Jamaican general election, 1989

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Jamaica general election, 1989
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All 60 seats in the Jamaica House of Representatives
 First partySecond party
  Michael Manley.jpg Edward Seaga 1982.jpg
Leader Michael Manley Edward Seaga
Party PNP JLP
Leader's seat Kingston East & Port Royal Kingston West
Last election0 seats (boycotted)60 seats, 89.7%
Seats before60
Seats won4515
Seat changeIncrease2.svg45Decrease2.svg45
Popular vote473,754362,589
Percentage56.6%43.3%
SwingIncrease2.svg56.6%Decrease2.svg46.4%
Prime Minister before election

Edward Seaga
JLP

Subsequent Prime Minister

Michael Manley
PNP

Jamaica
Coat of Arms of Jamaica.svg
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Jamaica

General elections were held in Jamaica on 9 February 1989. The result was a victory for the People's National Party, which won 45 of the 60 seats. Voter turnout was 78.4%. [1]

Jamaica Country in the Caribbean

Jamaica is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning 10,990 square kilometres (4,240 sq mi) in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the fourth-largest island country in the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about 145 kilometres (90 mi) south of Cuba, and 191 kilometres (119 mi) west of Hispaniola.

Peoples National Party Jamaican political party

The People's National Party (PNP) is a social-democratic political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by activist Osmond Theodore Fairclough. It holds 30 of the 63 seats in the House of Representatives, as well as a majority of local government bodies, with 151 of the 228 divisions. The party is democratic socialist by constitution.

Contents

This was the first election contested by the People's National Party since 1980, as they had boycotted the 1983 snap election. Prime Minister Edward Seaga announced the election date on January 15, 1989 at a rally in Kingston. [2] He cited emergency conditions caused by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 as the reason for extending the parliamentary term beyond its normal five-year mandate. [3]

Edward Seaga Prime Minister of Jamaica

Edward Philip George Seaga is a former Jamaican politician. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1980 to 1989, and the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party from 1974 to 2005. He served as leader of the opposition from 1974 to 1980, and again from 1989 until January 2005.

Kingston, Jamaica Capital city in Surrey, Jamaica

Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island. In the Americas, Kingston is the largest predominantly English-speaking city south of the United States.

Campaign

The election date and tone of the election were shaped in part by Hurricane Gilbert, which made landfall in September 1988 and decimated the island. The hurricane caused almost $1 billion worth of damage to the island, with banana and coffee crops wiped out and thousands of homes destroyed. Both parties engaged in campaigning through the distribution of relief supplies, a hallmark of the Jamaican patronage system. Political commentators noted that prior to the hurricane, Edward Seaga and the JLP trailed Michael Manley and the PNP by twenty points in opinion polls. The ability to provide relief as the party in charge allowed Seaga to improve his standing among voters and erode the inevitability of Manley's victory. However, scandals related to the relief effort cost Seaga and the JLP some of the gains made immediately following the hurricane. Scandals that emerged included National Security Minister Errol Anderson personally controlling a warehouse full of disaster relief supplies and candidate Joan Gordon-Webley distributing American-donated flour in sacks with her picture on them. [4]

Hurricane Gilbert Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 1988

Hurricane Gilbert was an extremely powerful tropical cyclone that formed during the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season and peaked as a Category 5 strength hurricane that brought widespread destruction to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Gilbert was also one of the largest tropical cyclones ever observed in the Atlantic basin. At one point, its tropical storm-force winds measured 575 mi (925 km) in diameter. In addition, Gilbert was the most intense tropical cyclone in recorded history to strike Mexico.

The election was characterized by a narrower ideological difference between the two parties on economic issues. Michael Manley facilitated his comeback campaign by moderating his leftist positions and admitting mistakes made as Prime Minister, saying he erred when he involved government in economic production and had abandoned all thoughts of nationalizing industry. He cited the PNP's desire to continue the market-oriented policies of the JLP government, but with a more participatory approach. [5] Prime Minister Edward Seaga ran on his record of economic growth and the reduction of unemployment in Jamaica, using the campaign slogan "Don't Let Them Wreck It Again" to refer to Manley's tenure as Prime Minister. [6] Seaga during his tenure as Prime Minister emphasized the need to tighten public sector spending and cut close to 27,000 public sector jobs in 1983 and 1984. [7] He shifted his plans as elections neared with a promise to spend J$1 billion on a five-year Social Well-Being Programme, which would build new hospitals and schools in Jamaica. [8]

Foreign policy also played a role in the 1989 election. Prime Minister Edward Seaga emphasized his relations with the United States, a relationship which saw Jamaica receiving considerable economic aid from the U.S and additional loans from international institutions. [9] Manley pledged better relations with the United States while at the same time pledging to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba that had been cut under Seaga. [6] With Manley as Prime Minister, Jamaican-American relations had significantly frayed as a result of Manley's economic policies and close relations with Cuba. [10]

Jamaica–United States relations Diplomatic relations between Jamaica and the United States of America

Jamaica–United States relations are bilateral relations between Jamaica and the United States.

The personalities of the two party leaders helped shape the 1989 campaign. While Seaga was portrayed as a good manager with a cold public demeanor, Manley was perceived as a person with suspect managerial skills but exceptional personal magnetism. Seaga summarized the two personalities by saying, "Some people prefer to have a husband who will provide for them and give them security. Others are looking for a lover to give them joy." [6]

Results

PartyVotes%Seats+/-
People's National Party 473,75456.645+45
Jamaica Labour Party 362,58943.315-45
Independents6280.100
Invalid/blank votes8,514–––
Total845,485100600
Source: Nohlen

By constituency

Constituency Jamaica Labour Party People's National Party Independents
CandidateVotes%CandidateVotes%CandidateVotes%
Kingston Western Edward Seaga 11,74481.79Clinton Davy2,61518.21
Kingston Central Olivia Grange 5,75843.02Ralph Brown7,62756.98
Kingston East & Port Royal Granclett Cadienhead2,392 Michael Manley 10,084
St. Andrew West Rural Kenneth Baugh 8,074 Claude Clarke 8,170
St. Andrew Western Lee R. Clarke7,223Onel Williams10,298Don Jenkins40
St. Andrew West Central Ferdinand Yap10,458Arnold Nicholson13,102
St. Andrew East Central Merlene Heholt4,088Arthur Jones11,276
St. Andrew South Western Royland Williams396 Portia Simpson 18,577
St. Andrew Southern Earlston Spencer 5,092Hartley E. Jones14,798
St. Andrew South Eastern Ryan G. Peralto5,371Easton W.X. Douglas6,444Jasmin A. Brown14
St. Andrew Eastern Edmund Bartlett 6,802Oswald S. Seymour5,599
St. Andrew North Central Karl Samuda 7,017Shirley-Ann Eaton5,144
St. Andrew North Western Derrick C. Smith 5,392Jepthah V. Ford5,159
St. Andrew East Rural Joan A. Gordon-Webley6,686E.G.G. Barrett7,070
St. Thomas WesternErrol Anderson9,390Ronald G. Lampart7,822
St. Thomas Eastern Pearnel Charles 7,930Franklyn Sephestine7,462Roosevelt S. Barrant122
Portland EasternDennis M. Wright6,426H. Sam Lawrence8,799
Portland WesternSt. Clair O. Shirley5,977Errol F. Ennis6,848
St. Mary South EasternAlva Ross6,476Harry G. Douglas7,319
St. Mary CentralNeville G. Murray4,166Horace A. Clarke8,983
St. Mary WesternHyacinth M. Knight6,520Terrence D. Gillette9,089
St. Ann South EasternKern Christian3,290 Seymour Mullings 9,056
St. Ann North EasternPatricia Pink6,227N.W. Manley Bowen9,532
St. Ann North WesternErnest A. Smith6,639Burchell Whiteman7,684
St. Ann South Western Neville Gallimore 6,916Newton Richards4,717
Trelawny NorthernKeith E. Russell6,874Desmond Leakey10,103
Trelawny SouthernBrascoe L. Lee5,662Lyndel L. Frater5,837
St. James East CentralGodfrey G. Dyer4,598Violet A. Neilson5,656
St. James North WesternCharles E. Sinclair6,108Carl E. Miller8,753
St. James West CentralWinston Watt5,165Patrick Rose-Green7,651
St. James SouthernEphraim A. Morgan3,858Derrick F.L. Kellier7,980Princess E. Vernon452
Hanover EasternFranklin D. Jackson5,269Aston S. King6,700
Hanover WesternHorace A. Chang6,096Benjamin A.L. Clare8,578
Westmoreland WesternRussell O. Hammond4,335Kenneth A. McNeil8,755
Westmoreland CentralCarlton C.C. Jones4,324Enock C.K. Blythe8,021
Westmoreland North EasternAstil Sangster4,331Headly Cunningham7,229
Westmoreland South EasternPercival LaTouche3,999 P.J. Patterson 7,108
St. Elizabeth North WesternNeville B. Lewis6,656Caswell Daley6,111
St. Elizabeth North EasternHugh A. Dawes5,433Sydney R. Pagon9,042
St. Elizabeth South Western Derrick Sangster 6,478 Donald B. Buchanan 7,479
St. Elizabeth South EasternJeremy A. Palmer6,144Derrick A. Rochester8,162
Manchester SouthernLloyd G. Bent5,604Douglas R. Manley8,615
Manchester CentralCecil Charlton6,655John A. Junior7,384
Manchester North WesternStafford S. Haughton4,420Dean A. Peart7,787
Clarendon North Western Audley Shaw 6,675Calvin S. Lyn7,339
Clarendon NorthernJ.A.G. Smith6,135 Horace Daley 7,015
Clarendon North CentralErrol A. Dunkley6,429N.C. Bachelor4,895
Clarendon Central Lester Michael Henry 6,768Donnal M. Scott-Bhoorasingh6,286
Clarendon South WesternArthur H.W. Williams4,788O.D. Ramtallie8,307
Clarendon South Eastern Hugh Shearer 7,29950.01%Emanuel Cousins7,29549.99%
St. Catherine North WesternJohn Franklyn3,959Robert D. Pickersgill8,904
St. Catherine South WesternMichael A. Williams7,044Rudyard E. Lawson8,652
St. Catherine SouthernThomas Tavares-Finson7,848Hugh Small8,325
St. Catherine Central Bruce Golding 12,062Vincent L. Edwards6,852
St. Catherine South EasternJeanette Grant-Woodham5,651R. Carl Rattray8,189
St. Catherine East CentralRuby C. Walcott5,070Keith D. St. A. Knight9,744
St. Catherine West CentralEnid Bennett6,340Enoch L. Blake5,250
St. Catherine North EasternAnthony S.R. Johnson5,740Phyllis Mitchell4,604
Source: Electoral Commission of Jamaica

Related Research Articles

History of Jamaica Wikimedia history article

The Caribbean island of Jamaica was inhabited by the Arawak tribes prior to the arrival of Columbus in 1494. Early inhabitants of Jamaica named the land "Xaymaca", meaning "Land of wood and water". The Spanish enslaved the Arawaks, who were so ravaged by their conflict with the Europeans and by foreign diseases that nearly the entire native population was extinct by 1600. The Spanish also transported hundreds of West African slaves to the island.

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Michael Manley, son of former Prime Minister Norman Manley, was elected Prime Minister of Jamaica in 1972. To address growing inequality in Jamaican society, Manley embarked on several democratic socialist reforms of the state, including land ownership reform, free education from primary to university, and nationalization of certain industries. Such policies had massive popularity among many people in Jamaica, but there were others who either saw the reforms as contrary to their businesses or as a high precursor to a Cuban-style communist government. Beginning in 1974, he was also opposed by the more conservative Edward Seaga of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). The JLP used the threat of socialism to build support among property owners and churchgoers, attracting more middle-class support. By 1976 the two politicians hired local gangsters to help them increase their hold on power.

References

  1. ↑ Nohlen, D (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p430 ISBN   978-0-19-928357-6
  2. ↑ "JAMAICA ELECTION SET FOR FEBRUARY". The New York Times. 17 January 1989. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  3. ↑ Lansford, Tom (2014). "Political Handbook of the World 2014", p. 717. ISBN   1483333272, 9781483333274.
  4. ↑ "Showdown in Jamaica". The New York Times. 27 November 1988. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  5. ↑ Garrity, Michele and Picard, Louis A. "Policy Reform for Sustainable Development in the Caribbean", p. 39. ISBN   4274900991, 9784274900990.
  6. 1 2 3 "Personalities Of Candidates Key Issue In Jamaica Election" . Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  7. ↑ "Jamaica Gleaner News - On development and losing elections - Sunday | March 14, 2010". Mobile.jamaica-gleaner.com. Retrieved 2016-09-24.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2015-05-07.
  9. ↑ Ronald T. Libby (1990). "The United States and Jamaica: Playing the American Card" (PDF). Latin American Perspectives. pp. 86–109. Caribbean Crisis and Global Restructuring
  10. ↑ "Jamaica - Relations with the United States, Britain, and Canada" . Retrieved 19 September 2016.
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