Partisan Political Violence and Party Consolidation

• Author: Amanda Sives
• Profession: Lecturer in Politics at the University of Liverpool
• Pages: 24-51

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24 ELECTIONS, VIOLENCE AND THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS IN JAMAICA

Partisan Political

Violence and Party

Consolidation

IntroductionIntroduction

IntroductionIntroduction

Introduction

If the 1940s were about the formation of the political parties and their trade

unions, then the 1950s witnessed their consolidation. By the end of the decade,

they were both multi-class, centrist and shared a similar outlook on economic

development strategies. While the political conflict of the late 1940s had declined

by the mid-1950s, violence increased during the 1959 general election campaign.

This chapter explores the shift in the role of partisan political violence within

the political system. It begins with an examination of the key conflicts during

the election year of 1949. In particular, it focuses on the activities of the PNP

which not only developed the capacity to defend their supporters but engaged in

aggressive tactics in order to consolidate their position in the urban areas. In

addition, what became evident during 1949 was the growing concern of the

colonial state about the increasing levels of politically motivated violence. The

second part of the chapter explores the two general elections and one federal

election of the 1950s, particularly focusing on the re-emergence of partisan

violence during the 1959 election when, for the first time, the issue of violence

featured in the parties’ campaign material. In addition to the violence at election

meetings, the end of the 1950s witnessed the involvement of armed gangs

operating in the western end of the city during the election campaign. While the

gangs were limited in geographical scope and activities, they presaged a new

form of political violence. The violence accompanying the birth of the political

system did not disappear, rather it shifted from the jockeying for formation and

position by the political parties and the trade unions within the new political

system to one which was increasingly associated with specific urban areas and a

particular form of political relationship based on resource distribution and the

development of a partisan identity politics.

CHAPTER

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PARTISAN POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND PARTY CONSOLIDATION 25 25

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Violence in 1949Violence in 1949

Violence in 1949Violence in 1949

Violence in 1949

The level of violence between political party supporters was significant during

1949. This was evident both in terms of the number of incidents between

supporters and in the responses of the colonial state. In March, the Governor

informed the Colonial Office that he had banned political meetings for 28 days

concerned that ‘the temper at recent political meetings has been such that more

serious violence might well result if those meetings today were permitted to

continue while feeling is running high.’1 A month later, Wills Isaacs of the PNP

was charged with sedition. In May, the front page of the Gleaner carried signed

peace pledges from Alexander Bustamante and Norman Manley. The following

month a commission was appointed to examine an incident of violence and at

the beginning of July a political supporter was killed during a by-election in

Gordon Town which led Governor Huggins to establish a commission of enquiry.

In August, the penalties for creating disorder at political meetings were increased

following an enquiry under the chairmanship of Cundall.2 The second general

election under universal suffrage was held in December.

Whilst Wills Isaacs was found not guilty of making seditious statements, the

judge was not unequivocal in his dismissal of the case, commenting that he was

‘forced to the conclusion that the case against the accused has not been removed

from the level of suspicion into the sphere of moral certainty.’3 The defence did

not refute that seditious statements had been made, but rather argued ‘that

another speaker whose voice resembled that of Isaacs had uttered the remarks

attributable to him.’4 The comments were allegedly made after a PNP meeting

had received information claiming PNP councillors Ken Hill and Iris King had

been attacked at a meeting presided over by Bustamante. According to the

testimony of a police witness, the speaker at the meeting stated, ‘We cannot sit

down and fold our hands, and tonight every PNP-man here, let me tell you, you

are to arm yourself, you are to carry cowcods, black-jacks and cutlass the same

way Bustamante tell his people because it is going to be open warfare.’5 That

Wills Isaacs should have been charged with making these seditious remarks was

not surprising. Richard Hart writing in November 1946 had described Isaacs

as having ‘demagogue appeal [which] is very useful in offsetting the demagogue

appeal of Bustamante, but he will become a menace later on.’6 Isaacs was also at

the forefront of the organisation of ‘defence’ groups such as Group 69. As a