Jamaica: No Problem?

By Leroy A. Binns Ph.D.

The long awaited Jamaican national election has replaced the incumbent Edward P. G. Seaga with the former two term head of state Michael N. Manley as the People’s National Party swept 44 of the 60 seats in the House of Parliament.

Although Manley’s overwhelming support fell short of that in 1976 the political climate enhanced his return in a remarkable fashion. The most recent referendum temporarily erased wide spread violence from the electoral process and unequivocally signaled the need for social change.

As the scoop hits news stands, political pundits and business tycoons continue to assess the transition. Joseph Treasurer of the New York Times sees a flourishing economy at stake under the Manley regime as do entrepreneurs who recall the economic deprivation faced by the private sector in the 1970s. Nonetheless these misinformed observers chose to ignore the fiscal ills of the past 8 years.

During Seaga’s tenure the autocratic leader’s relationship with the IMF has increased the deficit by an alarming $2.5 billion and has therefore created the following austerity measures: a decrease in the number of students earning a higher education due to astronomical college fees, the termination of much needed government employees, a substantial increase in the cost of essential commodities and on many occasions the scarcity of basic necessities amidst constant devaluations of the Jamaican currency. Moreover his exclusive friendship with the United States has prevented the island from receiving technological assistance from nonaligned states – all of which the previous administration claimed to have predicted well in advance of the electoral showdown.

Over the years the incoming democratic socialist gained the respect and commitment of Third World counterparts and the working class for his unwavering stance on social justice. However his most recent posture has been a Western compromise that is diametrically opposed to the ideals of the disenfranchised. Illustrations of Manley II include a yearning for intimacy with the Bush administration and its underlings the IMF and the World Bank as opposed to an allegiance with socialist tenets he oftentimes “heralded” in the 1970s.

Despite the horrifying remembrance of US hostilities towards the Bishop regime in 1983, the Noriega administration in 1988 and most significantly the PNP government in the latter half of the past decade, the prime minister speaks of practicality when supporting concessions with the White House yet such will result in the continuance of economic stagnation in Jamaica and ultimate defeat. Instead in order to avoid crucial pitfalls such as inflation, unemployment and illiteracy that are common symptoms of US imperialism in the underdeveloped world the new leader must avert corruption, induce productivity and forge an alliance with nonaligned nations in an effort to gain economic independence.

For now the charismatic ruler’s flip flop may earn him a pass at home and in the West but the death of this paradise island remains a grave concern.