REMEMBER! CELEBRATE! BELIEVE! - My Island Jamaica

NORMAN MANLEY:Mission accomplished!NORMANWASHINGTONManley was a brilliantscholar and athlete, soldier(First World War) and lawyer.In September 1938, Manleyfounded the People’s NationalParty (PNP) and was electedits president annually until hisretirement in 1969, 31 yearslater.Manley and the PNPsupported the trade unionmovement, then led byAlexander Bustamante, whileleading the demand foruniversal adult suffrage. Whensuffrage came, Manley had towait 10 years and two termsbefore his party was elected tooffice.He was a strong advocate ofthe Federation of the WestIndies, established in 1958, butwhen Sir AlexanderBustamante declared that theopposition Jamaica LabourParty (JLP) would take Jamaicaout of the federation, NormanManley called a referendum,unprecedented in Jamaica, tolet the people decide.The vote was decisivelyagainst Jamaica’s continuedmembership of the federation.Norman Manley, afterarranging Jamaica’s orderlywithdrawal from the union, setup a joint committee to decideon a constitution forIndependence for Jamaica.He himself chaired thecommittee with greatdistinction and then led theteam that negotiated theisland’s Independence fromBritain. The issue settled,Manley again went to thepeople. He lost the ensuingelection to the JLP and gavehis last years of service asleader of the Opposition,establishing definitively therole of the parliamentaryopposition in a developingnation.In his last public address toan annual conference of thePNP, he said: “I say that themission of my generation wasto win self-government forJamaica, to win political power,which is the final power for theblack masses of my countryfrom which I spring.“I am proud to stand heretoday and say to you whofought that fight with me, sayit with gladness and pride,mission accomplished for mygeneration.“And what is the mission ofthis generation? ... It is ...reconstructing the social andeconomic society and life ofJamaica.”Norman Manley died onSeptember 2, 1969.Premier Norman Manley, QC, is flanked by Mrs Edna Manley and Vernon Arnett, finance minister, asthey arrived at Palisadoes from London where talks on Jamaica’s future relations with the West IndiesFederation were held.Chief Minister NormanManley discussing thequality of a shoe made byWellco Shoe (Ja) Ltd atAugust Town, with two ofthe employees, during histour of the factory shortlyafter it was declared openlast Saturday by theminister of trade andIndustry, Wills O. Isaacs.Before the battleAt left is Gerald Gray, welterweight professional boxingchampion of Jamaica, who won a 15-round bout at SabinaPark, against Neville Powell (right). Others (from left) areCharlie Gooden (Gray’s trainer), Stanley Mair, promoter;Granville DaCosta, president of the Jamaica Boxing Boardof Control, Norman Manley, QC, chief minister of Jamaicalife patron of the Jamaica Boxing Association and formerpresident for 26 years; Buggy Nightengale, announcer;and Leonard Francis, (Breezy Boy) Powell’s trainer.20 JAMAICA CELEBRATES | TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2009