The board of directors, members and staff of the Jamaica Manufacturers Exporters Association (JMEA) are mourning the passing of Douglas Vaz, past president of then Jamaica Manufacturers Association (JMA), now JMEA, for the period of 1973 to 1974 and 1975 to 1976.

“We have truly lost a great advocate who played a major role in enabling the transformation and survival of the Jamaican manufacturing community. He served the organisation with vision and integrity, as he established his legacy as a forthright leader of immense character and great wit,” the company expressed in a press release.

“As we grieve with his family in this period of bereavement, we acknowledge his resilient spirit and the noble contributions that he has given to the nation. The JMEA will always remember him as a true leader, who led by example and steered a path of growth for all.”

His involvement with the JMA dates back to his time as a teenager when he attended meetings with his father Harold Vaz, who was a founding member of the association. This indeed, provided a foundation that would later result in his future leadership.

Throughout, his presidency Douglas Vaz dedicated his leadership efforts to fighting for sound economic policies that would benefit not only industrialists, but all Jamaicans, as he believed that the success of the manufacturing community was intrinsically linked with the economic well-being of all members in the society.

His passion for the development of his country and people eventually led him to the arena of representational politics. This gave him the distinction of being the only JMA president to have been a Member of Parliament and a senior Cabinet minister. Vaz championed boldly the plight of those in the manufacturing sphere, as he advocated on issues involving the devaluation of the Jamaican dollar.

In his work as minister, manufacturing was still a part of his mandate, as he played a key role in the improvement of job creation opportunities within the island.