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The
Jamaica Labour Party

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prime_minister_andrew_holness_with_heroes_day_message_2018Jamaica Labour Party President and Current Prime Minister | The Most Honourable Andrew Holness

by Venesha Johnson | Associate Writer

The Jamaica Labour Party is one of the two major political parties on the island and based on the votes for the past few years, the preferred party for the majority of Jamaicans.

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But what do we know about the JLP? Here is a brief history.

sir_alexander_bustamante_photoSir Alexander Bustamante | Founder of the JLP and the first Prime Minister

How it started:

The Bustamante Industrial Trade Union's political wing, the JLP, was established in 1943 by Alexander Bustamante and won the first elections held in Jamaica with universal suffrage in 1944.

The JLP was founded in the trades union movement, much like the PNP, with a focus on bettering relations between employees and employers and pursuing greater racial and social equality.

However, over time, the JLP moved further to the political right than the PNP, adopting a liberal capitalist position and emphasising the importance of attracting inward investment and economic growth.

The JLP strongly opposed the PNP's socialist fiscal and foreign policies during the 1970s and the early 1980s, when ideological divergence from the PNP was most pronounced.

Leadership and Election Wins

From the time the party was founded until 1964 when he stopped being actively involved in politics, Bustamante served as its leader. With 22 of the 32 seats, the JLP won the 1944 general elections. Before falling out of power to the PNP in the elections of 1955, it went on to win the 1949 elections with a smaller margin of victory.

After the 1959 elections, it remained in opposition but won in 1962. Bustamante left politics in 1964, but he held onto the position of party leader for several years before the party bestowed upon him the honorific title of "The Chief" after its defeat in the 1972 elections. Hugh Shearer and Donald Sangster, both of whom held the position of "First Deputy Leader," led the party from 1967 to 1974.

Edward Seaga took over as the party's second leader in 1974. Despite the party's defeat in the 1976 elections, Seaga was elected prime minister in 1980 after the party won 51 of the 60 seats. The JLP won every seat in the 1983 election, which the opposition boycotted. After losing the 1989 elections, they also lost the ones held in 1993, 1997, and 2002.

Seaga was succeeded as party leader by Bruce Golding in 2005, and Golding guided the party to victory in the 2007 elections. In October 2011, Golding resigned as the party's leader, and Andrew Holness is now in charge.

On November 10, 2013, the party held a leadership election in which Holness faced opposition from his deputy, Shadow Minister for Finance Audley Shaw. Shaw lost to Holness by a vote count of 2,704 to 2,012.

In the general elections held on February 25, 2016, Holness led the JLP to a one-seat parliamentary majority (32–31), relegating the PNP to the opposition benches after one term.

Andrew Holness was again reelected as the Prime Minister of Jamaica in the 2020 elections.

Role of the Members of Parliament (MPs)

Both their constituents and Parliament are the MPs' primary responsibilities. Each of Jamaica's 60 constituencies chooses one MP to represent them in the House of Representatives.

Participating in discussions and casting votes on legislation and other issues are among the responsibilities of MPs in Parliament. They might also be a part of committees looking at new legislation or the operations of government agencies. Some serve as ministers in the administration or as opposition spokespersons.

By offering advice on issues (especially those that result from the work of government departments), speaking out for their constituents' needs in Parliament, and serving as a leader for the neighbourhood, MPs can assist their residents.

Here are the current Members of Parliament in the Jamaica Labour Party and their constituents.

  • Mike Henry- Clarendon Central
  • Pearnel Charles Jr- Clarendon South Eastern
  • Desmond McKenzie- Kingston Western
  • Audley Shaw- Manchester North Eastern
  • Ann Marie Vaz- Portland Eastern
  • Daryl Vaz- Portland Western
  • Juliet Holness- St. Andrew East Rural
  • Fayval Williams- St. Andrew Eastern
  • Karl Samuda- St. Andrew North Central
  • Delroy Chuck- St. Andrew North Eastern
  • Nigel Clarke- St. Andrew North Western
  • Andrew Holness- St. Andrew West Central
  • Juliet Cuthbert Flynn- St. Andrew West Rural
  • Zavia Mayne- St. Ann South Western
  • Olivia "Babsy" Grange- St. Catherine Central
  • Alando Terrelonge- St. Catherine East Central
  • Dr. Andrew Wheatley-St. Catherine South Central
  • Everald Warmington-St. Catherine South Western
  • Dr. Christopher Tufton- St. Catherine West Central
  • JC Hutchinson- St. Elizabeth North Western
  • Frank Witter-St. Elizabeth South Eastern
  • Floyd Green- St. Elizabeth South Western
  • Ed Bartlett- St. James East Central
  • Dr. Horace Chang- St. James North Western
  • Marlene Malahoo Forte- St. James West Central
  • Dr. Norman Dunn- St. Mary South Eastern
  • Robert Montague- St. Mary Western
  • James Robertson- St. Thomas Western
  • Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert- Trelawny Southern

Jamaica Labour Party Headquarters

  • Address: 20 Belmont Road, Kingston 5, Jamaica
  • Tel: (876)-929-1183
  • Email: info@jamaicalabourparty.com

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References & Sources For Jamaica Labour Party

  1. Caribbeanelections.com. 2022. Caribbean Elections | Jamaica Labour Party. [online] Available at: [Accessed 30 September 2022].
  2. Jamaicalabourparty.com. 2022. Our Candidates | The Jamaica Labour Party. [online] Available at: [Accessed 30 September 2022].

Jamaica Labour Party | Written: September 30, 2022

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