Norman Manley and the birth of a nation

Clyde Hoyte, Contributor

THE SUNDAY Gleaner of May 7, published my article headed "Fairclough, Blake secure Blacks' respect". And I am grateful to the many Jamaicans who called me by telephone from other parts of the world on that very day to say they were happy to read it in The Gleaner's Internet Edition that morning.

I take this opportunity of reaffirming that every single statement made in my article was, to my certain knowledge, perfectly true.

However, in the Sunday Gleaner of May 21, a letter to the Editor was published under the heading "Not so, Mr. Hoyte", in which the writer or writers, without disclosing their name(s), and using the pen-name 'Fairplay', sought to dispute the historical fact that it was the People's National Party which, from the year 1938, consistently led the struggle for Jamaica's Independence right through to the presentation of the final document for the signature of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1961.

All through the years, the pages of The Gleaner have faithfully told the true story, beginning with the full coverage of the launching of the PNP in 1938 at which it was plainly declared that the aim of the party was to fight for the right of the people of Jamaica to manage their own affairs.

Before many months had passed, The Gleaner published the presentation made by the PNP to the Royal Commission, calling for a reformed Constitution with provision for Universal Adult Suffrage. Again in 1943 The Gleaner recorded the fact that the amendment proposed by the Commission headed by Lord Moyne was rejected by the PNP as not going far enough, and that the final amendment accepted by the British Government had adopted even the very wording of the presentation made by the PNP.

Even while the world was passing through the throes of World War II, it was the leader of the PNP, Norman Manley, who was appointed by the British Government to be the British Co-Chairman of the British-American Caribbean Commission, while the American Co-Chairman was Mr. Justice William Hastie, the first Black American to be appointed as a Supreme Court Judge in the USA. You'll find it in The Gleaner .

Having successfully campaigned for the right of every adult Jamaican to vote in elections, the PNP had to wait for 10 years for its first chance to be the governing party. And between 1955 and 1962 ­ just seven years ­ The Gleaner recorded the tremendous strides Jamaica had accomplished, led by the PNP.

This island became the only place in the world to have the prestige to float an international loan on its own while still a colony.

A PNP group headed by the well-known journalist Ken Jones proposed that Jamaica should ban all trade with Apartheid South Africa, and Jamaica's PNP-led Government was the first in the world to make such a move.

Though Jamaica was not yet a member of the United Nations Organisation, the Government was able to access personnel from the UN to assist in structuring its planning capabilities in preparation for full Independence.

By 1959, that same PNP-led Government had secured for Jamaica the ultimate in international self-government. Jamaica was then empowered to do whatever it wanted to do except to declare war on a foreign State, and further reform by then also altered the title of the elected leader of the Government from Chief Minister to Premier.

There were other important reforms beside those pertaining to the Constitution. And all these were, in effect, preparing Jamaica for full Independence.

Norman Manley clearly saw that the whole world was tending towards the grouping of nations. And the address he delivered in the Half-Way Tree Square on the night in 1961 when he announced the date for the Referendum concerning the Federation of the West Indies was possibly the most emotional political speech ever made in the history of Jamaica. In part, he said:

"Tonight I call upon all Jamaicans to answer to the demands of history and our destiny. A time like this will never come again in the lives of any of us. It is only once in your life that you can face a final and decisive moment like this. I call upon every person in Jamaica who cares for our future. We have a long history, partly bitter, partly proud, but we have come through from where we began so surely and safely to where we stand tonight with our future in our hands, with the opportunity of joining with all the historical forces of the world today, which command people to unite if they would achieve purpose and meaning in the world, in unity that we will build a safe future for our people. That though there are difficulties to be overcome, no great future was ever achieved painlessly, without struggle, without sacrifice, without dedication, without devotion.

"Day by day we go about our ordinary tasks. Our problems are always on us. Our difficulties surround us. Some seek pleasure, some fight for security in life, but once ­ once to us ­ comes a moment like this. And I repeat, O with all the force at my command, with all the prayer and hope in my heart, that it will be given to everyone now to see that this is the greatest challenge of our times ­ that this is a time when every man must sacrifice something ­ give something of time, if nothing better give something of money, but give something of your heart, give something of your counsel and sympathy and courage ­ do something for your country, fight for this future, contribute to this future, and the generations to come will call you blessed".

Well, we have lived to see Great Britain now comfortably in the safety of the fold of the European Union. And some advanced thinkers have declared that the total world is moving towards the day when a World Government would be able to guarantee world peace.

Jamaica was well on the way to Independence in the larger West Indian grouping when selfish interests persuaded voters in the Referendum to throw away this opportunity. But Independence for Jamaica, for which the People's National Party had struggled from 1938 onwards, was never in doubt. Accepting the results of the Referendum, Norman Manley now completed the work he had begun in 1938, presiding over the drafting of the Independence Constitution which was endorsed by Britain.

New era

There were still three years left for that term of the PNP administration, but Norman Manley felt that such an important new era in Jamaica's history required that fresh General Elections be held, such was the quality of the man.

All opinion polls showed that the majority of Jamaicans felt quite confident that the PNP would be retained as the Government. In The Gleaner , Morris Cargill published his frank opinion that Norman Manley had done such a splendid job in managing Jamaica's affairs that he should now forget about the Federation and proceed with his leadership of this country. So confident was the majority of the voting population that the PNP would win the elections that, of the 796,540 persons registered as voters, only 580,517 bothered to go to the polling stations, 216,023 stayed home, and the Jamaica Labour Party won by a majority of only 8,359 votes.

Those of us who are still alive can tell of the cloud of sadness that pervaded the first days of Independence, with the JLP celebrating not Independence really but their winning of the General Elections.

Years later (in 1969) The Gleaner published a letter from Sir Kenneth Blackburn who had been the last British Governor of Jamaica and who had agreed to serve for a short time as the first Governor-General in Independence.

Sir Kenneth told The Gleaner that on the day after the 1962 elections, when Norman Manley came to King's House to hand in his resignation as Premier, he (Sir Kenneth) broke down and cried.

But it was The Gleaner itself which proclaimed the irrefutable truth on the day after Norman Manley died in September 1969. The Gleaner summed it all up in one sentence in boldface type when it said, "The nation is his true memorial".

And that, dear readers, was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Back to Commentary