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Jamaican Politicians
10 Most Memorable Political Figures In Jamaica
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by Venesha Johnson | Associate Writer
Jamaica has two major political parties, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP). Many Jamaicans, especially older folks are affiliated with either party and stand by the notion that their party is the best party for the island. But despite which party may seem better, Jamaica has had and still has some very influential and memorable politicians.
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1. Sir Patrick Allen
Sir Patrick Linton Allen, a Jamaican statesman and former Seventh-day Adventist preacher, was born on February 7, 1951. He has been the country's sixth and current governor-general since February 26, 2009.
Allen began his career as a pastor before taking on several leadership positions within the Seventh-day Adventist Church and ultimately rising to the position of president of the West Indies Union of Seventh-day Adventists.
Allen was chosen as Jamaica's sixth governor general. Due to his close ties to the Seventh-day Adventist Church and worries that he wouldn't be able to attend events on Saturdays because of his religion's strict observance of the Sabbath, Allen's appointment was controversial.
However, Allen left his position as the West Indies Union's leader before being appointed Governor-General.
2. Portia Simpson-Miller
Politician Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller was born in Jamaica on December 12, 1945. From March 2006 to September 2007 and again from January 5 to March 3, 2012, she was Jamaica's first female prime minister. From 2005 to 2017, she served as the PNP's leader. From 2007 to 2012 and again from 2016 to 2017, she served as the Opposition Leader. Simpson-Miller continued to hold the ministerial posts of information, sports, development, and defence while serving as prime minister.
Throughout her fascinating political career, she has also held the positions of Minister of Local Government, Minister of Tourism and Sports, and Minister of Labor, Social Security, and Sport. She became the second person since independence to have served non-consecutive terms as prime minister when her party defeated the Jamaica Labour Party in the election she won in December 2011.
The first was Michael Manley. The JLP, led by Andrew Holness, defeated the PNP under her leadership in the general election on February 25, 2016, although only by one seat. After this loss, Simpson-Miller resigned in 2017. The Gleaner and Observer recognized her Person of the Year in 2011.
Mrs. Simpson-Miller is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, an international network of current and former female presidents and prime ministers.
3. Michael Manley
Michael Norman Manley, a Jamaican politician, was the country's fourth prime minister from 1972 to 1980 and again from 1989 to 1992. He died on March 6, 1997, at the age of 76. Manley, who has been labelled a populist, promoted a democratic socialist agenda.
4. Kenneth O. Hall
From 16th February 2006 to 26th February 2009, Sir Kenneth Octavius Hall (born 24th April 1941) presided as the governor-general of Jamaica. He was the country's fifth governor-general since Jamaica's independence in 1962.
5. Alexander Bustamante
The first prime minister of Jamaica was Sir William Alexander Clarke Bustamante (born William Alexander Clarke; 24th February 1884 – 6th August 1977), a politician and labour leader from Jamaica.
6. Bruce Golding
Former Jamaican politician Orette Bruce Golding, who was born on 5 December 1947, held the position of eighth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 11th September 2007 to 23rd October 2011. He was a member of the JLP, where he served as its leader from 2005 until his resignation in 2011.
7. Andrew Holness
Following the 2016 general election in Jamaica, Andrew Michael Holness was elected as the country's prime minister on March 3. Before this, Holness was the prime minister from October 2011 to January 5, 2012.
To secure his mandate from the Jamaican electorate, he decided to send electorates to the polls in a general election on December 29, 2011, which replaced Bruce Golding as prime minister. In the end, he was defeated by the Portia Simpson-Miller-led PNP, which won 42 seats to the Jamaica Labour Party's 21.
After that loss, Holness held the position of leader of the opposition from January 2012 to March 2016, when he again became prime minister. On September 7, 2020, Holness was sworn in for a second term as prime minister after the Labour Party easily won the general election.
In October 2011, at the age of 39, Holness became the youngest prime minister in Jamaican history. He was the youngest prime minister ever to be reelected in March 2016 at the age of 43. He was also the first prime minister to be born in Jamaica following the country's 1962 declaration of independence.
8. Desmond McKenzie
Desmond Anthony Augustus McKenzie JP (born 1st December 1952) is a politician from Jamaica who served as the mayor of the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation (KSAC) from July 2003 to January 2012. He was then elected to parliament for the JLP to represent the Kingston Western district. He presently serves as the minister of local government and rural development. McKenzie has also served in the Jamaican Senate.
9. Hugh Shearer
Born in 1923 and died in 2004, The Most Honourable Hugh Shearer dedicated a considerable portion of his life to Jamaican politics. His tenure as Prime Minister of Jamaica from 11th April 1967 to 2nd March 1972 is what most people remember him for. From 1980 until 1989, he also held the positions of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade as well as Deputy Prime Minister of Jamaica. He now features on the Jamaican $5,000 note or the "Shearer" as it is locally known.
10. P.J. Patterson
Former Jamaican politician P. J. Patterson, born April 10, 1935, is very well-known for serving as the country's prime minister for the longest period in its history, from 1992 to 2006. In addition, Patterson held the minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade positions from 1978 to 1980 and the minister of defence from 1992 to 2006.
Despite the challenges we have had with political leadership in Jamaica, we can still say that we have had some charismatic leaders who have tried their best to lead the country in the right direction.
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