fiery Manley to predict victory with his now famous declaration that &quot;50,000 strong can't be wrong!&quot;

In February, the Prime Minister said that elections would be held later in the year. In the months that followed, the political hostility that sparked inner-city violence throughout the 1970s, spilled over into 1980.

In April, five persons were killed in what became known as the Gold Street Massacre, in Central Kingston. That month, the Hannah Town Police Station in West Kingston was attacked by thugs; two persons, including a policeman, were killed.

Things were just as unstable on the labour front. In January, Manley announced that 11,000 public sector jobs would have to be cut to facilitate the $50 million budget. Days after that statement, 300 Jamaica Public Service workers went on strike, leaving 70 per cent of the country without electricity.

<span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">Manley blamed the JLP for the instability. </span></span>

&quot;We have no reason for making our economic situation worse,&quot; he said in Barbados in March. &quot;They have a record of using economic destabilisation.&quot;

Even though Manley remained combative, his Government was falling apart. Late into the second term, senior members David Coore and Vivian Blake had resigned. Two weeks after his speech in Barbados, Finance Minister Eric Bell also called it a day.

Despite the unfavourable signs, Colin Campbell who became the PM's press secretary in early 1980, said it was a confident Manley who went on the campaign trail.

&quot;He always had very high popularity, even in those days,&quot; Campbell said in a 2000 interview. &quot;Throughout he remained in a very determined mood.&quot;

Kenneth Baugh, who contested the North West St. James seat against Howard Cooke, recalled that the mood in the JLP camp was reflected in their campaign slogan, 'Deliverance Is Near'.

&quot;We had very high motivation. At the start of 1980, the polls showed us in the lead and by the middle of the year we had gone into heavy campaigning,&quot; he said.

Just before Manley announced the election date, pollster and University of the West Indies lecturer Carl Stone, predicted in The Gleaner that the JLP would win as many as 40 seats.

Going into election day, there were several tragic and eventful incidents:

Manley's motorcade was fired on in May Pen.

Roy McGann, the PNP's candidate for East Rural St. Andrew, and his bodyguard, acting corporal Errol White, were killed in Gordon Town.

Seven persons were killed by gunmen on National Heroes Day in Kingston. Two children were killed in Top Hill, St. Elizabeth where JLP and PNP factions clashed.

Gunfire disrupted a PNP rally in Spanish Town.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Twelve members of the Workers Party of Jamaica, including Lambert

Brown, were arrested in Lucea, Hanover for possession of bombs. </span>

On election day, the results were devastating for Manley and the PNP. Not only did the JLP return to power in a landslide, several big names in the former administration lost their seats in parliament, including P.J.

Patterson, Howard Cooke and Arnold Bertram.

The JLP victory was welcomed islandwide, with many persons participating in day-long celebrations. Many schools and business places remained closed.

Manley, who came to power as champion of the poor, was a beaten man. In his concession speech, he said his decision to stand by Cuba and other Third World countries not popular with the United States Government, proved his Government's downfall.

&quot;Maybe what I did wrong was to challenge the power of the western economic structure ... And for this I will remain unrepentant and unreconstructed,&quot; he said.

Two days after the election, Edward Seaga was sworn in as Jamaica's fifth Prime Minister. Within days, he expelled the Cuban Ambassador to Jamaica, Ulises Estrada, severed ties with that country and attempted to rebuild Jamaica's ties with the U.S.

After three years in office, he too would feel the pressure of unpopularity.

<span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">1980 election trivia </span></span>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc">[*]In January, the Jamaica Government said the country would not support a U.S.-led boycott of the Moscow Olympics.[*]Prime Minister Michael Manley visits Cuba for talks with President Fidel Castro.[*]H. Charles Johnson, president of the United Front Party, is charged with treason for plotting to overthrow the Government.[*]Enumeration in 58 of the 60 constituencies started in June.[*]JLP announces boycott of Parliament that month.[*]Hugh Shearer, deputy leader of the JLP, is injured when his motorcade is attacked in Falmouth.[*]Director of Elections announces that 974,000 persons are on voters list.[*]The police reported that approximately 889 persons were murdered in

Jamaica prior to the 1980 general elections.[/list]

[bee_bop]

Re: Bullets can't kill poverty

<span style="color: #660000">And what does all this lengthy monologue prove???
1. That Ed. Seaga could not win an election without having some threat for people to fear.
2. The countries that control wealth can bring another country to its knees, if their bidding is ignored.
3. People who previously couldn't seek education, who had to be careful about 'rocking the boat', could now boldly seek to become literate, and to elevate their expectations.
4. Manley dared to challenge the then <span style="font-style: italic">status quo</span>, and suffered the consequences.</span>

[evanovitch]

Re: Bullets can't kill poverty

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Littleman</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="color: #660000">And what does all this lengthy monologue prove???
1. That Ed. Seaga could not win an election without having some threat for people to fear.
2. The countries that control wealth can bring another country to its knees, if their bidding is ignored.
3. People who previously couldn't seek education, who had to be careful about 'rocking the boat', could now boldly seek to become literate, and to elevate their expectations.
4. <span style="font-weight: bold">Manley dared to challenge the then <span style="font-style: italic">status quo</span>, and suffered the consequences</span>.</span> </div></div>

i have always been curious as to why people felt dat Joshua challenged the status quo...u muss be joking....all arung him wanted to be at the top of the apex wid all privilges while the base carried out the changed....even the basic school neva lasted long in challenging the status quo...

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Bullets can't kill poverty

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Littleman</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="color: #660000">And what does all this lengthy monologue prove???
1. That Ed. Seaga could not win an election without having some threat for people to fear.
2. The countries that control wealth can bring another country to its knees, if their bidding is ignored.
3. People who previously couldn't seek education, who had to be careful about 'rocking the boat', could now boldly seek to become literate, and to elevate their expectations.
4. Manley dared to challenge the then <span style="font-style: italic">status quo</span>, and suffered the consequences.</span> </div></div>

The lengthy Monologue proves that apparently all the Education that the Menlie did give it noh tek with some peple!
I suppose it was Eddie Blinds that invented the violence so he could win.
It was more the other way around, Menlie invented the violence and the better must come theory to get in to power, just like Mugabe went the rhetoric failed to keep the people in check he just relied on violence and corruption to win Elections.

[bee_bop]

Re: Bullets can't kill poverty

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tuff Gong</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Littleman</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="color: #660000">And what does all this lengthy monologue prove???
1. That Ed. Seaga could not win an election without having some threat for people to fear.
2. The countries that control wealth can bring another country to its knees, if their bidding is ignored.
3. People who previously couldn't seek education, who had to be careful about 'rocking the boat', could now boldly seek to become literate, and to elevate their expectations.
4. Manley dared to challenge the then <span style="font-style: italic">status quo</span>, and suffered the consequences.</span> </div></div>

The lengthy Monologue proves that apparently all the Education that the Menlie did give it noh tek with some peple!
I suppose it was Eddie Blinds that invented the violence so he could win.
It was more the other way around, Menlie invented the violence and the better must come theory to get in to power, just like Mugabe went the rhetoric failed to keep the people in check he just relied on violence and corruption to win Elections.
</div></div>

Littleman says:
<span style="color: #660000">Maybe some people don't use the education option the way it was intended, but <span style="font-weight: bold">at least they have the option</span>...
If Eddie Blinds, as you call him, was able to win elections without having <span style="font-weight: bold">fearful people</span> behind him, maybe there would have been no need for violence. That is why he only won one election, the other he took in a <span style="font-style: italic">snap</span> election that <span style="font-weight: bold">was never contested</span> by Manley...</span>

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Bullets can't kill poverty

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Littleman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Littleman says:
<span style="color: #660000">Maybe some people don't use the education option the way it was intended, but <span style="font-weight: bold">at least they have the option</span>...
If Eddie Blinds, as you call him, was able to win elections without having <span style="font-weight: bold">fearful people</span> behind him, maybe there would have been no need for violence. That is why he only won one election, the other he took in a <span style="font-style: italic">snap</span> election that <span style="font-weight: bold">was never contested</span> by Manley...</span> </div></div>

If this is the extent of your argument in the face of the facts it is simplistic and puerile and really not worth contesting. You are one of the many who will continue to persist in your buffoonery giving even when introduced to the facts.