Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer
Manley's 'Rod of Correction'. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
WHEN MICHAEL Manley defeated Vivian Blake to become president of the People's National Party (PNP) in 1969, it signalled a changing of the guard.
Manley, younger son of founding president Norman Manley, was a trade unionist who said he represented the energy and hopes of the working class.
His run for Prime Minister of Jamaica three years later was a departure from previous PNP campaigns. Manley was accompanied by a musical bandwagon featuring big-name performers and at some of the stops, he would unveil a cane that became one of the talking points of the 1972 general election.
Gift from Haile Selassie I
The cane, or rod, was given to him by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I during a visit to that country in 1970. When the PNP leader waved the ivory-tipped, ebony-bodied 'Rod of Correction' at meetings, it stirred the masses and added to his image of Joshua, the Old Testament figure who led the enslaved Jews out of Jericho.
Today, the rod is displayed at the Michael Manley Foundation in Hope Pastures, St. Andrew. It lies in a glass case along with other Manley memorabilia.
Louis Marriott, executive officer at the foundation, said the rod was donated by the Manley family in 2004 to mark the former Prime Minister's 80th birthday.
Visitors to the foundation show no great interest in the artefact, Marriott said.
"There is curiosity about it but they are more interested in the substance of Michael's message," he explained.
Message well received
PNP leader Michael Manley (back to camera) addressing the jam-packed 33rd conference of his party at the National Arena in October 1971. - file photos
Thirty-six years ago, Manley's message of empowerment went over well with Jamaican youth who were caught up in the Black Power movement. They were disenchanted with the conservative policies of Prime Minister Hugh Shearer's Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government.
The Shearer administration banned several books by black nationalists and barred black-conscious leaders, including Guyanese Walter Rodney and Muslim leader Elijah Muhammed, from entering the country.
The rod inspired singer/producer Clancy Eccles to record the song, Rod of Correction, which was released at th of the PNP's push for power. Eccles was one of the organisers of the musical bandwagon that went around with the PNP's islandwide rally.
The PNP won the elections in a landslide, taking 37 of the 53 parliamentary seats. It was their first victory in national polls since Jamaica gained Independence from Great Britain in 1962.
Michael Manley died in March 1997 at the age of 73.
Prime Minister Michael Manley emphasises a point during his 'Meet The People' programme in Falmouth, Trelawny, in May 1973. Manley spoke to an estimated audience of 10,000.
Singer, Clancy Eccles.
( L - R ) Shearer, Rodney
