P. J. Patterson
Encyclopedia
Percival Noel James Patterson, ON
, QC
, PC
, O.E., (born 10 April 1935) was the sixth Prime Minister of Jamaica
from 1992 to 2006. Until February 2006 he was the leader of the Jamaica
n People's National Party
(PNP). The new PNP leader, Portia Simpson-Miller
, took over as Prime Minister on 30 March 2006. Patterson was Jamaica's longest-serving Prime Minister, serving exactly 14 years.
, before moving on to pursue higher studies at the University of the West Indies
Mona Campus, and later the London School of Economics
.
While pursuing his Bachelors degree at the University of the West Indies
, he served as Chairman of the university’s External Affairs Commission, where he gained exposure to world leaders and international political thought through attendance at a number of international student fora. It was also at university that he developed a commitment to Caribbean regionalism as well as to the causes of the countries of the developing world.
His time as a Law student at of the London School of Economics
consolidated the foundation in international politics that his university experience in Jamaica had provided.
During his enrolment at the Inns of Court
(Middle Temple) he again came in contact with a number of future leaders of the countries of the developing world who were fellow students in England.
He was Campaign Manager for the People's National Party's bid for power in the General Elections of 1972, demonstrating skill as a political organizer that played a significant role in the party’s victory at the polls that year. This led to his first appointment to the Jamaican Cabinet. As his political career advanced, Patterson held diverse portfolio responsibilities in the Jamaican government for areas as varied as trade and industry, tourism, foreign affairs, finance and planning.
resigned in 1992, at a time when the Caribbean island nation was facing the formidable challenge of securing a place in a new global order of economic liberalization
and deregulation
.
Patterson led efforts to strengthen the country’s social protection and security systems—a critical element of his economic and social policy agenda to mitigate, reduce poverty and social deprivation.
His massive investments in modernization of Jamaica’s infrastructure
and restructuring of the country's financial sector are widely credited with having led to Jamaica’s greatest period of investment in tourism, mining, ICT
and energy since the 1960s
. He also ended Jamaica’s 18-year borrowing relationship with the International Monetary Fund
, allowing the country greater latitude in pursuit of its economic policies.
He made international headlines in 2004 when, as Chairman of CARICOM, he led the regional organization in the decision to refuse recognition of the Gérard Latortue
government in Haiti following the removal of the democratically elected Jean-Bertrand Aristide
from office. Patterson arranged for Aristide to take up temporary residence in Jamaica during Aristide's lawsuit against the United States and France accusing the countries of kidnapping him.
In one of his final initiatives as Prime Minister, he launched a program of radical transformation of the island’s education
system aimed at development of quality human capital equipped to succeed in the competitive global economy
. In addition, Patterson presided over a signficant decline in poverty during his time in office.
Mr Patterson in June 2001 found it necessary to declare his sexuality to the nation. "My credentials as a life long heterosexual person are impeccable".
, which presented its report on potential changes in membership criteria for the Commonwealth of Nations
at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2007
in Kampala
, Uganda
.
He is a member of the Global Leadership Foundation
, an NGO Composed of a number of former statesmen, ex-presidents and Prime Ministers founded in 2004 by former State President of South Africa
and Nobel Prize
laureate F.W. de Klerk.
He played a seminal role in the process that marked the transition from the first steps in integration of the Caribbean region to the founding of CARIFTA and its evolution into CARICOM. He drew upon his expertise in law and trade, to steer the regional body toward the development of a Caribbean jurisprudence through the Caribbean Court of Justice
, and a borderless regional economy through the CARICOM Single Market, which came to fruition in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
During his tenure as Jamaica’s Foreign Minister he served as President of the ACP/EU Ministerial Council and led negotiations for the ACP group of countries with the European Community. As Chairman of the ACP/EEC Ministerial Conference, he played a pivotal role in forging an agreement on the basic framework for the original Lomé Convention
, which influenced the outcome of subsequent negotiations that led to the Convention signed in 1975. He has served as President and Spokesman of the ACP Ministerial Council on a number of occasions.
A passionate opponent of apartheid, he was an ardent proponent of South Africa
's liberation movement.
allowing him to be known as "The Most Honourable" and to use the post-nominal letters "O.N."
In 2006 he was invested with the Order of Excellence of Guyana http://www.op.gov.gy/stories/060529.html allowing him to use the postnominal letters "O.E." http://medals.org.uk/guyana/guyana001.htm
Patterson is a Member of the Global Leadership Foundation
, an organization which works to promote good governance around the world.
Order of the Nation
The Order of the Nation is a Jamaican honour. It is a part of the Jamaican honours system and was instituted in 1973 as the second highest honour in the country–the Order of National Hero being the highest....
, QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, PC
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
, O.E., (born 10 April 1935) was the sixth Prime Minister of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
from 1992 to 2006. Until February 2006 he was the leader of the Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n People's National Party
People's National Party
The People's National Party is a social democratic and social liberal Jamaican political party, founded by Norman Manley in 1938. It is the oldest political party in the Anglophone Caribbean and one of the main two political parties in Jamaica. Out of the two major parties, it is considered more...
(PNP). The new PNP leader, Portia Simpson-Miller
Portia Simpson-Miller
Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller, ON, MP is Jamaica's Leader of the Opposition and was the country's seventh Prime Minister from 30 March 2006 to 11 September 2007...
, took over as Prime Minister on 30 March 2006. Patterson was Jamaica's longest-serving Prime Minister, serving exactly 14 years.
Education
Patterson received his secondary education at one of Jamaica's most prominent learning institutions, Calabar High SchoolCalabar High School
Calabar High School is an all-male, secondary school in Kingston, Jamaica. It was established by the Jamaica Baptist Union in 1912 for the children of Baptist ministers and the children of the poor blacks and was named after the former slave port Calabar, now in Nigeria...
, before moving on to pursue higher studies at the University of the West Indies
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies , is an autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica,...
Mona Campus, and later the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
While pursuing his Bachelors degree at the University of the West Indies
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies , is an autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica,...
, he served as Chairman of the university’s External Affairs Commission, where he gained exposure to world leaders and international political thought through attendance at a number of international student fora. It was also at university that he developed a commitment to Caribbean regionalism as well as to the causes of the countries of the developing world.
His time as a Law student at of the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
consolidated the foundation in international politics that his university experience in Jamaica had provided.
During his enrolment at the Inns of Court
Inns of Court
The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. All such barristers must belong to one such association. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional...
(Middle Temple) he again came in contact with a number of future leaders of the countries of the developing world who were fellow students in England.
Early political life
When in 1969 his predecessor as Prime Minister of Jamaica, Michael Manley, launched his campaign for the Presidency of the PNP, he turned to P.J. Patterson, the youngest of the highest-ranking segment of the party executive, to lead his campaign. This was the beginning of a partnership which endured over the next 23 years, and allowed for an exchange of political ideas and perspectives that proved beneficial to both.He was Campaign Manager for the People's National Party's bid for power in the General Elections of 1972, demonstrating skill as a political organizer that played a significant role in the party’s victory at the polls that year. This led to his first appointment to the Jamaican Cabinet. As his political career advanced, Patterson held diverse portfolio responsibilities in the Jamaican government for areas as varied as trade and industry, tourism, foreign affairs, finance and planning.
Premiership
He assumed office as Prime Minister when Michael ManleyMichael Manley
Michael Norman Manley ON OCC was the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica . Manley was a democratic socialist....
resigned in 1992, at a time when the Caribbean island nation was facing the formidable challenge of securing a place in a new global order of economic liberalization
Liberalization
In general, liberalization refers to a relaxation of previous government restrictions, usually in areas of social or economic policy. In some contexts this process or concept is often, but not always, referred to as deregulation...
and deregulation
Deregulation
Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or...
.
Patterson led efforts to strengthen the country’s social protection and security systems—a critical element of his economic and social policy agenda to mitigate, reduce poverty and social deprivation.
His massive investments in modernization of Jamaica’s infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
and restructuring of the country's financial sector are widely credited with having led to Jamaica’s greatest period of investment in tourism, mining, ICT
Information and communication technologies
Information and communications technology or information and communication technology, usually abbreviated as ICT, is often used as an extended synonym for information technology , but is usually a more general term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of...
and energy since the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
. He also ended Jamaica’s 18-year borrowing relationship with the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
, allowing the country greater latitude in pursuit of its economic policies.
He made international headlines in 2004 when, as Chairman of CARICOM, he led the regional organization in the decision to refuse recognition of the Gérard Latortue
Gérard Latortue
Gérard Latortue was the Prime Minister of Haïti from March 12, 2004 to June 9, 2006. He was an official in the United Nations for many years, and briefly served as foreign minister of Haïti during the short-lived 1988 administration of Leslie Manigat.In February 2004, the country suffered a coup...
government in Haiti following the removal of the democratically elected Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...
from office. Patterson arranged for Aristide to take up temporary residence in Jamaica during Aristide's lawsuit against the United States and France accusing the countries of kidnapping him.
In one of his final initiatives as Prime Minister, he launched a program of radical transformation of the island’s education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
system aimed at development of quality human capital equipped to succeed in the competitive global economy
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
. In addition, Patterson presided over a signficant decline in poverty during his time in office.
Allegations of Homosexuality
Rumors of PJ Paterson being a homosexual followed him throughout his political career.Mr Patterson in June 2001 found it necessary to declare his sexuality to the nation. "My credentials as a life long heterosexual person are impeccable".
Post-premiership
Following his premiership, from 2006 to 2007, he chaired the Committee on Commonwealth MembershipCommittee on Commonwealth Membership
The Committee on Commonwealth Membership was a committee convened by the Commonwealth Secretariat in 2006 to examine and report on prospective changes to the membership criteria of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was chaired by P. J...
, which presented its report on potential changes in membership criteria for the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2007
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2007
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2007 was the twentieth Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in Kampala, Uganda, between 23 November and 25 November 2007, and was hosted by President Yoweri Museveni....
in Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
.
International service
Patterson has contributed to numerous Conventions and Statements in the international arena including the Valletta Statement on Multilateral Trade and the Gozo Statement on Vulnerable Small States. These have helped to shape north-south relationship and influence the negotiating position of developing countries.He is a member of the Global Leadership Foundation
Global Leadership Foundation
The Global Leadership Foundation is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 2004 by former State President of South Africa and Nobel Prize laureate F.W. de Klerk....
, an NGO Composed of a number of former statesmen, ex-presidents and Prime Ministers founded in 2004 by former State President of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
laureate F.W. de Klerk.
He played a seminal role in the process that marked the transition from the first steps in integration of the Caribbean region to the founding of CARIFTA and its evolution into CARICOM. He drew upon his expertise in law and trade, to steer the regional body toward the development of a Caribbean jurisprudence through the Caribbean Court of Justice
Caribbean Court of Justice
The Caribbean Court of Justice is the judicial institution of the Caribbean Community . Established in 2001, it is based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago....
, and a borderless regional economy through the CARICOM Single Market, which came to fruition in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
During his tenure as Jamaica’s Foreign Minister he served as President of the ACP/EU Ministerial Council and led negotiations for the ACP group of countries with the European Community. As Chairman of the ACP/EEC Ministerial Conference, he played a pivotal role in forging an agreement on the basic framework for the original Lomé Convention
Lomé Convention
The Lomé Convention is a trade and aid agreement between the European Community and 71 African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries, first signed in February 1975 in Lomé, Togo.- History :...
, which influenced the outcome of subsequent negotiations that led to the Convention signed in 1975. He has served as President and Spokesman of the ACP Ministerial Council on a number of occasions.
A passionate opponent of apartheid, he was an ardent proponent of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
's liberation movement.
Memberships and awards
Upon becoming the Prime Minister of Jamaica in 1992 Patterson was invested with the Order of the NationOrder of the Nation
The Order of the Nation is a Jamaican honour. It is a part of the Jamaican honours system and was instituted in 1973 as the second highest honour in the country–the Order of National Hero being the highest....
allowing him to be known as "The Most Honourable" and to use the post-nominal letters "O.N."
In 2006 he was invested with the Order of Excellence of Guyana http://www.op.gov.gy/stories/060529.html allowing him to use the postnominal letters "O.E." http://medals.org.uk/guyana/guyana001.htm
Patterson is a Member of the Global Leadership Foundation
Global Leadership Foundation
The Global Leadership Foundation is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 2004 by former State President of South Africa and Nobel Prize laureate F.W. de Klerk....
, an organization which works to promote good governance around the world.