Jamaica Arise: The 75 Year History of the PNP (1938-2013)

1. What was the role that the People's National Party (PNP) played in the anti-colonial struggle?

They had an important role in the definitive Jamaica’s independence from the United Kingdom and the work that finally reached that goal begun with the organization and the fight that workers and people made with strikes and the movement for the universal vote. With its fast grow in terms of political representation, it was obvious that PNP was going to be the party in power someday. But fundamentally what I think meant for PNP the popularity was the base work with the people and the unions.

2. What was/is the role of women throughout the 75 years of the PNP? (Give at least 3 examples)

Before of all, the reforms of equal pay for women, and the maternity leave, both actions that even today sounds really modern and right for some countries (as Chile) were a help to make conditions more equal for women and men. Then is the participation of women in the PNP with important positions. Jamaica choose a woman as prime minister in 2006, the same year that Michelle Bachelet did begin her first period as president. Portia Simpson-Miller had two non consecutive periods as prime minister the same as our ex president.

3. How did the implementation of democratic socialism affect the Jamaican people?

Manley’s government made some important amount of reforms in the country.  They established a minimum wage for all workers, implemented free education in all its levels, and equal pay for women was established too, and a lot of reforms in other matters. The process have its similarities to Salvador Allende’s program between 1970 and 1973 in the purpose of build a better life for all the people with the help and work of the state as the provider and owner of the most important industries of the country.

4. How does the PNP justify privatization and its role in creating a path of neoliberal reforms in Jamaica?

The same way they did in Chile, at least in some aspects. Here in our country that opening to neoliberalism begun with the Dictatorship but was continued in democracy. As it happens in Jamaica the government have popular support and in the name of make grow the economy water, electricity and other state companies were privatized. It’s always the same speech, we need to open our country to the investment and foreign capitals and sell some parts of the state to free the country from the costs of maintain those companies.

5. How do you compare the role of PNP in the film, Ghett'a Life (Lenny Thompson, Derrick's Father) versus the documentary?

Well, there's two different points of view. Can we really expect that an official video, from the official account of a party to tell the truth, the dark side of history. No, we can not. In Ghett’a Life you see the bad part of that blind compromise to a party. People stop thinking by themselves and start to follow the party’s guidelines as a law of their life. That sucks, and it happens on every level of political organizations. Of course this documentary shows the nice part, the reforms, the work for the people. Nobody denies that, but we as journalists can’t ever believe the official version of any political movement or party.