Jamaica Once More, with Moderation

By Guy D. Garcia

"It is not given to many people to have a second chance to lead a nation," observed Jamaica's fiery social democrat Michael Manley last week. He said it with a nice touch of humility, but with forgivable satisfaction as well, for he had just been given exactly that. His People's National Party (PNP), which he led as Prime Minister from 1972 to 1980, thrashed Prime Minister Edward Seaga's Jamaica Labor Party by winning at least 44 of 60 parliamentary seats. In a remarkable show of conciliation, the charismatic and often feisty Manley called on party members to "take this victory with dignity and humility," and paid tribute to the nation's security forces for maintaining relative order during the election. Although at least twelve people were killed in campaign violence, this year's contest was considered peaceful compared with that of 1980, when more than 750 people died as heavily armed gangs roamed the streets.

Manley's return was a resounding rejection of the conservative, free- enterprise philosophy that had kept Seaga in power for eight years and made him Ronald Reagan's closest ally in the Caribbean. Seaga, who consistently trailed Manley in the polls, had hoped to win back voters by promising to expand social welfare programs and build upon Jamaica's economic stability. He warned that a Manley victory would plunge the country back into socialist chaos.

But Seaga's heavy cuts in health and education spending had angered the poor. There was a growing consensus among Jamaicans that the recovery had benefited mainly businessmen and the wealthy. Under the party slogan of "We put people first," Manley succeeded in portraying Seaga as a callous, autocratic Prime Minister obsessed with computer figures and uninterested in his constituents.

Manley himself cultivated a new image, different from the radical ideologue of the '70s who alarmed the private business sector, alienated Washington and scared away American tourists. His trademark open-necked safari suit has been replaced by a sober, dark blue business suit. Stressing pragmatism over idealism, he has purged the left-wing fringe of the PNP, toned down his relationship with Fidel Castro and reassured jittery business leaders with talk of continued economic stability and the need for private investment. "I think there are two types of people," he said, "those who won't learn and those who try to learn. I try to learn from experience, to re-evaluate myself, to learn from my mistakes."

Manley also wants a "new beginning" with the U.S. and plans to visit Washington soon after taking office. The U.S., for its part, is ready to reconsider relations with its old antagonist. "Essentially what he stresses is that he wants to work constructively with us," says a State Department official. "We'll remain a bit skeptical until we see what policies he works up. But right now we're willing to give him the benefit of the doubt."

That attitude is echoed by many Jamaicans. Says a prominent pro-Seaga business leader: "We are realists. This is a pluralistic society, and change after two terms is healthy."

With reporting by James Carney and Bernard Diederich/Kingston