- FILE
Finance Minister Dr. Omar Davies dances with Local Goverment Minister Portia Simpson Miller at Prime Minister P.J. Patterson's Media Annual Party, held at Lydford, St. Ann on Sunday, January 8.Garth Manning, Gleaner Writer
AFTER MONTHS of campaigning, Portia Simpson Miller has captured the dream she dreamt in 1992 of becoming first female head of the People's National Party.
It was an almost flawless campaign for Mrs. Simpson Miller who demonstrated immeasurable confidence in her bid to win the coveted seat.
"The men in Liberia say they want a woman. The men in Chile say they want a woman. The men in Jamaica say they want a woman. Give the people who they want!" have been some of the impassionate declarations on the campaign trail.
Her campaign started in the east with a rally at the historic Morant Bay Courthouse where National Hero Paul Bogle had marched from Stony Gut to press for social change on behalf of the people of St. Thomas 140 years ago. She likened her campaign to the struggle of the hero, assuring her supporters, "We are going to march to Jamaica House."
This rally, like her others to follow, were flooded with women who shouted what became a slogan of her campaign, 'Woman time now! Portia time now!' And a flurry of Members of Parliament, councillors and even veteran journalists came out to pledge their support for Mrs. Simpson Miller.
"As your ancestors faced Bogle yesterday, I am asking you to face life with Portia. Portia time is your time. Portia's time is the people's time," were her pleas to her supporters.
PLEAS FOR UNITY
Her campaign trail often echoed the same pleas for unity, and applause for her contenders whom she urged her supporters to uphold, respect and love.
Then there were the ever-present metaphors of Portia Simpson Miller as mother, sister and even nurse establishing herself "the nurse among the doctors."
Her vision for the country was similar to her contenders: fixing crime, education and unemployment.
Her six-point crime plan was focused on community development and consulting with the affected people; her education plan to focus on early childhood development and economic plan to encourage small business and rural development to solve the country's unemployment issues.
"My government will set the highest standards and lead by example," were her words to members of the private sector in late January. "Corruption is one of the greatest disincentives to increased production and one of the surest paths to destruction."
But Mrs. Simpson Miller's campaign trail was not without its controversy as she sought to defend her reputation and dispose the perception that she was a 'political dunce'.
She made efforts to dissolve accusations by Jamaica Labour Party councillors that her Local Government Ministry was not allocating funds for road repair. She said the funds were not allocated because there were not enough funds available to her ministry.
DISBURSEMENT OF MINISTRY FUNDS
"As minister of Local Government, I cannot spend one dollar from the ministry that is belonging to the local authorities, unless the local authorities request and I sign to the local authority," she told her supporters. "I hear some say roads could not be rehabilitated, but the Ministry of Local Government cannot send money unless it's requested and furthermore Local Government cannot disburse funds unless we have funds available."
Then there were the bribery allegations that became thematic of the Team Portia camp as she encouraged her supporters not to take money in exchange for votes for other candidates. The advice was given at every rally "tek di money an run wid it."
FURORES
But the biggest furores were between herself and close contender, Dr. Peter Phillips, as the two camps flung criticisms at each other. The most heated of arguments arose when Team Portia accused the 'Solid as a Rock ' team of using state money to fund their presidential candidate. The accusations were hurled back at Team Portia and the Auditor-General called in to conduct a probe into the funding of all four campaigns. The investigations concluded that there was no state funding of any of the campaigns.
Despite uproars between the two camps, Mrs. Simpson Miller remained confident in her bid to be president as she slowed down her trail with a rally at the Jamaica Conference Centre last Sunday.
She made a final moving plea to her women supporters to turn away bribes and respect her contenders at a women's rally.
"All the venom being poured at me I've collected a big jar of it ... and you know what I have done with it? I have created an exclusive vaccine for peace, for love, for unity... to all delegates, help me make history by giving them a leader that recognises the most important resource is the people of Jamaica."
