THE REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS, UWI, NOVEMEBER 17, 2022

The Launch of Elections and Governance: Jamaica on the Global Frontier, The Independent Years, 1962-2016 took place on November 17, 2022, at the Regional Centre of the University of the West Indies, Mona. The Launch was held during Jamaica’s year-long celebrations of its 60^th Anniversary and just before the COVID 19 restrictions were discontinued in Jamaica. The size of face-to-face-audience complied with the restrictions. The event was Live Streamed on UWI TV Global.

Watch the playlist of speakers

Playlist of Speakers

The unique feature of the Launch was that each speaker had been an active and ardent participant from a group of the Jamaican society that had contended in the boisterous and sometimes acrimonious transformation of the electoral system inherited from the British colonial past. They were also leading contributors to the fashioning of an authentic version of democratic governance that is original and not imitated from elsewhere.

During the colonial years the British had established a strong tradition and practice of holding elections as prescribed by the constitution of different eras from 1663 to 1962. However, elections and governance was not democratic. Not only were British Officials always in power in the Legislative Council but in the 78 years from 1866 to 1944 there was not an elected Assembly of citizens and residents, the latter having voluntarily opted for Crown Colony government.

These agents of Jamaican democracy not only testified to the general validity of the first draft of the story of Elections and Governance: Jamaica on the Global Frontier, the Independent Years but added knowledge, insights, perspectives and dimensions beyond the pages of the Book which gave the Launch inherent value and worth in and of itself.

The Launch of Elections and Governance: Jamaica on the Global Frontier, the Independent Years 1962 to 2016 was a feast of contrasting but complementary perspectives which challenged conventional wisdom, and chauvinism of powerful countries with white majorities, that free and fair elections and democratic governance are solely the province of Western countries. Small states, like Jamaica, have designed, practiced and sustained authentic democratic governance based on free and fair elections comparable to Western nations and done so from the circumstances of people who had resisted and rebelled against domination.

• Mrs. Carol Narcisse, social advocate and policy researcher, had been Chairman of the Umbrella Group of Civil Society Organizations that had consistently and stridently advocated electoral reform, participated in deliberations to translate advocacy into policy and law, and engaged in peaceful social protests to ensure action particularly with respect to political party and campaign financing.
• Archbishop Emeritus Donald Reece, Roman Catholic Bishop of Kingston and Bishop of Antigua had been chairman of the Jamaica Council of Churches which had been the voice of the mainstream Christian Community on issues of elections and governance, especially against the high level of political violence that occurred in the latter half of the 1970s.
• The Most Honourable Percival J. Patterson, Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1992 to 2006 and former President of the Peoples National Party, who as Deputy Prime Minister in 1979, had tabled the Bill and moved the motion in the House of Representatives to remove control of the electoral machinery from the political party that formed the government to a tripartite body, the Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC) which had equal representation of the Government and Opposition but controlled and chaired by civil society members appointed by the Governor General following agreement by the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition.
• The Honourable Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica from 2007 to 2011, Leader of the Jamaica Labor Party and President of the National Democratic Movement, in 1979 as Chairman of the Jamaica Labor Party and Senator had been highly instrumental on the process that crafted the Bill to establish the Electoral Advisory Committee which later became the Electoral Commission.
• The Honourable Dorothy Pine-McLarty Attorney at Law and Senior Partner, member of the Electoral Advisory Committee 2000 to 2006, member of the Electoral Commission 2006 to 2019 and its chairman, from 2013 to 2019, had led the Commission in 2015 to reject instruction from Cabinet to break the cornerstone convention of electoral reform since 1979 by successfully insisting that being a Commission of the Parliament, the Electoral Commission could only be instructed by Parliament.  Mrs Pine-McLarty was the first female partner of Myers Fletcher and Gordon and first female chairmen of the electoral body in Jamaica.
• Rev Dr the Honourable Burchell Taylor, leading Theologian of the Caribbean, son of Senator Austin Taylor member of the first Senate of Jamaica appointed in 1962, Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church for 47 years, twice President of the Jamaica Baptist Union, President of the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship, and Vice President Baptist World Alliance. Author of several books, advocate of the primacy of moral conscience, the public good, building a just society and trail-blazing activist in creating church-based ministries serving diverse needs of community in a holistic way.
• The Honourable Ian Randle founder of Ian Randle Publishers with a catalogue of over 400 titles on aspects of Caribbean society including politics, sociology, economics, culture, history, governance, religion, and anthropology.
•  Professor, Sir Hilary Beckles, Barbadian, Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, Chairman of the CARICOM Commission on Reparations, the foremost historian of the Caribbean whose first experience of casting a ballot was in General Election was in Jamaica in October 1980, the most violent and with the highest voter turn-out in Jamaica’s history.
• Professor Emeritus Errol Miller, author, teacher, past President of the Jamaica Teachers Association, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Independent Senator in the Jamaica Parliament for five years, the Chairman of the Electoral Advisory Committee 2000 to 2006 and Chairman of the Electoral Commission 2006 to 2012, former Principal and later first Chancellor of Mico University College founded in 1836.

The Most Honourable P. J. Patterson, ON KC former Prime Minister of Jamaica and former President of the Peoples National Party (PNP) wrote the Prelude which connected both books. The Honourable Bruce Golding for Prime Minister of Jamaica, former President of the National Democratic Movement (NDM) and former Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party wrote the Foreword of Elections and Governance: Jamaica on the Global Frontier, the Independent Years, 1962-2016. Professor Sir Hilary Beckles Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies and Chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission wrote the Foreword of the Elections and Governance: Jamaica on the Global Frontier the Colonial Years, 1663-1962 and was the Keynote Speaker at both Launches.