Marlene Malahoo Forte, being sworn in by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen as a senator and state minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, at King's House last week. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)
Jean Lowrie-Chin | Observer column | 21 JUL 09
Halfway through a Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) advocacy meeting a few years ago, we realised that we had not designated a note-taker. Not a problem for Justice Marlene Malahoo Forte who immediately volunteered and gave us a flawless report. She also took the time to prepare a comprehensive presentation for our group on inheritance matters, which was a real eye-opener. Here, we realised, was an individual of high intellect who was no prima donna.
We were not surprised therefore, to hear that she was one of 18 selected from a field of over 900 exceptional young leaders to win a place in the Yale World Fellows Program. As if that were not enough, she was selected immediately after completion, for the Mason Fellows Program at Harvard University Kennedy School of Government – a unique segue for a ‘country girl’ who spent most of her early years in the western Jamaican town of Savanna-la-mar.
The culture of that venerable old school Mannings where young Marlene Malahoo was Head Girl, has never failed to fascinate me. It was the first free school in Jamaica, built in 1738 on lands with funds bequeathed by a planter, Thomas Manning. I always looked admiringly at my relatives in their Mannings uniform, stopping by our little shop in Sav-la-mar. They were so well spoken, so focused on excellence.
This is the Mannings, born of a maverick’s vision, which produced our fine new Senator and State Minister who recalls doing as much outreach work as study at her school. As Owen James said at her swearing in at King’s House last Wednesday, “she is quite a catch”. Yes, we have heard the complaints about big government and I agree that some trimming can be done elsewhere, but Jamaica, this lady is a rare talent and this is a time when we need the most capable hands on deck.
“My fellowship at Yale in 2007 (the Yale World Fellows Program) focused on global challenges and the kind of leadership required to tackle some of the most pressing problems today,” she said. “I also looked at the area of Corruption, Democracy & Development.”
From Yale she went on to Harvard: “One of my Yale professors suggested the Mason Fellow Program,” she said. At Harvard she studied Public Administration, Public Policy and Management, concentrating in Political Advocacy and Leadership.”
Jamaica, it sounds as if we have a qualified, well-connected public servant – if only there were more like her, we wouldn’t be paying our taxes with such heavy hearts. Malahoo Forte has for the past two years, studied and pondered world issues with other high achieving international young leaders.
“Both programmes are excellent networks at the global level, through which we fellows gain access to myriad international institutions, heads of states and high government and institutional officials,” she states.
With these credentials Malahoo Forte, the prizewinning graduate of the Norman Manley Law School, the Commonwealth Scholar who gained the Master of Laws with Merit from King’s College in London would have been the pride of any law firm and could have the pick of international positions.
To my question, “There are many who say that though they want to help their country, they are afraid of politics - how do you view this?” Malahoo Forte answers, “I understand that their fears are real. Each one must determine for him/herself what s/he can or cannot deal with. Our dream for a better Jamaica will not be realized if well-intentioned Jamaicans allow their fears to cripple them. Some of us must serve in the political arena, because very critical decision-making seats exist there.”
Her strong faith shines through: “The national interest must be given priority. My trust is in the Lord. I am confident that where He sends us He will equip us.”
This was a faith nurtured by her mother, Euphema (nee Dunn, now Vanhorne). “As a child my mother made my siblings and me take turns carrying meals to an old lady in our community, who had no one to take care of her,” recalls Malahoo Forte.
Her late father, Alexander Malahoo of Paul Island was a big source of inspiration to her. . “He always told me that true beauty comes from within,” she says. “That I must never lose the will to make a difference when I have the way to do so.”
Another mentor was an Englishman, John Revil who taught her at Mannings: “He told me that because he saw so much talent in me I should ensure that my best is comparable to the best anywhere in the world and that I should never settle for being a big fish in a small pond.”
Harvard in 2008 was no “small pond.” Malahoo Forte was able to follow from those hallowed grounds, the progress of another Harvard star, Barack Hussein Obama, as he made his claim on the highest office in the USA. “It was nothing short of amazing to be in the US and at Harvard Kennedy School of Government (HKS) during the 2008 US Presidential Elections,” she recalls. “We met numerous members of the Obama and McCain campaign teams, including their managers. We observed the shifts in the political culture that Obama brought ... it was an unforgettable experience.”
Like US Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, Malahoo Forte has served her country’s justice system with distinction in the posts of Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions and Judge of the Resident Magistrate Courts.
When I bemoaned the low percentage of women in political leadership, she offered, “We need to support women who exercise critical leadership and not tear them down. We must never forget that we can disagree, respectfully so, and it does not mean the other person is against you.”
As the new President of the WLI (Women’s Leadership Initiative) to succeed the phenomenal Pat Ramsay, Malahoo Forte will be well positioned to inspire like-minded women to take up the challenge.
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