Dear Editor,

The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) unnecessarily caused a firestorm of controversy in how it went about suggesting changes to when and how Jamaica observes and celebrates Emancipation Day and Independence Day.

Belying strengths in diplomacy and tact developed at its genesis when Michael Manley’s experiment with socialism posed a perceived threat to private capital, the PSOJ muffed the communication surrounding its Emancipendence proposal. An organisation of the PSOJ’s stature and experience should never place a proposal in the public space without clarity as to the intent and certitude of its acceptance.

Be that as it may, what if any are the merits of the idea to dispense with two separate holidays, days apart, for celebrating Emancipation and Independence and to adopt instead a four-day period incorporating both, starting on Friday and stretching to Monday, as is the case with Good Friday and Easter Monday?

First, a bit of history.

In 1838 the Bill for the abolition of slavery in the British colonies, first declared August 1, 1834, took effect, freeing approximately 320 enslaved Africans in Jamaica. Emancipation Day, August 1, was officially introduced as a public holiday way back in 1893. It was discontinued in 1962 to make way for Independence Day, August 6, which marks the date when Jamaica gained Independence after over 300 years as a British colony. Emancipation Day was reinstituted as a national holiday in 1997 on recommendation by a Rex Nettleford-chaired committee during the Administration of then Prime Minister P J Patterson.

The PSOJ’s suggestion to incorporate both holidays into a seamless four-day weekend observation and celebration, ostensibly to mitigate productivity loss from having to shut down and restart production on two days so close to each other, got immediate pushback from some influential voices. Speaking from the pavilion to which he long ago retired, P J Patterson referred to the suggestion as a “retrograde step”.

In an address at the historic William Knibb Baptist Church in Falmouth, Trelawny, Chief Justice Bryan Sykes said in part: “Some things in our nation’s history really cannot carry a price tag; freedom and celebration of freedom is one of them.”

The PSOJ’s suggestion is not new. The idea was floated as recently as 2020. At that time, pollster Don Anderson, in a survey, found that the majority of respondents, 62 per cent, were in favour of the move. A third, 34 per cent, said they couldn’t care less what Government decided to do because the holidays meant nothing to them.

A Gleaner Bill Johnson poll, published August 6, 2017, found that 73 per cent of Jamaicans either had no opinion or believed the country would be better off had it remained a colony of Great Britain with only 27 per cent disagreeing. Of those who expressed disappointment with the progress brought by Independence, the majority, 62 per cent, said under British rule the economy would be stronger.

In light of these findings, pushing the narrative to retain two separate public holidays, days apart, solely for reasons of national sentiment, is like trying to legislate morality. Although well intended, it doesn’t work (pun intended).

The fact is, public holidays cost the economy a lot. By my estimate roughly ½ of 1 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) or $10.5 billion for each such holiday. The question is often asked, does Jamaica have too many public holidays? The answer may surprise some. At 10 public holidays, Jamaica has less than Trinidad and Tobago’s 18. Only a handful of countries have less than 10. In a statement clarifying its position, the PSOJ wisely said it was not suggesting merging, take that to mean reducing, the two public holidays in question.

The PSOJ’s suggestion should be properly assessed in the context of the purpose served by public holidays. There are three reasons that are generally cited. The first, which applies to public holidays such as Emancipation Day, Independence Day and National Heroes’ Day is best summed up by the words of National Hero Marcus Mosiah Garvey: “A people without knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.” The second is the proven positive relationship between rest and recreation on the one hand and workforce productivity on the other. And the third, the potential economic benefits from festivities such as our grand gala.

Any suggestion that could increase the nation’s productivity and prosperity should be given serious consideration. The question remains: What to do with August 1 and August 6 if the suggestion for a four-day weekend period of celebration is adopted? The PSOJ must go beyond its narrow self-interest and give deeper reflection to all aspects of this important national issue.

And while at it, since concern for productivity is at the core of its proposal, the PSOJ would do itself and the country a great service by going all the way back to Carl Stone’s Worker Attitude Study of the early 1980s to identify and address worker dissatisfiers that have a greater negative impact than public holidays on labour productivity, and are largely in the power of employers to resolve. Issues such as quality of management and supervision, opportunity for advancement, training, and improvement in the means of production.

Dr Henley Morgan

hmorgan@cwjamaica.com