The Most Honorable Edward Phillip George Seaga, ON, P.C., LL.D.: November 4, 1980, to February 13, 1989
As prime minister from 1980 to 1989, Seaga was the ultimate technocrat who depicted a serious, no-nonsense approach in attempting to bring specific reforms to the structure and functions of the nation’s governmental administration.
Mr. Seaga was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1930 but was brought to Jamaica by his Jamaican parents when he was an infant.
After graduating from Harvard University in 1952, Seaga, keenly interested in the cultural dynamics among Jamaica’s poor, spent several years with the people of West Kingston and learned firsthand the social and cultural needs of the poor.
Entering politics, he joined the JLP, and in 1959, Sir Alexander Bustamante appointed him to the nation’s Legislative Council (later named the Senate). In 1962 he was elected to the House of Representatives as the MP for West Kingston—a seat he held for 43 consecutive years.
In 1962, Seaga was appointed minister of development and welfare, and in 1967, minister of finance and planning. As a proponent of cultural development in Jamaica, he introduced the Jamaica Festival to celebrate the nation’s annual independence celebrations.
In 1974, after Hugh Shearer relinquished leadership of the JLP, Seaga was elected leader of the JLP, which he led for 30 years. He served as leader of the opposition until 1980 when he led the JLP to defeat Michael Manley and the PNP.
As prime minister, he focused on restoring the damaged Jamaican economy, introduced financial institutions like the National Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank, and led comprehensive tax reforms, including a flat income tax rate for all taxpayers. His administration also introduced the (Human Employment & Resource Training (HEART) program that has offered training to young Jamaicans for various jobs. He was instrumental in promoting Jamaican culture, especially its music, internationally.
Seaga led the JLP to a second victory in the 1983 general elections which was boycotted by the PNP, shortly after the Seaga-led government joined the U.S. and other forces in quelling political upheaval in Grenada.
JIS described Edward Seaga as “a serious and sharp thinker, witty and gifted in producing the apt, cutting phrase. Despite a stern look most times, he has a great sense of humor and is known widely for his exceptional deeds of kindness and rendering of practical assistance to the poor and needy.”
But Seaga was also known as a prime minister who relentlessly micro-managed his ministers and one who lost touch with the Jamaican people as he became confined to the task of being intrinsically involved with the functions of every ministerial portfolio in his cabinet.
In 1989, the JLP was defeated by the PNP in general elections, and Seaga served as leader of the opposition but failed to lead the party to other victories. He retired from politics in 2004 and died in Miami, where he had traveled for medical treatment on his 89th birthday, May 28, 2019.
