The National Democratic Movement (NDM) is a
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...
in
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
, led by Peter Townsend.
In the
29 December 2011 elections, the party received 265 votes, but won no seats.
Overview
The NDM was formed in 1995 by Brascoe Lee and Bobby Marsh.
Bruce Golding
Orette Bruce Golding (born 5 December 1947) is a former Jamaican politician who served as eighth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 11 September 2007 to 23 October 2011. He is a member of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), which he led from 2005 to h ...
was invited to become the first President. Golding was the chairman of the
Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) before he and others decided to split. In their 1997
manifesto, the party expresses the reasons why they broke from the JLP. Namely, they believed that after gaining independence from the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
in 1962, Jamaicans had suffered from the harsh combination of a stagnant economy and a rapidly growing population. They believed that the Jamaican people needed major reform in order to create a more equitable, stable society. The party made its presence known in the
general election in December 1997. Although the two main political parties of Jamaica received the majority of votes, the NDM received the most votes of all minor parties in each constituency.
Golding rejoined the JLP in 2002 and served as JLP leader and Prime Minister.
In recent years, the NDM acts more as a medium for discussion than as a threat to the two major political parties of Jamaica, the JLP and
People’s National Party (PNP). On August 26, 2003, Michael Williams, the General Secretary of the NDM, wrote an article in the ''Jamaica Gleaner'' addressing the party’s performance in recent elections and their vision for the future and assured Jamaicans that “We
he NDMwill continue to promote our vision of Unity, Hope and Prosperity for Jamaicans and ‘a new day and a new way and a new Jamaica’.” The Chairman of the NDM is Michael Williams.
The NDM formed a partnership with the
New Nation Coalition known as the National Coalition in 2011.
The Youth Arm of the NDM was relaunched in 2013, the Congress of Young Democrats (led by Matthew Barton).
External links
Official website
Jamaican nationalism
Political parties in Jamaica
Conservative parties in Jamaica
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