Politics In an Island State is a well-researched, lucid, and fascinating story of Jamaica’s struggle for development over decades, revealed through the biography of Wills Ogilvy Isaacs, a towering pioneer in the annals of our evolution as a sovereign democratic nation-state.
The traditional approach to the chronicle of that period has tended to focus almost entirely on the iconic Fathers: Rt. Excellent Alexander Bustamante and Rt. Excellent Norman Manley. It may be due to the anthropology discipline that our distinguished author, Professor Austin-Broos, opted to place a spotlight on a charismatic and dynamic political warrior, Wills O. Isaacs, and his seminal role—one that spanned the entire gamut, from the KCAC, a Member of Parliament, Minister of Trade and Industry, and Vice President of the People’s National Party.
Soon after the launch of the Party at the Ward Theatre, Wills O. Isaacs became so attracted to its mission and so immersed in the movement to raise the standard of living and security for the masses of the people that he devoted most of his time as an inveterate champion in the fight for universal adult suffrage, to eradicate the reprehensible government which prevailed, and to become fully committed to the cause of workers, artisans, and the unemployed.
In the early 1940s, Isaacs proved to be a relentless activist, moving from building party groups to extensive union involvement, particularly during the period of Bustamante’s internment by Governor Richards. Along the way, this oratorical firebrand also garnered support for the PNP from traders who belonged to Kingston’s commercial class. His flair for populist politics energized vast crowds as he sparred with Bustamante.
Wills O. regarded himself as a typical middle-class man who was “prepared to bear the blows of bricks and union pipes.” Richard Hart defined him as not being of the left but as “a partner in a small trading company who had emerged as a radical nationalist.” He was not himself violent, but he was not one to turn the other cheek or run quietly away during political combat. His fiery sermons from the platform, exquisitely intertwined with humor and extensive biblical references, were compelling political sermons that earned him a revered moniker: The Bishop.
Even those who dubbed him as the “stormy petrel” have been obliged to accord him “due credit for attracting the masses to the Party because of his ability to articulate the feelings, hopes, and aspirations of the common people, and to do so in the idiom of the people.” (Allan Isaacs – Parliament, June 12, 1973.)
Our learned author fittingly defines the Minister of Trade and Industry, appointed by the victorious Norman Manley, as “first and foremost an economic nationalist.” To control the economy in order to be the masters of our own country, to encourage “merchant capitalists to take the harder road by moving to invest in Jamaica to reduce unemployment instead of confinement to the distribution of imported goods.”
The new administration was attracted to the Puerto Rican model of industrialization. It is incontrovertible: Wills Ogilvy Isaacs is the trailblazer for Pioneer Industries, which sought to provide for the demands of the domestic market and initiated the drive to build export manufacturing.
Wills O. Isaacs is the ministerial grandfather of Jamaica’s tourism industry. He was the leading political voice who accepted the potential of the hospitality sector because of our natural assets and not simply as small fry. The next JTB board he convened in March of 1955 is the template on which all his ministerial success—from Lightbourne, myself, Abrahams, McNeil, to Bartlett—has been built. The foundations he laid have enabled the universal market appeal, employment growth, and linkages that make tourism the fastest-growing sector today.
There is yet another first: “He cooperated with the police in the arrest and ultimate conviction of Eric Condell, who had sought to offer Isaacs a very substantial bribe, which would be lodged to a US bank account. He wanted Isaacs to influence a decision concerning the government purchase of new diesel engines for Jamaica’s railway. With police cooperation, Isaacs tape-recorded Condell making his proposition.”
In light of previous corrupt ministers, this was a fillip for the PNP. Members campaigned even more forcefully on the theme of “an open and honest government.” (Page 130.)
With audacious swagger, this fearless freedom fighter was prepared to cross the borders of foreign policy imposed by the British to enter new frontiers on issues relating to external trade. It was Wills Isaacs who entered a new frontier when he announced in the Legislature a decision to ban imports of all South African goods due to their revolting racial policy. It ignited the spark that other countries were quick to follow and fueled Jamaica’s solidarity with Pan-Africanism.
Encouraged by the early prospects of increased “export of garments, textiles, shoes, and other industrial products to the region,” Wills gradually lessened his hostility to the Federal experiment and fell more in line with the strong advocacy of his leader Norman Manley. His broad base of mass support and influence within the merchant community, and the guessing about his political ambitions, ensured that Wills Isaacs was a critical figure in the configuration and subsequent development of the West Indies Federation.
The book gives an insightful account of the conflicts and clashes that occurred pertaining to the size of representation in the Federal Parliament. It reveals the insistence by Wills O. on:
Freedom to control our own development,
Freedom from taxation, and
Freedom to raise money for ourselves in the world’s money markets.
The loss in the Federal referendum and defeat in the General Election on April 10, 1962, marked the close of one chapter in the Party and, with it, consequential changes in its structure and policy perspective. Wills was no deserter, but he recognized that there would have to be a changing of the guards, and with the passage of time and bouts of ill-health, his levels of campaign activism would have to be reduced. While maintaining for a few more years his positions as Vice-President of the Party and Spokesman for Trade and Industry, he steadily reduced his political load.
Addressing a crowd in his new constituency, N.E. St. Ann, in 1967, he said: “After 27 years in politics, I would have matured into a statesman, but it is clearly evident that I will once again have to become a militant and rabble-rousing politician as I once was, for I am not going to sit and tolerate these things where extremes of riches and poverty exist in this parish.”
In the glorious campaign of 1972, he made it clear that he was only running to make sure the Party was returned to power before he closed his eyes. He was assigned:
Commerce and Consumer Affairs,
Days of Trade Licenses and Price Controls,
Milk, rice, bread, corned beef, codfish, cigarettes, gasoline.
He led a mission to seek alternative sources in Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Soviet Union. Among his accomplishments were securing an array of canned goods, pharmaceuticals, and textiles. He was also a proponent of recognizing the People’s Republic of China’s One China Policy.
“I want it to be known that we are importing things which we need—we are not importing ideology.”
During his parliamentary goodbye in June 1973, it was said: “Wills Isaacs was a nationalist and a socialist democrat with a populist style. From the center, he leaned with the left and then with the right.” (Page 336.)
He was a Roman Catholic of strong religious conviction. His faith shaped his policies—focusing on the unemployed, the homeless, and the indigent. He worked with the poor, cared for children, and laboring men and women.
In conclusion, I commend Mrs. Christine Gore for ensuring this remarkable book. It should be recognized that it was commissioned beyond her sense of filial duty. As Garvey wrote: “A people without knowledge of its history is like a tree without roots.” It cannot be repeated too often—as a people, we need to know how we got to where we are and, with that knowledge, determine where we want to go. Had we been doing that, we would understand the real meaning of Emancipation Day and the intrinsic value of Independence Day.
We need to tell our own story and honor the outstanding contributions of those who are no longer with us—our creative artists, clergy, educators, entrepreneurs, and political leaders. We must ensure that the dedication and sacrifice of those who were at the forefront of our continuing struggle are known, and that their achievements are not forgotten by the generations to come. The narrative of our annals, the stories of our Indigenous people and ancestors, must be told and taught at every level of our education system.
I commend this book as a literary testament to one who dedicated himself completely to improving the welfare of the Jamaican people and who, by the example of his life and extraordinary political crusader, exhorts us: “To work unstintingly, no matter what the cost, in building Jamaica—the verdant, resilient, pleasant, and blessed land we love.”
The Most Hon. PJ Patterson, ON, OCC, KC.
UWI Regional Headquarters
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
