“Gather together, be brothers and sisters, we’re Independent. Join hands to hands, children started to dance, we’re Independent. Don’t be sad and blue, the Lord will be with you. Because the time has come when you can have your fun, so make a run.” — Forward March, Derrick Morgan

Everywhere this pre-released song was blaring from television sets, radio stations, corner bars, and even sound systems. Johnny felt uneasy. He was apprehensive about the pending Independence of the Jamaican colony. This was to happen in two weeks, and he fretted about the future of his beloved country. He was wary of this new thrust towards cutting ties with Great Britain as he considered Emancipation as the ultimate achievement of his African brothers and sisters. However, Independence was a different cup of tea. It would change life in Jamaica forever.

Johnny was tall, light-skinned, athletic-looking, and had an excellent job at Barclays Bank, Dominion, Colonial and Overseas (DCO) on King Street, even though he had been an average student at the prestigious St George’s College. Still, he had landed the cushy job on his first interview. Most important to him was that his position allowed him to plan for the future and offered a pension.

He had a splendid relationship with the British managers, who he considered committed to the country, the success of the bank, and the betterment of their workforce. He even had lunch with some senior managers who thought highly of his work ethic and personality. However, Johnny was concerned that the second-tier native managers would lack the competence to meet the standards necessary for the organisation’s continuing success — he openly questioned their management capacity and their trustworthiness.

Johnny opined that if and when the British left, the country would resort to a free-for-all political scrimmage between the two main political parties. Most of his friends and co-workers shared the same concerns. They wondered how Independence would affect Jamaica’s blossoming middle class.

Many Jamaicans did not support this movement toward Independence. They argued that the system was not broken, so why the urge to fix it? Like Johnny, they thought the British were committed to the colony’s well-being and should be allowed to continue their work. Others, like Johnny’s grandfather, had been totally Europeanised and wholeheartedly embraced the principles of the British Administration. Many also worried that Jamaica would lose its treasured access to its adopted motherland when more stringent visa protocols were established.

They argued that the matter of Independence should be the choice of the Jamaican people via a referendum. They were confident that the vote would have favoured the country remaining a colony. They felt that the British didn’t want to leave but were forced out by local politicians. Some feared that the politician’s main aim was not the improvement of the Jamaican populace, but power and access to the treasury.

As Independence approached, there was a slow awakening among the populace. They were freed from slavery and now wanted to be free of those who enslaved them.

“Brothers and sisters, give joy and praise to Sir Alexander. Brothers and sisters, give joy and praise to Mr Manley. Don’t be sad and blue, the Lord will be with you. Because the time has come when you can have your fun. So people run.”

Derrick Morgan’s signature Independence song highlighted the local political personas who were the leading proponents of Independence from Britain.

Sir Alexander Bustamante (Busta), once considered a rabble-rouser by the British, led the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), an offspring of the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union. Busta was a moneylender, who was said to do business at the bottom of King Street. He later got involved in the fight for workers’ rights, rooted in a lack of social equality. Busta was the face of the 1937-1938 islandwide industrial unrest and was incarcerated for his troubles by the British in 1940.

The other political party, the People’s National Party (PNP), was led by Busta’s cousin, Norman Manley. Busta and Manley were different peas in the pod. Busta was the hero on the front lines of the workers’ unrest. On the other hand, the scholarly Manley was an outstanding athlete, World War I veteran, and prominent solicitor. He was asked to work with the PNP by its founder Osmond Theodore Fairclough, and at one time had enticed Busta to join the group. Like Busta, he strongly advocated for workers’ rights. He founded the Trade Union Congress (TUC), which later transitioned into the National Workers Union (NWU).

Both statesmen were heavily invested in achieving Universal Adult Suffrage and voting rights for all eligible Jamaicans. This started the irreversible movement toward self-government. Manley heralded the achievement of self-government while Busta led the country into Independence.

So while we honour the politicians who worked to help Jamaica achieve its Independence, the genuine concern was how it would affect the economy and the ordinary person.

Unlike Johnny, who was dead set against Independence, Paul was overjoyed at the prospects of breaking ties with Great Britain.

Paul was dark-skinned and was called Blacka by his friends. He lived in a Kingston inner city and, as much as he tried, he was not able to gain entry to a traditional high school. So Paul went to Tutorial College on Duke Street, which was established to give educational opportunities to poor blacks.

Paul was a brilliant student who passed all his exams with distinctions. Buoyed by his academic success, he applied to all the banks, insurance companies, and hotels for a job. However, he was unsuccessful as all his applications were rejected by the then colonial-minded administrators. He finally got a job maintaining the printing press at the Government Printing Office.

The position involved 12-hour shifts in a dirty, greasy environment. Paul gradually realised he was a victim of his colour and social standing. He concluded that, as long as Jamaica remained a colony of Britain, only light-complexioned people would get the opportunity to excel.

So Paul was an ardent supporter of Independence and openly campaigned for the British to move on and allow Jamaica to govern itself. He was not a political animal, but he unwaveringly supported local political leaders’ efforts in their fight to achieve Independence. Paul likened Independence to Emancipation — another critical step to empower his African brothers and sisters. He celebrated with wild abandon on the day that Independence was officially declared.

After hundreds of years of British rule, many Jamaicans had been educated and socialised by the English. For them, Independence was a hard pill to swallow. So unlike Johnny’s grandfather who saluted and cried at the lowering of the Union Jack, Paul’s parents partied in the park downtown until the wee hours of the morning.

The opponents of Independence couldn’t understand why a small island economy like Jamaica would give up on being the perpetual benefactors of the mighty British empire, over which the sun never sets.

Now the country would have to face the world on its own and would have to borrow money and eventually develop a balance of payment deficit with the country that used to manage its financial affairs.

As far as the detractors of Independence were concerned, they would prefer that the British be responsible for managing our affairs. These Jamaicans felt more secure with the British Administration and predicted doom and gloom for the country’s future. They feared that Jamaica would soon slide into bankruptcy if left on its own, without access to direct economic intervention from the British.

However, all Jamaicans soon rallied around the concept of Independence and nation-building. The citizens soon accepted that the deed was done, and every Jamaican needed to play their part in developing the newly Independent country.

The predicted political jockeying had begun in full earnest, with the JLP and PNP ratcheting up the fight for the power and leadership. Johnny and his friends accepted Independence as a accompli with a heavy heart. In contrast, others, like Paul, rejoiced and celebrated.

The country now saw the need for unity among all Jamaicans as the way forward. As Derrick Morgan’s song said, “Don’t be sad and blue, the Lord will be with you.”

The Independence talking points about social justice and equality gave much hope for a better future under local leaders. As such, the masses were primed to achieve the upward mobility previously denied. Now they could go to the best schools, get jobs for which they were qualified, and be accepted regardless of colour or class. This would be a new beginning as the country readied itself to chart a new course.

Well, Jamaica has now registered its 60th Independence anniversary, which was celebrated with great enthusiasm. However, the question remains: Would the country have done better if English rule had been continued. When we compare our affairs to British territories, like Cayman and Bermuda, we ask ourselves if we had made the right decision. The debate still rages on in some circles, especially regarding Jamaica’s economic situation.

Today there is much talk about our so-called Independence. After all, we are still yoked to the British Crown. The Queen is still the country’s head of State, and all our prime ministers, Members of Parliament, and judiciary are intricately linked to Britain through our Commonwealth status.

Some say this great Independence is just a sham because we are still under the rule of our previous masters. Sadly, this is a valid point that overshadows our beloved country’s political and social progress.

Many complain that after 60 years of managing our own affairs, we have failed miserably, and we should have just remained a British dependency.

It is to be noted that many Jamaicans who joyfully support Independence from Britain express no problem with being a State of the USA. They would gladly give up their cherished Independence for American satellite status.

The demand is now for the country to drop its existing British linkage and transition into a republic. A referendum is needed to achieve this, and one can confidently say that the overwhelming vote would be to attain republican status.

Until then, as old-time Jamaican people would say, “Tek weh yuh get, til yu get weh yu want.”

Rohan M Budhai is a tax consultant, writer, and history enthusiast. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or mariobudhai@yahoo.com.