[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 32 (Thursday, March 13, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E476]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MICHAEL MANLEY: PATRIOT OF JAMAICA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 13, 1997

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I join Michael Manley's many friends and 
admirers who mourn his loss in paying tribute to his remarkable life. 
Michael was my friend for more than 20 years and I greatly admire his 
visionary and inspirational leadership. He was a delightful personality 
with wide ranging interests who was always aware of, and involved in, 
the issues of the day. He was a committed patriot of Jamaica, a man of 
the Caribbean, and a person who represented all who struggled for 
justice, equality, and opportunity.
  Michael was a teacher and a leader on the issues which have defined 
the challenge facing developing nations as they move from political 
independence toward sustainable development and economic viability. 
Michael had the capacity to envision a better world for all, the 
ability to articulate his vision, and the leadership to inspire us 
individually and collectively to aspire to goals beyond our reach.
  Michael Manley's leadership was a global significance and impact. His 
struggle against apartheid in South Africa was internationally 
recognized by the award of the United Nations Gold Medal in 1978--the 
highest award of the Special Committee Against Apartheid. In addition, 
his work on economic issues, particularly the New International 
Economic Order, and the external debt problem of developing nations, 
marked him as one of the preeminent international political and 
economic thinkers of the contemporary era. His prolific writings on 
economics and politics include Poverty of Nations, 1991; Up and Down 
Escalator, 1987; Jamaica Struggle in the Periphery, 1982; A Search for 
Solutions, 1977; A Voice of the Workplace, 1973; and Politics of 
Change, 1973. He was a visiting professor at, and received honorary 
doctorates from, numerous institutions of higher learning in the 
Caribbean, Great Britain, and the United States.
  Although retired from political life since 1993, he continued to be 
active in public affairs. Michael Manley played a pivotal role in the 
restoration of democracy to Haiti and the transition to majority rule 
in South Africa, to which he led the Commonwealth Observer Mission that 
won praise from the new Government of South Africa.
  I had the opportunity to work particularly closely with Michael in 
recent years, in the restoration of Haitian democracy, and I can 
personally attest to his influence in mobilizing the Organization of 
American States and the United Nations to become engaged in negotiating 
the return of President Aristide to complete the term to which he was 
elected as President of Haiti. Michael Manley showed me his commitment 
to justice and his love for the Caribbean as he applied his formidable 
intellectual and persuasive powers to the cause of democracy in Haiti. 
He had similarly committed a good portion of his public life to the 
struggle for self-determination in Africa and especially was a leader 
in the effort to end apartheid and bring about majority rule in South 
Africa.
  Michael's global view did not make everyone comfortable. In the 
1970's, the United States Government opposed his friendship with Cuba 
and his support of the Cuban troops sent to Angola to stop the advance 
of the South African apartheid regime. Michael suffered the wrath of 
the United States for his independence and was labeled a Communist 
sympathizer.
  Michael was more than a Jamaican, more than a man of the Caribbean; 
he was a man with a global reach and vision who saw the challenge of 
reducing the great and tragic gap between the rich and the poor through 
the creation of a new international economic order.
  Michael had the capacity to learn and change, to adopt new tactics to 
accomplish his goals in recognition of new and different circumstances. 
His economic message changed from the 1970's when I first met him and 
defended him against charges that he was a Communist. In the 1990's he 
emphasized private sector-led growth and development. Throughout he was 
a prime minister beloved of his people because he opened opportunities 
for participation to the disadvantaged and removed historical 
disabilities of gender, class, and privilege.
  His loss will be felt in Jamaica, the Caribbean, the hemisphere, and 
throughout the world. Michael Manley's intellect, energy, and passion 
were universal in their commitment to freedom, equality, and justice. 
His extraordinary impact will be forever remembered.

                          ____________________