Claudine Housen, Staff Reporter
Former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson receives a hug from Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller during the North Trelawny People's National Party (PNP) constituency committee awards ceremony and banquet in Trelawny on Saturday. Mr. Patterson, former Minister of Government, Desmond Leakey, and former Mayor of Falmouth, Joseph Wright, received citations in recognition of their service to the PNP. - CLAUDINE HOUSEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
WESTERN BUREAU:
PRIME MINISTER Portia Simpson Miller has challenged the public to reject political, civic and business leaders who she says have been hypocritical towards their colleagues.
"We are too tolerant of the tearing down, the mashing down and the breaking up and I think we need to begin to call all our leaders to book when they do it," she said.
Mrs. Simpson Miller was speaking at the People's National Party's (PNP) North Trelawny awards ceremony to honour former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, former Minister of Government, Desmond Leakey, and former Mayor of Falmouth, Joseph Wright.
The Prime Minister continued: "I have often said to people, any political leader, no matter what party, if they only spew
divisiveness and tear down they are to be rejected by the people of this country."
NO NEGATIVE COMMENTS
Recalling when former Prime Ministers Edward Seaga and P.J. Patterson attended their final sittings in Parliament, Mrs. Simpson Miller said there there were no negative comments against both leaders who were previously "bad-mouthed" .
However, she said she would be ensuring that such insincerity does not occur in Parliament when she demits office.
"One thing, I will not give anybody the privilege to do when I am leaving is to be hypocritical; so they'll have no opportunity to tell me goodbye there," she said.
In the meantime, Mrs. Simpson Miller is cautioning critics of her leadership.
"Watch Portia work, wait until I go for my own mandate," she warned.
"There are some people who are gifted with flowery words but when you check them there is no substance, I am not into that."
Mrs. Simpson Miller also said she was working to change the perception that successive governments are inactive. Responding on behalf of the awardees, former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson committed himself to the continued development of the PNP.
"I think there is one thing Comrade Wright, Comrade Leakey and myself have in common, we are born PNP.
"We have lived all our lives as PNP and we will be PNP until the day the Almighty calls us home," he said.
He also said they were willing to continue contributing to the welfare and advancement of unity in the party.
