JAMAICA: COMMUNIST INROADS IN OPPOSITION PARTY

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06805643
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: March 8, 2023
• Document Release Date: July 25, 2019
• Case Number: F-2017-01652
• Publication Date: January 31, 1983

Approved for Release: 2019/07/10 C06805643
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� 'ALA LAR 83-004 �
� 31 January 1983
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Copy
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MEC
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IMP
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(b)(3)
Latin America
'Review (u)
31 January 1983
Articles
P"
Pan
Jamaica: Communist Inroads in Opposition Party (t11
11
Gun-toting supporters of former Prime Minister Michael Manley
are skirmishing over political territory in Kingston's slum areas with
armed backers of a Communist-influenced party linked to Cuba and
the Soviet Union.
NR
Record
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-.���� `RM.
Jamaica: Communist Inroads
in Opposition Party (u)
(b)(3)
Recent violence between groups of gunmen from rival
political groups in the Kingston slums does not yet
constitute a major problem for the Seaga government
The out6ursts are symptomatic, however, of a trend
toward another violent campaign leading up to the
next elections, which must be held by 1985.
intimidate their opponents and secure key electoral
districts
In early January, gun-toting supporters of former
Prime Minister Michael Manley's People's National
Party skirmished over political territory with armed
backers of Dr. Trevor Munroe's Communist Workers'
Party of Jamaica. Munroe's party, closely linked to
Cuba and the Soviet Union, reportedly receives assist-
ance from them. Although it still has little popular
support among significant sectors of Jamaican soci-
ety, it has nevertheless been making gradual inroads
into constituencies controlled by Manley's party.
The Workers' Party collaborated with Manley in the
last election, hoping that the alliance would enhance
its own influence. Following Manley's devastating
defeat in the 1980 elections, relations between the two
parties cooled. Moderates in Manley's party charged
that association with the Workers' Party had tainted
them with the Communist brush and contributed to
the defeat. Since then, Manley has taken deliberate
steps to distance himself from Munroe and to dispel
the widespread perception among Jamaicans that his
party's "social democratic" program is a camouflaged
(b)(3) version of Munroe's Communist ideology
Against this background, Manley and party stalwarts
are becoming increasingly worried about Munroe's
evident success in courting People's National Party
supporters, mainly in the poorer areas of Kingston. In
the last three elections, bands of thugs in these areas
have engaged in a kind of gang warfare for political
turf. By gaining the allegiance of these criminal
groups, politicians in each party can employ them to
11
As the Workers' Party becomes
more aggressive in trying to build a grass-roots orga-
nization and to lure radical leftists from Manley's
party, friction between the two is certain to grow.
In addition to his encroachment in Kingston's ghettos,
Munroe�who is a clever organizer�is attracting a
larger following within the labor movement, which
traditionally has been the backbone of support for the
two major parties. By exploiting Jamaican disillusion-
ment with Seaga's ability to engineer a rapid econom-
ic turnaround, Munroe can expect to capture some
strength among dissident workers. Moreover, leftists
who believe that Manley is selling out to more
conservative elements may also gravitate to Munroe.
It is unlikely that political warfare will reach the
levels of the last election any time soon. The Seaga
government is extremely sensitive about projecting an
orderly image abroad�particularly since a surge in
tourism has been one of the few bright spots in the
economy. An escalation of violence would likely result
in swift reprisals from the security forces, which have
benefited from Seaga's efforts to improve equipment
and morale
The longer term danger is that violence-prone radicals
will be able to exploit the discontent that surely will
follow any major setback in Scaga's recovery efforts.
Moreover, if radicals in Manley's party desert in force
�Steret�
ALA LAR 83-004
31 January 1983
Approved for Release: 2019/07/10 C06805643
Approved for Release: 2019/07/10 C06805643
and join join Munroe, Cuban-inspired efforts to under-
mine political stability in Jamaica can be expected to
grow as Seaga's five-year term comes to an end
-Segni-
12
Approved for Release: 2019/07/10 C06805643