Lauded as a political colossus who helped build the foundations of nationhood and feared as a mercurial leader who suppressed party rebels, Edward Philip George Seaga lost his final battle yesterday, dying on the date, and in the land, of his birth.
He was 89.
Jamaica’s fifth prime minister, who had cancer, passed away at a Miami, Florida, hospital in the United States of America.
News of Seaga’s death plunged much of the nation into mourning, especially high-ranking members of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and his beloved political stronghold, Tivoli Gardens, many too overwhelmed with grief to speak.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced Seaga’s death on Twitter yesterday, telling the country that his political father had died sometime after 1 p.m.
That announcement signalled the end of an era as Seaga was the last of Jamaica’s larger-than-life pre-Independence politicians, having been appointed to the then Legislative Council in 1959.
His death was greeted with tributes from across the political spectrum.
In Parliament, Holness said even though he and the Seaga family were prepared for his passing, the reality of his death hit hard.
The prime minister informed the Lower House that Seaga’s remains will be flown back to Jamaica shortly. He will be honoured with a state funeral.
“It is a personally trying time for me and I know it is a very trying time for his family, and though they were prepared and I was prepared at the point of the event, you still can’t help but feel the emotional void that has been created by his passing,” Holness said to a gloomy Parliament, his voice cracking.
“I went to visit with in a few days ago before his passing and though he was not in a position to speak for any long period, by virtue of his expressions, how he held my hands and just looking in his eyes, he was satisfied that his legacy would be protected and enhanced, that his work and contribution to the development of this country would be respected,” Holness stated.
“All Jamaica should know that when I was about to leave the hospital room, I held his hands and he squeezed my hands and said, ‘Thank you, Andrew, tell the Jamaican people thanks for everything’.”
Seaga’s nephew, businessman Metry Seaga, paid tribute to the late prime minister, noting he was a family man.
“I honour the service that you gave to your country. My heart wept when I saw in later years your sadness at the lost time with your older kids. Only those close to you will truly know what you gave up so that you could give to your country and its people,” he said on Facebook.
Seaga, a towering figure in Jamaica’s political landscape and one of the most controversial and feared leaders, is one of the longest-serving members of parliament in the Caribbean, spending a total of 43 years as a legislator.
APPROVAL FROM REAGAN, THATCHER
Seaga’s election as prime minister in 1980 marked a critical moment in the island’s history, one that broke the left-leaning consensus of its post-Independence politics and set the country on a more conservative path that gained the approval of allies such as Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.
As soon as he became prime minister, he pursued a domestic agenda of privatisation and deregulation, while in foreign policy he realigned Jamaica firmly with the West.
Within that period, he had become both admired and detested for his pro-market domestic reforms.
His detractors had complained that his policies had resulted in the widening of the gap between the rich and the poor. But by the time Seaga had lost political power to a roaring Michael Manley-led regime in 1989, the political and economic landscape had shifted so dramatically that even the PNP was unwilling to return to the extreme leftist ground it had once occupied.
Under Seaga, the JLP lost badly in the 1993 and 1997 elections, then marginally in 2002, by which time his leadership became toxic and suicidal to the Labour Party’s electability.
The last of Jamaica’s founding political fathers, Seaga was never to become prime minister again, stepping down in 2005 as leader of the JLP and opposition leader to make way for Bruce Golding.
Still, he took some solace in the fact that his nine years in Government had forced Manley and then his PNP successors to adopt a more moderate approach both in Opposition and in office.
In retirement, Seaga wrote two extensive volumes of political memoirs and was a research fellow at the University of West Indies. He also became chancellor of the University of Technology.
Twice married, in 1965 to Mitsy (Marie) Constantine, a former television presenter and Miss Jamaica, and then to Carla Vendryes, a sociology researcher, in 1996, Seaga is also survived by Carla, by his children, Gabrielle, Christopher, Andrew and Anabella.
Good RIP .REST IN PISS.PRAISE THE MOST HIGH GOD. HE GAVE THE DEVIL ONE OF THE WORST DEATH, CANCER. I HEAR HE WAS IN A LOT OF PAIN. TANK YU JESUS.THIS MAN HAVE A LOT OF BLACK PEOPLE BLOOD ON HIS HANDS. ALL THE OLD PEOPLE THAT DIED IN EVENTIDE FIRE. AND TRY TO GET JIM BROWN TO KILL BOB MARLEY. GOOD RIDDANCE.
Suck yuh madda battyman!
Me sorry him never get the chance fi kill u and u muma him live to see his 89 birthday and he die of natural cause ..he had cancer but he did not suffer for long ,battyman u batty a rotten out go suck u muma
There is a spot right next to this vampire in hell for you, no matter how unno pond scum praise and worship this devil; it will not erase the truth that he was a stain on the country. The lake of fire will not miss him or you and your cursed generations. The blood of Jesus is against you. This is not the 80’s were unno can trample/kill ppl for speaking the truth, may the truth drive you mad b/f eternal fire.
Long Jon go and get a life all who burn down Eveningtide dead like dog Sesga never have no reason to burn down Eveningtide..PNP wanted the place to build houses to live Tony Spaulding pay him man dem fi burn it down to build Torrington Park this coming from the horses mouth..go learn some fucts idiot man ..him suffered before him dead
Hi Met, by chance do you know of any websites that I could read up on about the Eventide fire? I’ve always heard of it, growing up in the surrounding community. But not much it’s like a taboo to talk about it, or even bring it up. Folks are scared to even discuss it, I’ve googled and there’s nothing much on it. It’s like they’ve controlled the www and wiped any truth be told about it, unless older folks who aren’t afraid to talk about it will tell you.
Not sure where u would be able to read much about it…ppl talking here would give u more info
Thanks Dear! I have actually re info from here. Learnt a lot from here, thank you for this website and all your hard work. :peluk
@Anonymous
on May 29, 2019 at 3:20 pm
As a black Jamaican i am embarrassed to see how how black Jamaicans defend this Lebanese ARAB who born was in Boston.The country is still suffering from the violence that he introduced into the country. Seaga gave a speech about “blood for blood and fire for fire” but the only blood that was shed was that of black jamaicans. the arabs and the other elite minorities were untouched.Seaga support such violence because it was not his people that were getting killed .
Any black person that support seaga in 2019 is a fucking idiot.USE GOOGLE AND YOU WILL FIND A LOT OF THE EVIL DEEDS THIS FOREIGN ARAB DEVIL COMMITTED AGAINST BLACK JAMAICANS SO HE COULD GAIN POWER.
SEAGA GAVE UP HIS USA CITIZENSHIP BECAUSE HE WOULD NEVER BE ELECTED TO ANY POLITICAL OFFICE IN AMERICA ONLY BLACK PEOPLE HE CAN FOOL UP.
Battyman a wat Seaga eat fi you stop chat and go round a West Kingston go talk up you stinking mouth ,you is a evil from the bottom less pit that is why you taking sickness and cursing the man ,you dont even know what you and you family going to end up with who to tell if you , you self not walking up and down with cancer in your body…don’t call God and Jesus in your mouth because you are a real evil person ,who is you to judge anyone , you is a walking dead ,Seaga could afford to get the proper care before he pass away ,what is your problem old crosses go and get a life , death is no revenge everyone has to die ..Sleep on my beloved sleep and take your rest ,we love you but God loves you best …go kill yourself now abaaaay
If you don’t know history mek me tell you Orange Villa burn down my PNP fi get fi build Orange Villa you dont see over there is a PNP stronghold is JLP was living there and them burn them out kill all babies ,the same thing with Eveningtide poor house PNP men them get pay fi burn it down killing the poor old people, I can call some names of some well known PNP who set Poorhouse a fire all a them dead like dog now and them dead my the hands of the guns because them a wicked.. Them burn it down and killed the poor old people to build Torrington Park housing scheme ,which is a PNP strong hold upon til this day ,is a PNP scheme that is why me can’t like PNP
Let me be crystal clear, I’m not commenting from a political stand point b/c I have families on both sides of the political divide and I argue with them all for their blind devotion to both parties. There is clear evidence that both parties are the cause of the state of Jamaica. I would welcome an alien from Mars as long as he or she is for the betterment of all the people of the island no matter the color or socioeconomic status. I’m commenting from a place of hurt which is supported by FACTS that this foreign demon out of all the others on both sides has done the most grevious atrocities to the people of my beloved island and continued to pull strings even after his official reign of terror was over, and because of the old colonial tactics of divide and conquer along with the love of crumbs that’s been given to the fools who supports him and kill for the scrapings from his bountiful table there is irreversible damage that has been done. The only person who had a true genuine love of the people and wanted so much more for the entire island was lied on, sabotage,attempts on his and his families lives and he had to eventually step down was the honourable Norman Manley, may he rest in eternal peace. People who are biting up their gums defending and praising this vampire I feel sorry for you’ll, as Bob Marley said, “release yourselves from mental slavery, only you can free your mind”. May God have mercy on us all.
Long Jon …u smell like dog vomit…………you disgusting creature..fortunately you will not die , ever… your heart so clean and pure…I can just see you rejoicing over your “loved ones ” death….nasty creature….look what the man did for his country … there are so many disgusting poliicians who only in it for the money….this was not one on them…and guess what , every one makes mistakes except – LONG JOHNCROW….smell like fish gut !!!
@4.58PM.YUB NUH SEE THAT YOU ARE A MAD SMADDY? HOW THE HELL YUH SMELL THE PERSON FROM WHERE YOU ARE? YOU NUH EASY SAH. SO TELL ME SOMETHING, IS WHAT SEAGA DID TO HAVE $33,000,000 IN SAVING? DO T YOU AGREE THAT HE VOULD HAVE USED S FRACTION OF THAT MONEY AND FIX UP TIVOLI BETTER? the way how you lot adored him , he should have invested more in the area,as a matter of fact tivoli should have been a modern semi city that rivals the best areas of Miami. But the joke is he only did what he thought you lot deserved, a little shack to live in to call home, an entertainment centre so you can dance, just like how the Africans dances whenever they see massacre. And then he provided a sport centre to keep unnoticed tired. I did not hear him advocating for education only sports, how could that help unno? The trick was to keep unno down because if unno did become educated , the truth might open unno eyes where unno woulda stop pray to him , unno white jesus. A smart duds did get smart why he tried to get rid of him like how him get rid a Jim brown. To show how unno a wicked, unno know seh a him mek unno owns bredda Jim dead , and it was so easily forgotten.