Manley’s ideals of leadership and nationhood resonate in Mottley’s address

Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley delivered a masterful lecture on regional resilience, unity, shared histories, and developmental goals in her keynote address marking the 100th anniversary of the birth former Prime Minister Michael Manley on Tuesday.

Hailing Manley as one of her mentors, she noted that his first book, The Politics of Change, provides a timeless blueprint for leadership rooted in purpose, nationhood, and self-reliance through the empowerment of people. She emphasised that these principles remain as relevant today as they were half a century ago.

Using a statement which has come to define the Manley years – “The word is love” – Mottley observed that progress does not require universal agreement but instead collaboration as a region and a world.

Highlighting the urgent dangers of the climate crisis, Mottley said that small island developing states bear the brunt of the appetites of larger nations. She cited the escalating impacts of global warming, including extreme droughts and rains, which have plunged the region’s climate into chaos and inflicted billions in damage.

“I am not the one to give you a historical treatise on Michael Manley, but suffice it to say that in this small Caribbean, there are some things that stand out, if only because for too much of our history, our Parliament was used as an instrument of oppression, rather than a tool of enfranchisement and empowerment,” she said to rousing applause from the audience at the Little Theatre in Kingston.

Though relatively young nations, she said being able to reverse aspects of our legislation that “literally choked us and denied us the dignity of agency and our humanity” is a major accomplishment.

These legislative and social transformations, she said, reflected the “majesty” of leadership in the region.

Citing the Master and Servants Acts, which she called an iniquitous piece of legislation that sought to bind us close to bonds of slavery without it being legal, she said the establishment of the national minimum wage, which eluded many countries for years; the maternity leave with pay, which Barbados did before did before Jamaica, “but which Michael Manley made sure” it was done. She also noted other reforms such as gender equity and pay scales and establishing the National Housing Trust, which were not merely symbolic but fundamental to preserving citizens’ dignity.

‘The time of monsters’

Turning to global challenges, Mottley reflected on the parallels between today’s world and that of 100 years ago, asserting that the world is undergoing the death throes of an old order without clarity on what the new one will look like.

“And the danger is we might be at risk of being distracted from the fundamental things that truly makes a difference to our planet and to our people and by extension, to our Caribbean civilisation,” she said.

Quoting from the prison notes of Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci, she said: “The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born, now is the time of monsters.”

For Mottley, one such “monster” is the climate crisis, which she described as a season of superlatives and unpredictability, with extreme weather events like hurricanes and sargassum seaweed blooms wreaking havoc.

“The world is a dangerous place to be. The 1st of December, France had a government, as did Syria. Today, the 10th of December, both have been gone for a few days – one by law and the other by force.

“We are at an interesting point. We hear of the movements against incumbents more than anything else, some of which expresses itself in right-wing populism ... . In both instances, it is an anti-incumbent move, largely because much of what people have had to experience in this political crisis of the last five years have made life difficult for most and perplexing for all,” Mottley said.

In a speech centred on regional integration, foreign policy, and the reform of international financial systems, Mottley underscored the importance of building resilience through self-reliance, a philosophy central to Manley’s vision. She called for renewed efforts to reinforce the cultural identity of Caribbean peoples, ensuring unity and solidarity in these challenging times.

Attendees included former Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, who succeeded Manley in 1992; current People’s National Party President and Opposition Leader Mark Golding; and former party leader Dr Peter Phillips. Senator Donna Scott-Mottley, chairman of the Michael Manley Foundation, which staged the event, was also present.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com