Bustamante Remembered

On the 138th anniversary of his birth, National Hero and former Prime Minister, the Rt. Excellent Sir Alexander Bustamante, was remembered for his tireless advocacy for human and civil rights on behalf of the Jamaican people.

Several dignitaries and well-wishers gathered at his birthplace in Blenheim, Hanover, on Thursday, February 24 to celebrate (via a floral tribute) the life of a man widely considered “the father of the nation” and “the people’s champion”.

Main speaker, Assistant General Secretary of the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union, Collin Virgo, described the former Prime Minister as a man before his time and one of the greatest advocates for the working man.

“He was a giant of a man who played a significant role in laying the foundations of the democracy and the promotion of workers’ rights which we enjoy today. He was a visionary… a man who placed Jamaica at the forefront of global affairs… a man ahead of his time, a man who coined the phrase ‘service above self’ and who walked the walk and talked the talk,” Mr. Virgo said.

“Sir Alexander was ahead of his time in factoring an experience of the wider world as part of his preparation to lead his country into the community of nations. Equally, we can be in no doubt that Jamaica was his home, his central focus, and the arena in which he would demonstrate his passion for service,” he added.

Miss Hanover Festival Queen 2021, Danielle Miller, a native of Hanover, said she grew up understanding the “merits of the man and the impact he has had on our nation”.

“He was the true ambassador and a role model for persons like me,” she told JIS News. “This was a man who gave his all for the nation… who sacrificed everything in the interest of ordinary Jamaicans,” she said.

For the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Parish Manager, Shiyan Williams, Sir Alexander “represents” a symbol of hope and the meaning of everything that is right with Jamaica.

“Speaking of greatness…this man was both great and majestic. Right here in Hanover and by extension the entire Jamaica…he is a living legend,” she said.

Sir Alexander Bustamante was born William Alexander Clarke on February 24, 1884.

Considered one of the founding fathers of modern Jamaica, he was passionate about people and their welfare, particularly the poor working class, and was a vanguard for human rights and national development.

He became the champion of the working class when he advocated their cause during 1937 and 1938, a period of major social unrest.

In 1943 he founded the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), which he headed. The first general election under Universal Adult Suffrage was held in 1944 and the JLP won 22 of the 32 seats.

Sir Alexander became the first Prime Minister of Independent Jamaica in 1962. He retired from active politics in 1967.

In 1969, he was made a National Hero, the only Jamaican to receive this honour while still alive. He died on August 6, 1977, at the age of 93.