By Hartley Neita, ContributorJAMAICANS WILL be celebrating the birthday of Sir Alexander Bustamante later this month, and as I thought about it I remembered many of the stories about this man, some of which have become legends.
His relationship with his staff was remarkable for his personal concerns about their welfare. He remembered their birthdays, and the birthdays of their close relatives.
He even instructed his colleagues to send home their secretaries on their monthly dates with the druggist, as pharmacists were called then.
A CHAIR BY DESK
One of the stories I remember very clearly relates to the lady who ws assigned to him as his senior secretary when he took office as premier in April 1962.
Shortly after he arrived at his office on the first day, he buzzed her on the telephone to come to him to take dictation.
When she entered, she noticed there was no chair beside his desk so she walked to the side of the office and began to lift a chair.
Now these chairs were made of mahogany and were very heavy. Bustamante quick-stepped from his desk and took the chair from her.
"No luv," he said. "It's too heavy for you."
Whenever he called her after that day, a chair was already beside his desk, or he was in the process of moving a chair there.
At that time, many of his ministers visited his office around noon. They talked about political concerns and problems they were experiencing in these ministries.
Observers noted that Hugh Shearer never came to these morning soirees. When he wanted to discuss anything with Bustamante he went to his home at Tucker Avenue.
During one such meeting with his ministers, Bustamante buzzed his secretary to come inside the office to take a letter.
When she entered, all the chairs were taken, so she walked to Bustamante's desk with her notebook and pencil.
Bustamante looked to the right, then to his left. They were talking to each other quietly, ignoring the secretary and Bustamante.
MORE COURTEOUS
The Chief, as he was fondly and respectfully called, pushed his chair away from his desk. He stood and walked to his Secretary and held her elbow.
"Come my luv. Have my seat."
Suddenly chairs were being pushed towards her.
Bustamante ignored them as he dictated to her.
When he was finished he held out his hand to her and held her palm.
"Thank you very much," he said as he escorted her to the door.
It never happened again. Whenever he called her for dictation and they were present, she had a choice of six, seven and eight seats.
Other secretaries subsequently told her that their ministers had become courteous and thoughtful. She never told them why.
