Connect with us

Caribbean News

JAMAICA: Former Prime Minister Edward Seaga Passes

Published

on

#Kingston, May 28, 2019 – Jamaica – Former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Edward Seaga, died today (May 28), in the United States, where he was receiving treatment.

Mr. Seaga, aged 89, was Jamaica’s fifth Prime Minister, serving from October 1980 to February 1989.

Through 43 years of unwavering service to the nation, the former Prime Minister played a fundamental role in shaping Jamaica’s post-Independence parliamentary landscape.

Mr. Seaga was one of the founding fathers who framed the Jamaican Constitution in 1961.  He initiated a rewrite of the Human Rights section of the Constitution to provide for a Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms; and created the office of public defender.  The former Prime Minister was also a member of the first Parliament of independent Jamaica.

Described as a prolific, transformational leader, he had the distinction of being the longest-serving Member of Parliament (MP) in the history of Jamaica and the Caribbean region. Mr. Seaga represented the constituency of West Kingston from 1962 until his retirement from active politics in 2005.

Mr. Seaga’s legacy in shaping the country’s political history began at age 29,  when in 1959, founder of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Sir Alexander Bustamante, nominated him to serve in the Upper House of Parliament – the Legislative Council (later the Senate). Mr. Seaga was the youngest member to be appointed to serve in this capacity.

After winning his seat as MP in 1962, Mr. Seaga was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister of Development and Welfare. Following the 1967 General Election, he was appointed Minister of Finance and Planning and in 1974 became the Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), a capacity in which he served for 30 years.

Mr. Seaga became Prime Minister following the General Election of October 30, 1980. The JLP again took the helm of Government at the 1983 General Election and Mr. Seaga remained Prime Minister until February 1989.  During the course of his political life, Mr. Seaga made a significant impact on Jamaica’s growth and development through the introduction of various programmes and the establishment of institutions across the social, cultural, political and financial sectors.

Starting from as early as 1961 with Things Jamaican, Mr. Seaga also established the Jamaica Festival Movement, and spearheaded the repatriation of Marcus Garvey and his appointment as the country’s first National Hero.

The former Prime Minister also created the training institution, HEART Trust/NTA; and established the Urban Development Corporation, Jamaica Stock Exchange and Jamaica Unit Trust.  Also to his credit was the creation of the Jamaica Mortgage Bank; Students’ Loan Bureau; National Development Bank; Agricultural Credit Bank; Jamaica National Investment Promotion Ltd., now Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO); and the EXIM Bank.  His interventions to enhance the lives of the most vulnerable were perhaps the areas in which Mr. Seaga made the most resounding impact. 

In the 1960s, Mr. Seaga transformed his West Kingston constituency, then known as ‘Back-O-Wall’ into a modern, low-income residential community. It was renamed Tivoli Gardens and remains a model of successful urban community development.

“The little things can give me as big a moment of joy as the big things. I like to do things that can help people to develop, because when you help people to develop, you are helping the country to develop,” Mr. Seaga told JIS News in 2016.

Mr. Seaga launched the Golden Age Movement in the 1960s, which was a new concept in modern community care for the aged, and the first Golden Age Home was built in 1985.

Also, the Food Aid Programme was established by Mr. Seaga in 1983 to assist the poorest groups in the society by supplementing their food supply. Further, in 1970, Mr. Seaga launched the Student Revolving Loan Fund to assist needy students at the university level.

In recognition of his contributions, Mr. Seaga received several prestigious awards at the local and international levels.  Among them were the Order of the Nation in 2002, the second highest honour in Jamaica; several Doctor of Law (LLD) degrees from international universities between 1981 and 1987; the United Nations Environmental Leadership Award; Dr. Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award; and the Gleaner’s Man of the Year award for 1980 and 1981.

The North South Highway was also named in honour of Mr. Seaga in 2018.

When Mr. Seagaretired from representational politics, he accepted a post as Senior Research Fellow at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona campus, and was later named Chancellor at the University of Technology in 2010.  He served as President of the Tivoli Gardens Football Club, and chaired the Premier League Clubs Association.

The former Prime Minister also had several publications, including ‘Grenada Intervention: The Inside Story’;  ‘Revelations: Beyond Political Boundaries, Lectures 2005-2009’;Parent-Teacher Relationships’, published by the Institute of Social and Economic Research, UWI; and ‘Revival Spirit Cults’ (Jamaica Journal), published by the Institute of Jamaica.

There are also two volumes of his autobiography, titled, Edward Seaga: My Life and Leadership: Clash of Ideologies, Volume 1; and Edward Seaga: Shaping History: Hard Road to Travel, Volume 2.

Mr. Seaga also did CD compilations of ‘Folk Music of Jamaica’ (album of music recorded by Ethnic Folkways Library), and ‘Origins of Jamaican Music: Reggae Golden Jubilee’, which was released in 2012.  During his illustrious tenure, Mr. Seaga helped to shape many political minds, including Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, upon whom he made a profound personal impact.

In a 2012 tribute to Mr. Seaga in Parliament when he was Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Holness referred to him as “one who mentored and, I dare say, fathered me politically”.

Mr. Holness, who said he had the privilege of working with Mr. Seaga during his early years in politics, said he was amazed by his capacity for work and his attention to detail.

Thanking him for dedicated and faithful service to Jamaica, Mr. Holness said that Mr. Seaga’s name is “indelibly etched on almost every facet of Jamaican life”.

By: Alecia Smith

Release: JIS

Photo Captions:

Header: The late former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Edward  Seaga,  speaks at the opening of the Tivoli Gardens Restorative Justice Centre, in West Kingston, in 2017.  

First Insert: The late former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Edward  Seaga, opens the 1983 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives.     To his right is the  late former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Hugh Shearer.

Second Insert: The late former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Edward  Seaga  (centre), peruses a programme  at a ceremony at King’s House in 1992.   Others (from left) are the late former Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Howard Cooke; former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. P. J. Patterson; the late former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Hugh Shearer; and the late former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Michael Manley.

Third Insert: The late former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Edward  Seaga (left),  and Mrs. Carla Seaga,  at a ceremony at  King’s House in 2016.

JIS File Photos

Continue Reading

Caribbean News

CARPHA Progresses to Eligibility for the First Disbursement of Pandemic Funding

Published

on

Following a landmark Public Signing Ceremony for the Pandemic Fund (PF) Technical Cooperation Agreement (“Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Prevention, Preparedness, and Response” [RG-T4387] Project) on December 14, 2023, in Trinidad, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) continues to progress towards the start of implementation.

 CARPHA fulfilled the IDB’s nine conditions prior to first disbursement, achieving full eligibility on March 15, 2024, and is now eligible for the first disbursement. This milestone achievement in just 3 months after the signing speaks to the commitment of both CARPHA, the Executing Agency, and IDB, the Implementing Entity, toward the regional PF project with the objective of supporting the reduction of the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean by building pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) surveillance & early-warning systems (EWS), laboratory systems and workforce capacity, regionally at CARPHA and in countries.

Since the signing of the Technical Cooperation Agreement and as part of the conditions prior to first disbursement, CARPHA has achieved the following key outputs (i) the development of the PF Project Operations Manual, Multi-annual Execution Plan, Procurement Plan, Financial Plan, Procedure for CARPHA’s Financial Reporting System; (ii) vacancy announcements for two tranches of consultants with the subsequent hiring of five (Technical Coordinator, Financial Specialist, Procurement Specialist, Operations Officer and Project Operations Coordinator) and (iii) the establishment of the Project Execution Unit (PEU) and Project Execution Steering Committee (PESC). The dedicated PEU will be responsible for execution according to its planned timelines, which will be led by the Dr. Lisa Indar, the Project Director (CARPHA’s Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control Division).

 CARPHA, as the lead regional public health agency and an expression of Caribbean Cooperation in Health is mandated by its Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) to support its 26 CARPHA Member States (CMS) in bolstering national systems and coordinating regional response to public health threats. The Agency works closely with regional and international agencies and uses regional mechanisms, surveillance systems, and networks for coordinating its public health response work.

In July 2023, the PF Governing Board announced that CARPHA’s regional entity proposal, entitled ‘Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Strengthened Integrated Early Warning Surveillance, Laboratory Systems and Workforce Development’ was successfully selected for the first round of financing. It was one of only 19 proposals selected from over 300 submissions and the only regional project. The three priority areas in the proposal are: (i) Comprehensive disease surveillance and EWS, (ii) Laboratory systems and (iii) Human resources and public health and community workforce capacity.

This project is expected to begin implementation in March 2024, starting off with a blended onboarding session. A Stakeholder Meeting with countries is tentatively planned for July 2024.

CARPHA remains dedicated to working together with the IDB, CARPHA Member States and the Pandemic Fund to successfully implement the regional proposal geared toward reducing the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean.

Continue Reading

Caribbean News

Men who had Murdered Man, Marley Higgs’ cell phone face Court

Published

on

Wilkie Arthur

Freelance Court Correspondent

The prosecution intends to try two young North Caicos men, both age 21 for the offense of possession of property of a murdered man, property that was stolen and landed in their possession.

The phone belonged to Peureton ‘Marley’ Higgs, who is believed to have been an innocent gunned down at his apartment complex in the Glass Shack area in a spray of bullets on February 2 that killed another man and wounded two others, including a ten-year-old little girl.

The cell phone was described as white in colour, an iPhone, in a hard black case. 

On Monday, March 18th, JEFFVANO HANDFIELD of North Caicos pleaded not guilty to the offense, and the matter was adjourned to April 2024. He was granted bail in the matter.

A second North Caicos man was charged similarly.  

SARENO CAPELLAN aka, Kino Williams is the second individual brought before the court pertaining to the said cellphone. He appeared in court a week after JEFFVANO HANDFIELD, the date being Monday March 25th 2024.

The case for the Crown is that both men sometime in February of this year possessed the cellphone knowing or suspecting it to be stolen property.

Continue Reading

Caribbean News

Supreme Court Closed for Easter

Published

on

NOTICE is hereby given that the Easter Recess shall commence on Friday 29th April, 2024 and end on Friday 5th April, 2024. During the Easter Recess Judge Selochan will be available to deal only with matters that are urgent or require prompt attention.

Court Business During the Easter Recess

A person who wishes to have a matter heard during the recess must file a certificate of urgency along with an affidavit, which must set out the reasons why the matter is urgent or requires prompt attention. The matter will not be listed during the recess unless the Judge deems it fit for urgent hearing.

Opening Hours During the Easter Holiday

The Supreme Court’s last sitting day for the first term is Thursday 28th March, 2024. The Court will officially resume sittings on Monday 8th April, 2024. The Supreme Court Offices in both Grand Turk and Providenciales will continue to operate while the Court is not sitting during the recess.

The Court Office will be closed on the following public holidays:

  • Friday 29th March, 2024 (Good Friday) CLOSED
  • Monday 1st April, 2024 (Easter Monday) CLOSED

Continue Reading

FIND US ON FACEBOOK

TRENDING