Sir Alexander Bustamante used his conference address to caution Jamaicans about the dangers he believed Russia posed to the democratic world. Pointing to the Soviet presence in Cuba and its stockpiling of weapons, he insisted that the threat extended beyond the United States and included Jamaica. He defended his decision to welcome U.S. Navy ships to the island, calling it a bold but necessary act to show solidarity with democratic allies, declaring that he would “rather be bombed by the Russians than live under their flag”.

Published Monday, December 10, 1962

Jamaica must never be a republic

Says Bustamante

The Hon. Sir Alexander Bustamante, Prime Minister and Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party, told the 18th annual conference of the party at the Ward Theatre on Sunday that Jamaica must never have a President because he did not believe in republics.
Sir Alexander was explaining the reasons why he had declined to recommend himself to Her Majesty the Queen to succeed Sir Kenneth Blackburne as Governor-General of Jamaica: that he did not want to resign as head of the party and the union.
Then, he said, if tomorrow Jamaica decided — and God forbid — to leave the Commonwealth, there would be no Governor-General. Then he would be Prime Minister or President.
In a speech frequently interrupted by applause, Sir Alexander said:
Advance guard
"I rise to salute you as the advance guard against Communism. The peace of this country lies in your hands. Father Shearer commended you for being Christians and not Communists. The line between Socialism and Communism has the finest of threads. Had it not been for the J.L.P., the country might have been an outstanding Communist state. It was God's will why the JLP won the first election. It was through none other.
“It was through the grace and blessing of God otherwise this country might have been Communist. You are to go out over the hills and valleys and the plains and preach against this pernicious ideology known as Communism. We are a Christian country, and we must not be led by those who hate democracy. You will not fail me — I depend upon you."
Voices: “No! No!”
“A lot of people have been asking me why I did not become the first Governor-General. I will tell you. It was my position if I wanted it to be another. The reason why I have not recommended myself … it is the Prime Minister who must recommend the Governor-General to Her Majesty the Queen. No one has the authority under the Constitution but the Prime Minister, and for the time, I am for that.” (Applause).
“I did not recommend myself to be Governor-General because I would have had to resign from the party and the union. I could not hold the position of Governor-General and be head of the party and the union, so I chose to remain with you.” (Applause).
Differences
“The Governor-General is the representative of Her Majesty the Queen. The Prime Minister represents the people. The Prime Minister is responsible for the conditions of the country, and he is responsible for you. Whatever things you may need or improvements to this country, you cannot depend upon His Excellency the Governor-General. You depend upon my Ministers and myself.
“Those are the differences between the position of His Excellency the Governor-General and that of the Prime Minister. You cannot ask the Governor-General for roads or anything. And so, please don’t bother him because he can do nothing like that for you.
“Whatever happens in Jamaica, the Governor-General is the proper person to convey those things to Her Majesty the Queen, but whatever you want or need — whatever improvements the country needs — you must look forward to my Ministers and myself.
“If we were not still in the Commonwealth, there would have been no Governor-General, but he is here because we are still in the Commonwealth. If tomorrow we decide, and God forbid, to leave the Commonwealth, there will be no Governor-General. Then I would be Prime Minister or President.
“But the country must never have a President because I do not believe in republics.” (Applause).
“There are very few republics that have friends. Among the few, the great United States are our friends, and I beg you to be a friend of that great country, the United States. That is why I opened up our ports to the U.S. Navy. If you looked around some weeks ago, there were Navy ships in the harbour. I gave them permission.
“We are not only friends in time of laughter but in time of trial and tribulations. It is all right to be friends in time of laughter. That friendship proves nothing. You must be friends in times of tribulations and trouble.
‘I was right’
“There are a few people who said we should not have allowed the American Navy here. That was my decision, and I know I was right. A few people said in view of my action we might have been bombed. I would rather be bombed by the Russians than to live under their flag. And all of you who agree with me, stand please.” (The whole audience stood.)
“We have taken over the Government with an iron safe packed with tears — no money. That is the kind of genius running this country for seven years. They would go around the country boasting about their intelligence and that they are intellectuals. They are intellectuals — but disastrous ones.
“They live and thrive on propaganda, on falsehoods, and in that they have died. And on their falsehoods, they will continue to perish. They are perishing, but I hope that one day they will repent for their lies. Lies cannot continue forever. It is not a good thing to deceive those who have had less opportunity than they, but ah! and alas, the small people of the country have learnt to think, thereby realising truth from deception.
“You have come a far way. I believe I have helped you on that journey. It was a journey of trials and tribulations, a journey of persecution, but today it is a different journey. It is a journey that has brought a multitude of us together, and that journey will continue, and we will continue to organise.
“It is well for us to realise that however much ability one has, without the grace of the One above it would be nothing … It has been a journey. After I have passed out of this world, thousands will remember. Despite the persecutions, it was a journey of love for my people for whom I came. It is the most wonderful thing to come from the bottom and rise step by step” (applause) “and at the same time not forget from whence one came. Many throughout the entire world, when they came from and rose to fame, forget their best friends — the multitude. So many of us forget that great asset, which is known as humanity.
Surgeon’s Knife
“I always believe that no one is better than the other person. At the Prime Minister's conference in London, all the Ministers got up and gave long speeches. I gave five minutes, but those five minutes were as sharp as a surgeon’s knife. It penetrated the hearts of my guests without shedding blood.
“But why have I seen success? Because those who have heard me realised it came from the heart. It was a piece from the soul. It was not mingled with hypocrisy. The PNP’s sets are hypocrisy, deception, and deceit.
“They had hoped to overthrow the Government within 18 months. That was a great delusion. Mr. Wills Isaacs said in a debate about three weeks ago in Parliament that had I left the party, they would have succeeded, so I said, ‘I fooled you again.’ ” (Laughter).
“In this election yesterday, they said publicly — the P.N.P. — that there was going to be a great rebellion: Ministers were going to fight each other for positions. Ah! I fooled them again.” (Applause).
“We never had a more orderly and peaceful event than that which occurred yesterday... I believe I am guided by the Almighty God in my decisions because before I come to any decision I kneel down and I pray and ask for guidance. One cannot live successfully except one has God in his heart, and it is because of this why we are against Communism. It is an evil ideology. Evil prospers for a time. In the long run it dies. See what has happened to Cuba.
“I am for the West. I am against anything that has the semblance of Communism. Russia came to Cuba with all kinds of implements of war. Do you think that was just for the United States? For us, too.
A bold act
“Russia was out to acquire the entire democratic world! It was a bold act for me to give the U.S. Navy permission to come here, but that was my duty. At times one has to face danger to prove one's sincerity. If I were not sincere, how could I allow the U.S. warships to come here? I am not one who is afraid of anything. One life, one death.
“It is far better to go down on your feet than to submit to deceit and hypocrisy. We must learn to require fearlessness. All I want is your love, your respect, and your regard. That is why thousands of your children cry out on the street and the by-ways, ‘Busta!’
“It is the love which you have instilled in those children; it is your teaching at home. It is wonderful to see this great beauty of human figures here. Not an empty seat, whilst on the street there are hundreds outside desirous to come in, but it is impossible because the place is too small. But I am sure they have heard our voices and our teaching today. They have heard the things that all of us have been trying to do. It is a difficult job.
“What did the PNP geniuses do? They ordered $800,000 worth of railway equipment without having the money to pay. They lost hundreds of pounds in Jamaica Woolens. The half has not been told.
“They loaned on less than two acres of land in August Town £10,000 — land worth less than £2,000 an acre. I understand the person who had that loan had some chickens. I went there. The chickens seemed to have flown away.” (Laughter).
£100,000 lost
“There is a Government agency known as the Small Businessmen's Loan Board. They loaned out nearly £300,000. £100,000 cannot be collected. Lost. Gone with the wind. Loaned to the PNP. In the Agricultural Loan Board we have lost over £1 million. Your money. You have had to sweat night and day for it. If that party had remained in power — won the last election — they would have had to build more burial grounds and more poorhouses.
“This is not propaganda. It is a fact. Can you have confidence in them or ever put them back in power?"
Voices: “No! No!”
“For me, this has been a great day. I believe that every single soul in this building here this evening will continue to unite more than ever — not just in your own interest but in the interest of this country, the interest of mankind.”
Sir Alexander charged the P.N.P. with being masters of victimisation. He advised those present, when they returned home, to tell others of the wonderful conference they had had and convince them that the J.L.P. was the right party. He said he was 100 per cent healthy, and it was due to the grace of Almighty God and your prayers.
 

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