INDEPENDENT SENATOR: JAMAICAN PARLIAMENT

Miller served as an Independent Senator in the Jamaican Parliament for five years, 1984 to 1989. The Peoples National Party, one of the two major political Parties of Jamaica opposition party did not contest the December 1983 General Elections. All 60 seats in the House of Representatives were won by the Jamaica Labour Party, previously in Government. This created a constitutional crisis since there was no Leader of the Opposition to name eight of the twenty-one Senators and therefore the Prime Minister would name all Senators. The working arrangement that emerged was for the Prime Minister to name eight Senators, not from his party, who would be charged to prevent changes of the Constitution during the period of one party government. Further, these eight senators would be selected from different sectors of Jamaican society.  Miller was named as the Independent Senator that would represent the education sector. The Senate of this period is widely regarded as producing the highest quality of debate on national issues. Miller was named by a leading newspaper as Senator of the Year on one occasion. He walked out of the Senator when the Government postponed Local Government Elections for the second time and did not return until the Government indicated it would call those elections in June of 1986.