Why did Jamaica leave the West Indies Federation?

Jamaica’s departure from the West Indies Federation was driven by internal political opposition to the union. Although Jamaica became a founding member of the federation in 1958, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), led by Sir Alexander Bustamante, began actively campaigning for the island's secession in 1960.1

This movement gained significant public support, culminating in a 1961 referendum in which the Jamaican electorate voted to leave the federation. Following this result, the JLP won the general elections in April 1962, and the federation was subsequently dissolved in May 1962. The failure of the federation is often attributed to traditional interisland rivalries and the strong impetus toward individual political independence, which made a unified colonial federation difficult to sustain.12