Michael Manley

From Jamaica Wiki

Michael Manley, born on December 10, 1924, was Jamaica’s fifth Prime Minister. A magnetic personality, Manley took over the Jamaican People's National Party when his father, the Jamaican Premier, died in 1969.

Contents 1 Reforms 2 Diplomacy 3 Violence 4 Opposition 5 Re-election 6 Family 7 Retirement and death

[edit] Reforms

Manley decisively defeated the highly disliked serving Prime Minister Hugh Shearer, his cousin, in the 1972 election. Manley introduced a chain of socio-economic reforms that resulted in varying degrees of success. Although hailing from a well-established family, Manley’s recognized trade union roots enabled him to foster strong bonds with Jamaica’s underprivileged, black population, and he was a strong and admired leader. Although his father was reserved and professional, Manley mixed freely with people from all walks of life.

[edit] Diplomacy

Manley entered into close relations with many foreign leaders, especially Olof Palme of Sweden, Fidel Castro of Cuba, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania and Pierre Trudeau of Canada. He reinforced diplomatic relations with Cuba, which was about 145km north of Jamaica, to the chagrin of American policymakers.

At the Non-Aligned Summit in 1979, Manley stressed on the need for a natural alliance between the Non-aligned movement and the Soviet Union to fight imperialism. Manley admired the Cuban model of governance and deeply believed in keeping away from the internal affairs of other countries.

[edit] Violence

Manley’s term as Prime Minister of Jamaica witnessed considerable rise in political violence, reaching a peak in the 1970s. In January 1976, violence broke out in expectation of the coming elections. Manley declared a State of Emergency in June and about 500 persons, including important JLP members were charged with trying to bring down the government and were taken into custody, and jailed at the Up-Park Camp military headquarters. On 15th December, elections were held with the PNP winning the elections despite the emergency which lasted until 1977. Renewed violence scarred the political landscape and in the 1980 election year, which Seaga won, 800 Jamaicans were killed.

[edit] Opposition

Manley, who was the Leader of the Opposition, spoke out against the new conservative government. He was clearly against getting involved in Grenada following Prime Minister Maurice Bishop’s ouster and execution. Manley’s party boycotted the snap polls called by Seaga in 1983, and the JLP controlled all the parliamentary seats.

In the 1980’s, Manley, a forceful orator, traveled the globe, regaling worldwide audiences with his compelling speeches. In 1986, Manley visited Birmingham, where the black people turned out in huge numbers to hear him speak.

[edit] Re-election

In 1989, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Manley softened his stance on a number of fronts. He adopted a moderate approach and his PNP party easily won the elections that year. His second term as Prime Minister was largely uneventful. Manley resigned as Prime Minister, in 1992, on health grounds, and Percival Patterson succeeded him.

[edit] Family

Manley is survived by his five children, Rachel Manley, Joseph Manley, Sarah Manley, Natasha Manley and David Manley.

[edit] Retirement and death

Manley authored seven books, together with the award-winning A History of West Indies Cricket. Michael Manley died on March 6th 1997.