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Jamaica's political leaders hail Thatcher
Jamaican political leaders, past and present, have paid tribute to Britain's only female prime minister, Baroness Margaret Thatcher, who died in London yesterday.
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, Jamaica's only female head of Government, noted that many of the economic policies Thatcher employed in Britain between 1979 and 1990 continue as features of the modern globalised economy.
She said that Thatcher's economic policies "would be copied in numerous countries"... and she would also be remembered for the role attributed to her in relation to the end of the Cold War.
"Baroness Thatcher helped to change the course of modern times and her influence will continue to be felt for generations to come," Simpson Miller said.
Opposition Leader Andrew Holness, who was only seven years old when Thatcher won her first term, hailed her as a pioneering reformist "who pulled Britain from the doldrums of economic stagnation".
"If you came of age during the 70s or the 80s, then the name Margaret Thatcher must bear significant meaning. Certainly, she was regarded as the most powerful female politician of her time," Holness said.
He stated that the resolve with which she used power to undertake critical economic and social reforms set the stage for a decade or more of stable growth and development for that country, although it was at considerable cost to her own popularity and 'likeability' in the UK.
"Thank God. She was not trapped in the politics of populism and understood that amassing political power is only meaningful if it is going to be used to positively change the conditions of those in whose behalf power is invested," he said.
"On reflection, I am sure that those who vilified her then, will eulogise her now, for her leadership and vision in guiding the UK out of the economic and social quagmire in which it had found itself," he added.
Former Prime Minister Edward Seaga recalled Thatcher as a strong and courageous leader and prime minister who, despite her controversial conservative economic and social policies, "nevertheless, left an indelible imprint on the world's political stage and her vision in the archives of governance".
"Although the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) never shared her extreme positions on the economy, social welfare and global issues such as her opposition to economic sanctions against the then apartheid government of South Africa, we admired her patriotism and devotion to the growth and development of her country, and her determination not to be intimidated by gender or ideology," he said.
"She will always be remembered as a remarkable woman who broke the glass ceiling of male domination in British politics, and set the stage for the emergence of more women in political leadership as strong, visionary politicians who could stamp their authority on their governments, as well as on global politics," Seaga added.
Former Prime Minister PJ Patterson noted that he first met Thatcher, who was then the leader of the Opposition, at the 1977 Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference in London, where he, as minister of foreign affairs, and then Prime Minister Michael Manley represented Jamaica.
"She is one of the outstanding political figures of the last century, and has helped to shape the global contours for all time," Patterson told the Jamaica Observer.
Baroness Thatcher, born Margaret Roberts on October 13, 1925, was prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and the leader of the Conservative party from 1975 to 1990.
She was the longest-serving UK prime minister of the 20th century and is the only woman to have held the office.
Jamaican political leaders, past and present, have paid tribute to Britain's only female prime minister, Baroness Margaret Thatcher, who died in London yesterday.
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, Jamaica's only female head of Government, noted that many of the economic policies Thatcher employed in Britain between 1979 and 1990 continue as features of the modern globalised economy.
She said that Thatcher's economic policies "would be copied in numerous countries"... and she would also be remembered for the role attributed to her in relation to the end of the Cold War.
"Baroness Thatcher helped to change the course of modern times and her influence will continue to be felt for generations to come," Simpson Miller said.
Opposition Leader Andrew Holness, who was only seven years old when Thatcher won her first term, hailed her as a pioneering reformist "who pulled Britain from the doldrums of economic stagnation".
"If you came of age during the 70s or the 80s, then the name Margaret Thatcher must bear significant meaning. Certainly, she was regarded as the most powerful female politician of her time," Holness said.
He stated that the resolve with which she used power to undertake critical economic and social reforms set the stage for a decade or more of stable growth and development for that country, although it was at considerable cost to her own popularity and 'likeability' in the UK.
"Thank God. She was not trapped in the politics of populism and understood that amassing political power is only meaningful if it is going to be used to positively change the conditions of those in whose behalf power is invested," he said.
"On reflection, I am sure that those who vilified her then, will eulogise her now, for her leadership and vision in guiding the UK out of the economic and social quagmire in which it had found itself," he added.
Former Prime Minister Edward Seaga recalled Thatcher as a strong and courageous leader and prime minister who, despite her controversial conservative economic and social policies, "nevertheless, left an indelible imprint on the world's political stage and her vision in the archives of governance".
"Although the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) never shared her extreme positions on the economy, social welfare and global issues such as her opposition to economic sanctions against the then apartheid government of South Africa, we admired her patriotism and devotion to the growth and development of her country, and her determination not to be intimidated by gender or ideology," he said.
"She will always be remembered as a remarkable woman who broke the glass ceiling of male domination in British politics, and set the stage for the emergence of more women in political leadership as strong, visionary politicians who could stamp their authority on their governments, as well as on global politics," Seaga added.
Former Prime Minister PJ Patterson noted that he first met Thatcher, who was then the leader of the Opposition, at the 1977 Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference in London, where he, as minister of foreign affairs, and then Prime Minister Michael Manley represented Jamaica.
"She is one of the outstanding political figures of the last century, and has helped to shape the global contours for all time," Patterson told the Jamaica Observer.
Baroness Thatcher, born Margaret Roberts on October 13, 1925, was prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and the leader of the Conservative party from 1975 to 1990.
She was the longest-serving UK prime minister of the 20th century and is the only woman to have held the office.
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