Edward Seaga honoured with floral tribute at National Heroes Park

Former Prime Minister Edward Phillip George Seaga was remembered at National Heroes Park in Kingston during a floral tribute marking the 96th anniversary of his birth and the date of his passing, May 28.

The ceremony brought together Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Culture Minister Olivia Grange, Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie, Central Kingston Member of Parliament Donovan Williams, Senate President Thomas Tavares-Finson, Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the Seaga family and several political and community organisations.

The programme opened with prayer led by the Reverend Courtney Gordon, executive chairman of the Church of God in Jamaica. Warren Harris performed “Many Rivers to Cross”, while the Tivoli Dance Troupe delivered cultural tributes before and after the laying of wreaths.

Grange said Seaga’s leadership during Hurricane Gilbert remained a strong example of national crisis management. She compared that period with Jamaica’s recovery from Hurricane Melissa under Holness, saying Seaga’s approach showed discipline, organisation and a clear commitment to rebuilding communities.

Holness described Seaga as a former prime minister, parliamentarian, scholar, cultural defender, institution builder and servant of Jamaica. He said Seaga treated public life as a serious national duty, with a focus on institutions, standards, youth training, productivity, culture and long-term development.

The prime minister also announced that work had started toward commissioning a shrine for Seaga at National Heroes Park, where he is buried. Holness said the country should honour all former leaders in a manner that rises above partisan politics.

McKenzie, speaking on behalf of West Kingston, said Seaga’s decades of service to the constituency left a lasting mark on education, sport, culture and community development. He pointed to the Tivoli dancers as part of that legacy, tracing their roots to the 1960s.

Floral tributes were laid by Holness, McKenzie, Jamaica Labour Party chairman Robert Montague, Anthony Hylton on behalf of Opposition Leader Mark Golding, Mrs Edward Seaga, Donovan Williams, Mayor Swaby, Tivoli Gardens Football Club president Anne-Marie Spence-Heron, Prudence Kidd-Deans of JLP NOW, Generation 2000 president Sashana Lee Edwards and Young Jamaica president Rohan Walsh.

The ceremony also included a moment of silence, the Last Post and Reveille by the Jamaica Defence Force, and the singing of the national anthem.