The Development of Jamaica’s Political System

In this year and month (February 25, 2016) of a general election a close look into the development of Jamaica’s political system throughout history is rather important. Especially because a number of us were not around in these years or were not old enough or understand what this whole notion of politics is about.

Beginning in 1970, the Jamaica Labour Party's identification with domestic and foreign business interests became increasingly evident. After Norman Manley died in 1969, his son Michael, a Third World-oriented social democrat, succeeded him as People’s National Party leader and began to revive the party's socialist heritage.

The 1972 election was a major landmark in Jamaica’s history, for the People’s National Party under the leadership of Michael Manley was swept into power after ten years of JLP domination. The PNP won the election with the largest majority in the nation’s history, capturing thirty-seven seats to the JLP’s sixteen. The political campaign was straightforward and generally non-violent, although there were numerous clashes between rival campaigning rallies throughout Jamaica. (Floyd 146).

In 1974, Edward Seaga succeeded Hugh Shearer as JLP leader and began playing an active role as leader of the opposition (1974-80). Seaga and Manley continued the traditional JLP-PNP leadership rivalry in the 1970s, but on a far more bitter and intense level than had Bustamante and Norman Manley. Born in Boston in 1930 of Jamaican parents of Syrian and Scottish origin, Seaga was educated at Wolmer's Boys School in Kingston and at Harvard University. He represented Denham Town, one of the poorest and blackest constituencies of West Kingston, which regularly gave 95 percent of its vote to the JLP.

The December 1976 elections witnessed major realignments in class voting for the two parties, as well as unprecedented political violence and division on ethical and policy issues. The support of manual wage laborers and the unemployed resulted in another sweeping victory in the elections for the PNP. The PNP was also aided by the lowering of the voting age from twenty-one to eighteen. Despite losing a substantial number of votes among the upper-middle and upper classes as well as among white-collar employees, the PNP retained majority support among these sectors.

 The PNP's dominant position in politics in the 1970s was reinforced on March 8, 1977, when the party won 237 out of 269 municipal seats in local government elections in which 58 percent of the electorate participated. By mid-term, however, internal PNP infighting between left-wingers and moderates had intensified and JLP opposition had escalated. Support for the PNP declined considerably as the public became increasingly concerned over the PNP's alliance with the communist Workers Party of Jamaica (WPJ), as well as growing unemployment, crime and other violence, internal party divisions, mismanagement of the government, and the government's close ties to Cuba.

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