Tweet
Kleptomaniacs and termites
MICHAEL BURKE
Thursday, March 06, 2008
There was a general election on leap year day (February 29) 1972. The result of that election was that the People's National Party, led by Michael Manley, won a landslide victory. Of the then 53-seat Parliament, the PNP won 37 seats to the JLP's 16. Immediately, Manley declared an amnesty for illegal guns. By May 23, voluntary labour would be the new way of observing National Labour Day.
Then came the social programmes such as adult literacy, free education, and pioneer corps, more housing and so on. Apparently, the plan was to finance the social programmes by the bauxite levy that came in 1974. But by December 1973 the oil-producing countries wanted more for their oil. It threw the entire economy out of whack. The first symptom was a sharp rise in the cost of living.
It was at the public session of the PNP on September 19, 1976 (reconvened from the National Arena to the stadium because of the massive crowd), that Michael Manley said the famous words. In response to the criticism of the sharp rises in the cost of living and the dislocations caused by the rising oil prices, Manley asked, "If that bunch of reactionary kleptomaniacs were in our shoes, what would they have done?"
The PNP won the general elections of December 15, 1976, gaining 47 seats to the JLP's 13 in the new 60-seat Parliament. In 1977, the Manley-led PNP government worked out a deal with the International Monetary Fund to finance Jamaica out of the heavy debt caused by the sharp rise in oil prices. Also in 1977, Manley announced constitutional reform by 1980 and Fidel Castro visited Jamaica in October 1977.
By 1980, the IMF was recommending the closure of the social programmes to get Jamaica out of debt. After an all-night meeting of the National Executive Council of the then ruling PNP, the decision was taken to break with the IMF.
Also by 1980, violence, social pressures and resignations from the Cabinet made it difficult for Manley to govern. On February 3, 1980, against the background of all the foregoing and more, Manley announced that as soon as the voter's list was ready, he would call a general election. It was not ready until September that year, and in the meantime, some 800 people lost their lives because of political violence, including a junior minister and member of parliament, Roy McGann.
The general elections were called for October 30, 1980.
Amidst cries from the JLP of mismanagement, communism along with their campaign slogan, "Deliverance is near", the Jamaica Labour Party, led by Edward Seaga, won a landslide and on November 1, 1980, Seaga was sworn in as prime minister.
The JLP government of the 1980s, led by Edward Seaga, took Jamaica back to the IMF. We were never told whether it was on IMF instructions or not, but JAMAL was scaled down, housing was scaled down and an education tax had been introduced in addition to a cess on university tuition. Taxation soared and Edward Seaga reaped the nickname of "Papa Tax".
From the time of the oil price rises in 1973, there was talk about alternative sources of energy. As the nations of the world moved in that direction, the oil-producing countries by the 1980s dropped their prices, and many in the world dropped their plans for alternative energy. This in turn lessened the rate of the rise in the cost of living.
As a result, many were ever more convinced that Manley's cry of an oil price hike in the 1970s was just an excuse for mismanagement. Edward Seaga as prime minister called a snap election for December 15, 1983. The PNP refused to contest on the grounds that the voter's list was three years old. The JLP ended up with all 60 seats, 54 having been won unopposed on nomination day.
On February 9, 1989, the PNP won the general election. Michael Manley was once again the prime minister. It was the beginning of PNP rule for 18 years and seven months during which Manley was prime minister for three years, P J Patterson for 14 and Portia Simpson Miller for a year and five months. On September 3, 2007, the JLP won the election, and when all the magisterial recounts were done, it had 32 seats to the PNP's 28. On September 11, 2007, Bruce Golding was sworn in as prime minister. Shortly after, the Cabinet was sworn in and Parliament was opened.
No sooner had the JLP won that oil prices started to rise sharply again as was the case in the 1970s. A new set of world realities, what with the aftermath of 9/11, the US-Iraq war and all that, the price of oil rose sharply. Already, Bruce Golding has had to admit that it has put his party's plans out of whack. He was sharply criticised by the Simpson-Miller-led Opposition PNP for the rising prices.
At the JLP conference in November 2007, Golding said that the leadership in the PNP had "termites on their brains". It is said that one must be careful what one asks for in case one gets it. In the PNPisation of the JLP, Golding is also getting some of the difficulties Manley faced in the 1970s.
MICHAEL BURKE
Thursday, March 06, 2008
There was a general election on leap year day (February 29) 1972. The result of that election was that the People's National Party, led by Michael Manley, won a landslide victory. Of the then 53-seat Parliament, the PNP won 37 seats to the JLP's 16. Immediately, Manley declared an amnesty for illegal guns. By May 23, voluntary labour would be the new way of observing National Labour Day.
Then came the social programmes such as adult literacy, free education, and pioneer corps, more housing and so on. Apparently, the plan was to finance the social programmes by the bauxite levy that came in 1974. But by December 1973 the oil-producing countries wanted more for their oil. It threw the entire economy out of whack. The first symptom was a sharp rise in the cost of living.
It was at the public session of the PNP on September 19, 1976 (reconvened from the National Arena to the stadium because of the massive crowd), that Michael Manley said the famous words. In response to the criticism of the sharp rises in the cost of living and the dislocations caused by the rising oil prices, Manley asked, "If that bunch of reactionary kleptomaniacs were in our shoes, what would they have done?"
The PNP won the general elections of December 15, 1976, gaining 47 seats to the JLP's 13 in the new 60-seat Parliament. In 1977, the Manley-led PNP government worked out a deal with the International Monetary Fund to finance Jamaica out of the heavy debt caused by the sharp rise in oil prices. Also in 1977, Manley announced constitutional reform by 1980 and Fidel Castro visited Jamaica in October 1977.
By 1980, the IMF was recommending the closure of the social programmes to get Jamaica out of debt. After an all-night meeting of the National Executive Council of the then ruling PNP, the decision was taken to break with the IMF.
Also by 1980, violence, social pressures and resignations from the Cabinet made it difficult for Manley to govern. On February 3, 1980, against the background of all the foregoing and more, Manley announced that as soon as the voter's list was ready, he would call a general election. It was not ready until September that year, and in the meantime, some 800 people lost their lives because of political violence, including a junior minister and member of parliament, Roy McGann.
The general elections were called for October 30, 1980.
Amidst cries from the JLP of mismanagement, communism along with their campaign slogan, "Deliverance is near", the Jamaica Labour Party, led by Edward Seaga, won a landslide and on November 1, 1980, Seaga was sworn in as prime minister.
The JLP government of the 1980s, led by Edward Seaga, took Jamaica back to the IMF. We were never told whether it was on IMF instructions or not, but JAMAL was scaled down, housing was scaled down and an education tax had been introduced in addition to a cess on university tuition. Taxation soared and Edward Seaga reaped the nickname of "Papa Tax".
From the time of the oil price rises in 1973, there was talk about alternative sources of energy. As the nations of the world moved in that direction, the oil-producing countries by the 1980s dropped their prices, and many in the world dropped their plans for alternative energy. This in turn lessened the rate of the rise in the cost of living.
As a result, many were ever more convinced that Manley's cry of an oil price hike in the 1970s was just an excuse for mismanagement. Edward Seaga as prime minister called a snap election for December 15, 1983. The PNP refused to contest on the grounds that the voter's list was three years old. The JLP ended up with all 60 seats, 54 having been won unopposed on nomination day.
On February 9, 1989, the PNP won the general election. Michael Manley was once again the prime minister. It was the beginning of PNP rule for 18 years and seven months during which Manley was prime minister for three years, P J Patterson for 14 and Portia Simpson Miller for a year and five months. On September 3, 2007, the JLP won the election, and when all the magisterial recounts were done, it had 32 seats to the PNP's 28. On September 11, 2007, Bruce Golding was sworn in as prime minister. Shortly after, the Cabinet was sworn in and Parliament was opened.
No sooner had the JLP won that oil prices started to rise sharply again as was the case in the 1970s. A new set of world realities, what with the aftermath of 9/11, the US-Iraq war and all that, the price of oil rose sharply. Already, Bruce Golding has had to admit that it has put his party's plans out of whack. He was sharply criticised by the Simpson-Miller-led Opposition PNP for the rising prices.
At the JLP conference in November 2007, Golding said that the leadership in the PNP had "termites on their brains". It is said that one must be careful what one asks for in case one gets it. In the PNPisation of the JLP, Golding is also getting some of the difficulties Manley faced in the 1970s.
Comment