Edward Seaga

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Edward Seaga's contributions to Independent Jamaica INCLUDE ....

1967, first Jamaican majority-owned commercial bank - Jamaica Citizens Bank (JCB)
1968, Jamaica Stock Exchange
1969, decimalization of the Jamaican currency
1969, nationalization of financial institutions - banks and insurance companies
1969, Introduction of merchant banking
1971, Jamaica Unit Trust
1972 Jamaica Mortgage Bank

1981 National Development Bank (NDB)

1981 Agricultural Credit Bank (ACB)

1982 Agro 21

1982, Divestment Programme, commencing with lease of government-owned hotels
1984, Self-Start Fund
1985, Comprehensive Tax Reforms including a flat income tax rate for all
1985, Solidarity Programme for micro-businesses
1986, Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank)
1986, De-regulation of economy, commencing with removal of import licencing; later price controls
1986, Privatization of financial institutions - NCB
1987, JAMPRO (formerly JNIP)
1988, Digiport - first satellite telecommunications data processing operation - Montego Bay

1988, One Million Trees Programme

Planning and development::

Rural and urban planning and the environment have been prime areas of development in Seaga's career. He has focused on waterfront development in the main coastal towns and cities, rural and urban township development programmes, and the development of parks and markets. They included the following:

1963, 5-Year Development Plan
1966, Redevelopment of Kingston Waterfront
1967, Comprehensively planned urban communities - redevelopment of 'Back-o-Wall' slum as Tivoli Garden, a modern, fully planned urban development; Hellshire Hills development; Portmore Town centre; Torrington Park
1967, Reclamation and development of Ocho Rios Waterfront (Turtle Beach)
1968 Urban Development Corporation
1969 Comprehensive development plan for infrastructure of many rural towns (later CRDTDP)

1971 20-Year Physical Development Plan

1983 National Conference Centre - headquarters of the International Seabed Authority

1983 National Committee for Drug Abuse

1985 MPM - Beautification and Public Cleansing

1988 Reclamation of Montego Bay Waterfront

1988 Negril development (Bloody Bay)

1988 Social Well-being Plan

Land Bank - purchase of 50,000 acres of prime properties for future development (Negril, Orange Bay, Auchindown, Mt. Edgecombe, Seville, Laughing Water, Belmont (Dunns River), Winifred Rest Home property, Caymanas, Hellshire Hills.

Development of several hotels - Kingston Waterfront, Ocho Rios, Negril.

Social programmes:

was the architect of a wide range of social programmes which expanded training in human resources, aided small enterprises and protected the poor and vulnerable:

1963 Construction of the National Arena

1963 Things Jamaican - craft development

1963 Launching of the Drug Abuse Committee (later Council)

1964 100 Village Community Development Programme

1965 Community sports development on a structured islandwide basis

1965 The Golden Age Movement

1965 The National Volunteers

1970 Student Revolving Loan Fund for Higher Education

1971 National School Feeding Programme

1972 Establishment of Jamaica Racing Commission and Jockey School

1974 Institute of Mass Communication; later renamed Caribbean Institute of Media & Communication (CARIMAC)

1982 H.E.A.R.T. (Human Employment & Resource Training)

1984 Food Stamp Programme for elderly poor and lactating mothers

1984 ARP - Administrative Reform Programme for fundamental Civil Service reforms

1985 Golden Age Home fr the elderly poor

1986 L.E.A.P. (Learning for Earning Activity Programme) for street children

1988 P.A.C.E. (Programme for Advancement of Early Childhood Education)

1988 Residential Halls for UWI, UTECH and Cultural Training Centre

Cultural programmes:

In independent Jamaica, he established institutions to build cultural awareness and national identity and to develop arts, crafts and national heritage.

1963 Jamaica Festival

1964 Promotion to launch Jamaican music (ska) abroad

1964 Return and interment of Marcus Garvey's body at Jamaica

1964 Order of National Heroes - Garvey first named hero

1964 National Heroes Park

1965–69 - development of several museums: Arawak, Port Royal

1967 Jamaica Journal publication (Institute of Jamaica)

1967 Research and recording of folk culture

1967 Devon House

1968 National Heritage Week

1971 Design of the Cultural Training Centre (Arts, Drama, Music, Painting & Sculpture)

1972 Jamaica Racing Commission and Jockey School

1986 Establishment of the Creative Production and Training Centre (CPTC)

1988 Planned development of heritage sites (Port Royal, Spanish Town, Seville)

1988 Media Divestment Programme, to establish several small private radio stations and church television

Institutional, Parliamentary, Political and Constitutional Reforms:

He recognized the  important political, parliamentary and constitutional reforms that would affect governance of the country ...

1961 Member of the Parliamentary Commission which drafted the Constitution for independent Jamaica

1979 Electoral reforms: structure of EAC

1986 Establishment of Contractor General proposed in 1979

1986 Media Commission

1992 Constitutional Reform: Advocate General (renamed Public Defender)

1993 Constitutional Reform: Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms

1994 Several Parliamentary reforms:

to strengthen the independence of Parliament
allow non-Parliamentarians to address Parliament on issues

1994 Money Bills tabled in Parliament to regulate money supply by law

International Programmes:

Jamaica initiated several far-reaching international programmes in the Caribbean region and world-wide because of his proposals to create new international agreements

1974 UNESCO International Fund for the Promotion of Culture (Culture Bank)

1982 Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI)

1986 UNDP - United Nations International Short Term Advisory Resources - UNISTAR (Manpower Bank)

1986 Caribbean Democrat Union (CDU)

1986 CARIBCAN (Canada)