General elections were held in Jamaica on 9 February 1989. The result was a victory for the People's National Party, which won 45 of the 60 seats. Voter turnout was 78.4%.[1]
They were the first seriously contested elections since 1980, as the PNP had boycotted the 1983 snap elections to protest the refusal of the ruling Jamaican Labour Party to update the electoral roll amid allegations of voter fraud.
Prime Minister Edward Seaga announced the election date on 15 January at a rally in Kingston,[2] with the emergency conditions caused by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 forcing an extension of the parliamentary term beyond its normal five-year mandate.[3]
The election date and tone of the election were shaped in part by Hurricane Gilbert, which made landfall in September 1988 and decimated the island. The hurricane caused almost $1 billion worth of damage to the island, with banana and coffee crops wiped out and thousands of homes destroyed. Both parties engaged in campaigning through the distribution of relief supplies, a hallmark of the Jamaican patronage system. Political commentators noted that prior to the hurricane, Edward Seaga and the JLP trailed Michael Manley and the PNP by twenty points in opinion polls. The ability to provide relief as the party in charge allowed Seaga to improve his standing among voters and erode the inevitability of Manley's victory. However, scandals related to the relief effort cost Seaga and the JLP some of the gains made immediately following the hurricane. Scandals that emerged included National Security Minister Errol Anderson personally controlling a warehouse full of disaster relief supplies and candidate Joan Gordon-Webley distributing American-donated flour in sacks with her picture on them.[4]
The election was characterized by a narrower ideological difference between the two parties on economic issues. Michael Manley facilitated his comeback campaign by moderating his leftist positions and admitting mistakes made as Prime Minister, saying he erred when he involved government in economic production and had abandoned all thoughts of nationalizing industry. He cited the PNP's desire to continue the market-oriented policies of the JLP government, but with a more participatory approach.[5] Prime Minister Edward Seaga ran on his record of economic growth and the reduction of unemployment in Jamaica, using the campaign slogan "Don't Let Them Wreck It Again" to refer to Manley's tenure as Prime Minister.[6] Seaga during his tenure as Prime Minister emphasized the need to tighten public sector spending and cut close to 27,000 public sector jobs in 1983 and 1984.[7] He shifted his plans as elections neared with a promise to spend J$1 billion on a five-year Social Well-Being Programme, which would build new hospitals and schools in Jamaica.[8]
Foreign policy also played a role in the 1989 election. Prime Minister Edward Seaga emphasized his relations with the United States, a relationship which saw Jamaica receiving considerable economic aid from the U.S and additional loans from international institutions.[9] Manley pledged better relations with the United States while at the same time pledging to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba that had been cut under Seaga.[6] With Manley as Prime Minister, Jamaican-American relations had significantly frayed as a result of Manley's economic policies and close relations with Cuba.[10]
The personalities of the two party leaders helped shape the 1989 campaign. While Seaga was portrayed as a good manager with a cold public demeanor, Manley was perceived as a person with suspect managerial skills but exceptional personal magnetism. Seaga summarized the two personalities by saying, "Some people prefer to have a husband who will provide for them and give them security. Others are looking for a lover to give them joy."[6]
^"JAMAICA ELECTION SET FOR FEBRUARY". The New York Times. 17 January 1989. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
^Tom Lansford (2014) Political Handbook of the World 2014, p717 ISBN1483333272
^"Showdown in Jamaica". The New York Times. 27 November 1988. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
^Garrity, Michele and Picard, Louis A. "Policy Reform for Sustainable Development in the Caribbean", p. 39. ISBN4274900991, 9784274900990.
^ abc. Archived from the original on 2016-09-19. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
^"Jamaica Gleaner News - On development and losing elections - Sunday | March 14, 2010". Mobile.jamaica-gleaner.com. Retrieved 2016-09-24.
^. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2015-05-07.
^Ronald T. Libby (1990). "The United States and Jamaica: Playing the American Card" (PDF). Latin American Perspectives. pp. 86–109. Caribbean Crisis and Global Restructuring
^"Jamaica - Relations with the United States, Britain, and Canada". Retrieved 19 September 2016.
October 30, 2023
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General elections were held in Jamaica on 9 February 1989 The result was a victory for the People s National Party which won 45 of the 60 seats Voter turnout was 78 4 1 1989 Jamaica general election 1983 9 February 1989 1989 02 09 1993 All 60 seats in the Jamaica House of Representatives First party Second party Leader Michael Manley Edward SeagaParty PNP JLPLeader s seat Kingston East amp Port Royal Kingston WestLast election 0 seats boycotted 60 seats 89 7 Seats before 60Seats won 45 15Seat change 45 45Popular vote 473 754 362 589Percentage 56 6 43 3 Swing 56 6 46 4 Prime Minister before electionEdward SeagaJLP Prime Minister after election Michael ManleyPNPThey were the first seriously contested elections since 1980 as the PNP had boycotted the 1983 snap elections to protest the refusal of the ruling Jamaican Labour Party to update the electoral roll amid allegations of voter fraud Prime Minister Edward Seaga announced the election date on 15 January at a rally in Kingston 2 with the emergency conditions caused by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 forcing an extension of the parliamentary term beyond its normal five year mandate 3 Contents 1 Campaign 2 Results 2 1 By constituency 3 ReferencesCampaign editThe election date and tone of the election were shaped in part by Hurricane Gilbert which made landfall in September 1988 and decimated the island The hurricane caused almost 1 billion worth of damage to the island with banana and coffee crops wiped out and thousands of homes destroyed Both parties engaged in campaigning through the distribution of relief supplies a hallmark of the Jamaican patronage system Political commentators noted that prior to the hurricane Edward Seaga and the JLP trailed Michael Manley and the PNP by twenty points in opinion polls The ability to provide relief as the party in charge allowed Seaga to improve his standing among voters and erode the inevitability of Manley s victory However scandals related to the relief effort cost Seaga and the JLP some of the gains made immediately following the hurricane Scandals that emerged included National Security Minister Errol Anderson personally controlling a warehouse full of disaster relief supplies and candidate Joan Gordon Webley distributing American donated flour in sacks with her picture on them 4 The election was characterized by a narrower ideological difference between the two parties on economic issues Michael Manley facilitated his comeback campaign by moderating his leftist positions and admitting mistakes made as Prime Minister saying he erred when he involved government in economic production and had abandoned all thoughts of nationalizing industry He cited the PNP s desire to continue the market oriented policies of the JLP government but with a more participatory approach 5 Prime Minister Edward Seaga ran on his record of economic growth and the reduction of unemployment in Jamaica using the campaign slogan Don t Let Them Wreck It Again to refer to Manley s tenure as Prime Minister 6 Seaga during his tenure as Prime Minister emphasized the need to tighten public sector spending and cut close to 27 000 public sector jobs in 1983 and 1984 7 He shifted his plans as elections neared with a promise to spend J 1 billion on a five year Social Well Being Programme which would build new hospitals and schools in Jamaica 8 Foreign policy also played a role in the 1989 election Prime Minister Edward Seaga emphasized his relations with the United States a relationship which saw Jamaica receiving considerable economic aid from the U S and additional loans from international institutions 9 Manley pledged better relations with the United States while at the same time pledging to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba that had been cut under Seaga 6 With Manley as Prime Minister Jamaican American relations had significantly frayed as a result of Manley s economic policies and close relations with Cuba 10 The personalities of the two party leaders helped shape the 1989 campaign While Seaga was portrayed as a good manager with a cold public demeanor Manley was perceived as a person with suspect managerial skills but exceptional personal magnetism Seaga summarized the two personalities by saying Some people prefer to have a husband who will provide for them and give them security Others are looking for a lover to give them joy 6 Results edit nbsp PartyVotes Seats People s National Party473 75456 6045 45Jamaica Labour Party362 58943 3215 45Independents6280 0800Total836 971100 00600Valid votes836 97198 99Invalid blank votes8 5141 01Total votes845 485100 00Registered voters turnout1 078 76078 38Source NohlenBy constituency edit Constituency Jamaica Labour Party People s National Party IndependentsCandidate Votes Candidate Votes Candidate Votes Kingston Western Edward Seaga 11 744 81 79 Clinton Davy 2 615 18 21Kingston Central Olivia Grange 5 758 43 02 Ralph Brown 7 627 56 98Kingston East amp Port Royal Granclett Cadienhead 2 392 19 17 Michael Manley 10 084 80 83St Andrew West Rural Kenneth Baugh 8 074 49 70 Claude Clarke 8 170 50 30St Andrew Western Lee R Clarke 7 223 41 13 Onel Williams 10 298 58 64 Don Jenkins 40 0 23St Andrew West Central Ferdinand Yap 10 458 44 39 Arnold Nicholson 13 102 55 61St Andrew East Central Merlene Heholt 4 088 26 61 Arthur Jones 11 276 73 39St Andrew South Western Royland Williams 396 2 09 Portia Simpson 18 577 97 91St Andrew Southern Earlston Spencer 5 092 25 60 Hartley E Jones 14 798 74 40St Andrew South Eastern Ryan G Peralto 5 371 45 41 Easton W X Douglas 6 444 54 48 Jasmin A Brown 14 0 12St Andrew Eastern Edmund Bartlett 6 802 54 85 Oswald S Seymour 5 599 45 15St Andrew North Central Karl Samuda 7 017 57 70 Shirley Ann Eaton 5 144 42 30St Andrew North Western Derrick C Smith 5 392 51 10 Jepthah V Ford 5 159 48 90St Andrew East Rural Joan A Gordon Webley 6 686 51 10 E G G Barrett 7 070 48 90St Thomas Western Errol Anderson 9 390 54 55 Ronald G Lampart 7 822 45 45St Thomas Eastern Pearnel Charles 7 930 51 12 Franklyn Sephestine 7 462 48 10 Roosevelt S Barrant 122 0 79Portland Eastern Dennis M Wright 6 426 42 21 H Sam Lawrence 8 799 57 79Portland Western St Clair O Shirley 5 977 46 60 Errol F Ennis 6 848 53 40St Mary South Eastern Alva Ross 6 476 46 94 Harry G Douglas 7 319 53 06St Mary Central Neville G Murray 4 166 31 68 Horace A Clarke 8 983 68 32St Mary Western Hyacinth M Knight 6 520 41 77 Terrence D Gillette 9 089 58 23St Ann South Eastern Kern Christian 3 290 26 65 Seymour Mullings 9 056 73 35St Ann North Eastern Patricia Pink 6 227 39 51 N W Manley Bowen 9 532 60 49St Ann North Western Ernest A Smith 6 639 46 35 Burchell Whiteman 7 684 53 65St Ann South Western Neville Gallimore 6 916 59 45 Newton Richards 4 717 40 55Trelawny Northern Keith E Russell 6 874 40 49 Desmond Leakey 10 103 59 51Trelawny Southern Brascoe L Lee 5 662 49 24 Lyndel L Frater 5 837 50 76St James East Central Godfrey G Dyer 4 598 44 84 Violet Neilson 5 656 55 16St James North Western Charles E Sinclair 6 108 41 10 Carl E Miller 8 753 58 90St James West Central Winston Watt 5 165 40 30 Patrick Rose Green 7 651 59 70St James Southern Ephraim A Morgan 3 858 31 39 Derrick F L Kellier 7 980 64 93 Princess E Vernon 452 3 68Hanover Eastern Franklin D Jackson 5 269 44 02 Aston S King 6 700 55 98Hanover Western Horace Chang 6 096 41 54 Benjamin A L Clare 8 578 58 46Westmoreland Western Russell O Hammond 4 335 33 12 Kenneth McNeill 8 755 66 88Westmoreland Central Carlton C C Jones 4 324 35 03 Enoch C K Blythe 8 021 64 97Westmoreland North Eastern Astil Sangster 4 331 37 47 Headly Cunningham 7 229 62 53Westmoreland South Eastern Percival LaTouche 3 999 36 00 P J Patterson 7 108 64 00St Elizabeth North Western Neville B Lewis 6 656 52 13 Caswell Daley 6 111 47 87St Elizabeth North Eastern Hugh A Dawes 5 433 37 53 Sydney R Pagon 9 042 62 47St Elizabeth South Western Derrick Sangster 6 478 46 41 Donald B Buchanan 7 479 53 59St Elizabeth South Eastern Jeremy A Palmer 6 144 42 95 Derrick A Rochester 8 162 57 05Manchester Southern Lloyd G Bent 5 604 39 41 Douglas Manley 8 615 60 59Manchester Central Cecil Charlton 6 655 47 41 John A Junior 7 384 52 59Manchester North Western Stafford S Haughton 4 420 36 21 Dean A Peart 7 787 63 79Clarendon North Western Audley Shaw 6 675 47 63 Calvin S Lyn 7 339 52 37Clarendon Northern J A G Smith 6 135 46 65 Horace Daley 7 015 53 35Clarendon North Central Errol A Dunkley 6 429 56 77 N C Bachelor 4 895 43 23Clarendon Central Lester Michael Henry 6 768 51 85 Donnal M Scott Bhoorasingh 6 286 48 15Clarendon South Western Arthur H W Williams 4 788 36 56 O D Ramtallie 8 307 63 46Clarendon South Eastern Hugh Shearer 7 299 50 01 Emanuel Cousins 7 295 49 99St Catherine North Western John Franklyn 3 959 30 78 Robert D Pickersgill 8 904 59 22St Catherine South Western Michael A Williams 7 044 44 88 Rudyard E Lawson 8 652 55 22St Catherine Southern Thomas Tavares Finson 7 848 48 52 Hugh Small 8 325 51 48St Catherine Central Bruce Golding 12 062 63 77 Vincent L Edwards 6 852 36 23St Catherine South Eastern Jeanette Grant Woodham 5 651 40 83 Carl Rattray 8 189 59 17St Catherine East Central Ruby C Walcott 5 070 34 22 Keith D St A Knight 9 744 65 78St Catherine West Central Enid Bennett 6 340 54 70 Enoch L Blake 5 250 45 30St Catherine North Eastern Anthony S R Johnson 5 740 55 49 Phyllis Mitchell 4 604 44 51Source Electoral Commission of JamaicaReferences edit Dieter Nohlen 2005 Elections in the Americas A data handbook Volume I p430 ISBN 978 0 19 928357 6 JAMAICA ELECTION SET FOR FEBRUARY The New York Times 17 January 1989 Retrieved 19 September 2016 Tom Lansford 2014 Political Handbook of the World 2014 p717 ISBN 1483333272 Showdown in Jamaica The New York Times 27 November 1988 Retrieved 19 September 2016 Garrity Michele and Picard Louis A Policy Reform for Sustainable Development in the Caribbean p 39 ISBN 4274900991 9784274900990 a b c Personalities Of Candidates Key Issue In Jamaica Election Archived from the original on 2016 09 19 Retrieved 19 September 2016 Jamaica Gleaner News On development and losing elections Sunday March 14 2010 Mobile jamaica gleaner com Retrieved 2016 09 24 Jamaica Gleaner Missed opportunities From old partners to new partnerships Sunday January 11 2004 Archived from the original on 2014 07 14 Retrieved 2015 05 07 Ronald T Libby 1990 The United States and Jamaica Playing the American Card PDF Latin American Perspectives pp 86 109 Caribbean Crisis and Global Restructuring Jamaica Relations with the United States Britain and Canada Retrieved 19 September 2016 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1989 Jamaican general election amp oldid 1135692304, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
