In Edward Seaga’s memory – do something good for Jamaica

Jamaica Observer column published 3 June 2019

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

Former Prime Minister of Jamaica Most Hon Edward Seaga with his wife Carla
and PM Most Hon Andrew Holness. - Jamaica Observer photo

The achievements of Jamaica’s late Prime Minister Edward Phillip George Seaga, are a clarion call to all Jamaicans to focus our energy on nation building. He certainly did his best, establishing institutions to protect our democracy, preserve our culture, develop our financial capabilities, and provide wider educational opportunities.

It was when we toured an area called ‘Frog City’ in 2004 that I realised the vision of Edward Seaga’s creation of Tivoli Gardens. There we were, walking carefully through winding passages bordered by ragged zinc fences, and inspecting a ‘study area’, an old school desk with a rusting chair surrounded by yet more zinc. Thank goodness, last year, Mr Seaga’s mentee Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced a housing development for that area.

Mr Seaga named the West Kingston community after the Italian town Tivoli Gardens, telegraphing his dream for a beautiful and productive settlement. We should remember that Mr Seaga wanted peace for the citizens of West Kingston, even giving the police a list of persons whom he deemed to be troublemakers in the community, a very brave thing to do when we consider the names on that list!

And so last Tuesday evening, the citizens of Tivoli Gardens gathered to celebrate the life of a man ‘who put a roof over my head’, in the words of an elderly citizen. Even after he retired from active politics, Mr Seaga promoted the Tivoli Gardens Football Club, raising funds by renting billboard space and hiring coaches that would develop a formidable and disciplined team of players.

Most moving for me were the reactions of two Members of Parliament to the passing of Mr Seaga: Minister Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange and Minister Desmond McKenzie.  It is in the deep mourning of the bereaved that we feel the care they experienced from their loved one.  Minister Grange’s voice broke as she addressed the House on Tuesday: “He was the kindest, most caring and most brilliant man I have ever known and I loved him dearly … he taught me to dine with kings and walk with beggars and to give respect to receive respect … Mr Seaga loved Jamaica and our people. He understood the value of our culture and way of life in a way that few people do… we have become a cultural powerhouse because of Mr Seaga’s vision and service.”

Minister McKenzie broke down in tears, and I recall his account some years ago of the kindnesses Mr Seaga showed him.  He said as a child, the first ice cream cone he had was given to him by Edward Seaga – what a sweet memory. Many of the hits he plays on his popular programme ‘The Mayor’s Parlour’ were created through Mr Seaga’s music production company West Indies Records Ltd, later sold to Byron Lee who renamed it Dynamic Sounds.

His creation of the Jamaica Festival Commission, later the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission offered tens of thousands of Jamaicans a start through Festival competitions in music, culinary arts, literature, dance and drama. He was a strong supporter of the work of Jamaica’s brilliant musical folklorist the late Olive Lewin, a close family friend.

We were reminded by Senator Robert Morgan on social media, that it was Mr Seaga who saved Devon House from being sold to real estate developers. Thanks to Edward Seaga, the mansion built by Jamaica’s first Black millionaire was spared and is a recreational refuge for Jamaicans of all walks of life.

Mr Seaga selected talent, not based on political bias but on objective achievement.  Barbara Blake Hannah wrote in the Observer last week about the man who appointed her as an Independent Senator for four years, knowing that she had also worked in the Michael Manley administration. She said Minister Grange had told her she was considered by Mr Seaga “because I took the bus”.

“I was, like most people, in awe of Seaga,” she noted. “But I liked him, first and foremost, because I am a Garveyite and he was not only the man who brought Marcus Garvey's remains back to Jamaica and buried them with honour, but also because he led the declaration of Garvey as Jamaica's first national hero.”

Merrick Needham recalls that day in London in the eighties when then Prime Minister Edward Seaga sent for him while he worked at the Commonwealth Secretariat and asked that he return to Jamaica because the country needed him. Merrick did, and what a programme he rolled out for the Protocol division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and for conference and logistics planners including former JNA and Finance Ministry powerhouse Vilma McDonald, the Observer’s Novia McDonald Whyte and CARICOM’s Marcia Ormsby.

We have to thank Observer Editor Desmond Allen for his interview with two of Mr Seaga’s sisters, Mrs Jean Anderson and the late Mrs Fay Tortello.  It is from this interview that we learn about this close-knit family who were proud of their eldest sibling, Edward who after graduating from Harvard returned to Jamaica. By 1959, Desmond Allen noted, “Edward Seaga was getting famous. He was lecturing at the University of the West Indies extra-mural department and writing many letters to The Gleaner on public issues, while deepening his social studies by living in Buxton Town, St Catherine, where he isolated himself from his family for six months.”

Jean Anderson noted that Mr Seaga caught the eye of the leaders of both the JLP and the PNP: “Both Sir Alexander Bustamante, leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), and Norman Manley, leader of the People's National Party (PNP), invited him to join their parties, Anderson relates. Although he was more like Manley in personality, she says, he chose the charismatic Busta who had taken a liking to him. With that, the age of innocence had come to an end. All that had gone before would pale in comparison to the high-stakes games of power politics which had now been irrevocably engaged.”

Jean Anderson’s home in Mandeville “became the staging point for Eddie's political activities when he visited central Jamaica.”  Jean recalled the time leading up to his victory in the 1962 elections: “They used my house like a hotel. Eddie was always on the phone, arranging things.”

Mr Seaga was a member of the seniors’ organisation, CCRP; here are excerpts from our tribute: “[He] personified our motto ‘Life to the Fullest … the late Prime Minister remained actively involved in public life long after he retired from politics in 2005. He continued to contribute positively to national development in several areas, including academia, cultural life and sports.

“Our thoughts are especially with Mr. Seaga’s sister, Mrs. Jean Seaga Anderson, a sponsor of our organization ... The poor and elderly Jamaicans are indebted to Mr. Seaga. Among the social programmes he established, Mr. Seaga launched the Golden Age Movement in the 1960s. The first Golden Age Home was built in 1985, as a modern home for seniors.”

We extend deep condolences to Mr Seaga’s widow, Mrs Carla Seaga, his children Christopher, Andrew, Anabella and Gabrielle, other family members and loved ones. The best tribute we can pay to this tireless patriot is to continue building on his legacy to create the Jamaica of his dreams.