THE head office of the National Housing Trust (NHT) at Park Boulevard in New Kingston was yesterday renamed the Michael Manley Building, in honour of the late former Jamaican prime minister who was instrumental in the establishment of the Trust more than 30 years ago.

It was under Manley’s leadership and through his influence that the trust and its operating mechanisms were brought to life on January 1, 1976.

“We are proposing a scheme that will, for the first time, mobilise savings on a mass basis and then utilise these savings to meet one of the most urgent needs of our society – housing,” Manley said in an address to Parliament in October 1975. The project, he said, was endorsed by trade unions and by employers.

Thirty-one years later, the NHT provides an average of 3,000 housing solutions per year and earns roughly $8 billion annually.

After the renaming ceremony at the NHT yesterday, Michael Manley’s widow, Glynne told the Observer she appreciated the gesture.

“It is a further recognition of Michael and the work we felt was so important, which was the betterment of the underprivileged and the dispossessed. The fact that he was so instrumental in conceptualising the NHT, it is fitting that the building be named after him,” she said.

“I’m very proud of him and of the work of the NHT,” Mrs Manley added.

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, who gave the keynote address, said part of the significance of yesterday’s function was that generations to come would be aware of Manley’s contribution to his country.

“The renaming of this building is a fitting tribute to a man who dedicated himself to the people of this country. I hope that by renaming this building we will help to remind future Jamaicans of the contributions of this outstanding Jamaican,” she said.

Simpson Miller added: “The building also honours the bold men and women of the trade unions who were the founding members of the NHT. It’s that spirit of boldness that we need to have for institutions like the NHT to continue serving Jamaica.”

Former Prime Minister P J Patterson also paid tribute to Manley from whom he took over the leadership of the People’s National Party in March 1992.

“I believe that perhaps more than any other day, Labour Day represents the most fitting occasion on which to honour Michael Manley’s life and legacy with the re-naming of the NHT building in his honour. I would therefore like to pay tribute to the NHT and the Michael Manley Foundation for making this a reality. The Michael Manley building will symbolise one more mark of this country’s respect for one of its outstanding leaders,” said Patterson.