Oliver was forceful in his advocacy

Many tributes have been paid, deservingly, to Oliver Frederick Clarke, for his role in championing press freedom in Jamaica, and the wider Caribbean and Latin American. Oliver was also very aware that the media could, and should, be a powerful voice in the championing of just causes and issues, as the following memory illustrates.

It was in the period after the general election of March 1993, and many were of the view that the allegations of fraudulent activities and malpractices in that election posed a threat to the democracy that we aspired to practise.

I had served as chairman of the Media Association of Jamaica and was very aware that the very nature of that organisation denied it the flexibility to respond to national issues with urgency.

I called Oliver to suggest that the media, collectively, needed to comment on the allegations that had been made about the conduct of the election, but pointed out my concerns about the ability of the Media Association to tackle the issue.

Out of that discussion was born The Heads of Media, a grouping, as the name implies, of media heads. The idea was readily accepted by other media heads and the grouping began having a monthly breakfast meeting, with the focus being on issues of national importance.

The first issue that it engaged was the conduct of our elections and the attendant need for electoral reform.

Separate meetings were held with the prime minister, the leader of the opposition and the director of elections.

Oliver was forceful in his advocacy of the need for change and for a radical departure from what then existed in our electoral system. We were able to have the political leaders agree to much of what was proposed.

I would like to think that the reformed and vastly improved system that we have today, which endeavours to ensure free and fair elections has its genesis in that intervention.

Neville G. James

Founding Director, PALS