Edward Seaga: A Transformational, Courageous and Caring Leader – Prime Minister Holness
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness today led tributes as the nation honoured the life and work of late former Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Edward Seaga, on the occasion of his 95th birthday.
The commemorative event, held at the National Heroes Park, paid homage to a man Prime Minister Holness described as “A transformational, courageous and caring leader who saw more in us than we see in ourselves.”
In his address, to mark the birth and death dates of the former Prime Minister, Dr Holness reflected on Mr. Seaga’s lifelong commitment to public service and national development.
Mr. Seaga’s strength of character, institutional vision, and unshakable belief in Jamaica’s potential were highlighted.
“Mr. Seaga stood very strongly for one perspective on human development. He stood very strongly for freedom, for democracy, for liberal democracy. He stood for markets and competition. He stood for human rights and the respect of individual freedom. And it was not always easy to do,” Prime Minister Holness stated.
Prime Minister Holness continued: “Edward Seaga was not merely a political leader, he was a builder of systems, of structures, of dreams. He believed in the power of government to serve the people, and he worked relentlessly with discipline and precision to turn that belief into reality.”
Prime Minister Holness noted that Mr. Seaga’s leadership came at a time when Jamaica was facing great internal conflict and global ideological pressures. Yet, his unwavering commitment to democracy helped steer the country through those turbulent years.
“So, in many ways, Mr. Seaga’s life was a bridge between eras, between disciplines, between different aspirations, but fulfilled with action. And the best way to honour Mr. Seaga is to carry his work forward, to protect our institutions, to invest in our people, and to dream with our eyes open,” stated Prime Minister Holness.
In the meantime, the Prime Minister emphasized that Mr. Seaga’s legacy is deeply embedded in the very fabric of modern Jamaica, seen most clearly through the institutions he created and nurtured.
These include the Jamaica Stock Exchange (1968), the HEART Trust/NSTA (1982), the Urban Development Corporation, the Jamaica Mortgage Bank (1972), and the Development Bank of Jamaica (originally the National Development Bank in 1981).
Mr. Seaga also pioneered cultural institutions such as the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), the National Gallery, and Devon House.