Horace Anthony Chang (born 10 November 1952) is a Jamaican doctor and politician who is both the current Deputy Prime Minister of Jamaica and the Minister of National Security. He was formerly the Minister of Water, Environment and Housing from September 2007 to December 2011.

Early life

Chang was born on 10 November 1952 in New Roads, Westmoreland, Jamaica. He attended the New Roads All-age School,

Cornwall College Cornwall College may refer to: * The Cornwall College Group, in Cornwall and Devon, England * Cornwall College, Jamaica * Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School, Cornwall, Ontario, Canada {{Disambiguation ...

, and the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

. In university, Chang was the president of the Guild of Undergraduates and led the University Games Committee, during which time he solved the organisation's financial problems and re-established a relationship with their Cuban counterparts.

Career

Trained a medical doctor, Chang entered politics in 1976 as a member of the

Jamaica Labour Party The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP; ) is one of the two major political parties in Jamaica, the other being the People's National Party (PNP). While its name might suggest that it is a social democratic party (as is the case for "Labour" parties in se ...

(JLP). He was a youth leader in East Rural St. Andrew and the vice-president of Young Jamaica. In 1980, at age 27, he was elected into parliament as a representative of

Hanover Western Hanover Western is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Representatives of the Jamaican Parliament. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It was one of the 32 constituencies ...

, serving till 1989. From 1980 to 1986, Chang worked in the Ministry of Health as Parliamentary Secretary. In 2002, he was elected as Member of Parliament for Saint James North Western. From 2007 to 2011, Chang served as Minister of Housing, Environment, Water and Local Government. At this direction, the National Housing Development Corporation of Jamaica became the Housing Agency of Jamaica. During his tenure as minister, Chang also spearheaded the US$211 million Jamaica Water Supply Improvement Project (JWSDIP), the largest project of its kind then. Chang has served as the Minister of National Security since March 2018 and as

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

since September 2020.

Personal life

Chang and his wife Paulette have two children. He is an avid reader and domino player.

Recognition

In January 2020, the Quebec Avenue roadway in Montego Bay was renamed to Dr Horace Chang Boulevard. At the renaming ceremony, Mayor Homer Davis praised Chang as "a man for all seasons, a man who is a true and humble servant of not just the people of St James, but Jamaica, the Caribbean and the world".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chang, Horace Living people 1952 births Members of the House of Representatives of Jamaica Deputy prime ministers of Jamaica Government ministers of Jamaica Jamaica Labour Party politicians Jamaican people of Chinese descent Cornwall College, Jamaica alumni Members of the 14th Parliament of Jamaica