How Portia Became Jamaica's First Woman Prime Minister. by HG
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The Observer, March 7, 2013, pp. 16-18. BYHGHELPS Editor-at-Large [email protected] ffi unning around as a kinny, shy young girl at artie Hill Primary School in what is now the constituency of North Central St Catherine, Portia Simpson presented no warning signs that she had political ambitions, let alone that she would one day become prime minister of her native land. After all, the school that she attended at the start of the 1950s had, itself, done nothing spectacular to raise anyone's antenna that even within another 50 years one of its own would hold its name aloft in glory. Even in Wood Hall, where she was born on December 12, 1945, thoughts of that district turning out someone of political significance was tantamount to political blasphemy. Fast-forward a half-a century later and the name Portia Simpson, now lengthened by the matrimonial acquisition of Miller, would resonate with thunderous Portia Simpson Miller waves to spectators at the annual Boys and Girls Championships inside the National Stadium in effect across the length and February 2006 after she won the People's National Party presidential race and went to the event where she did a symbolic breadth of this North victory lap. At right is her friend, confidante and athletics administrator Howard Aris, who eventually passed away while Caribbean island of 2.8 million attending a PNP rally in Portland during campaigning for the 2011 General Elections. J inhabitants. It would occupy from contesting the snap several column inches, later election of 1983. centimetres, in the pages of the Simpson Miller's first call to Jamaica Observer, negatively higher national service came in or positively, and throughout 1976 when Manley appointed the first 20 years of the paper, her parliamentary secretary remained one of the most for local government in the talked about. Office of the Prime Minister. Simpson Miller upset the Since then, she has held full social status quo and the Boys' ministerial responsibility for Club by becoming Jamaica's labour, welfare, and sport, first first woman prime minister in in 1989; followed by tourism 2006. She again rewrote the and sport; local government, - pages of history in December community development and 2011 by repeating the feat and sport; before becoming prime joining her mentor, Michael minister in 2006, retaining the Manley, as the only politicians sport portfolio and acquiring since Jamaica gained the traditional defence Independence in 1962 to have responsibility. served as prime minister, lost, Getting to that position and returned to political office though was not all smooth as leader of the country. sailing for Simpson Miller, a The People's National Party's former president of the PNP's (PNP's) resounding triumph Women's Movement, who over the Jamaica Labour Party struggled along the way in her 1 (JLP) in December 2011, not quest to beat PJ Patterson to only solidified Simpson the tape in the race for Miller's status as one of the leadership of the PNP in 1992. · greats of the Jamaican political Manley's fights with scene, but thrust her into the diverticulitis and prostate annalsof Jamaica's history as a cancer had taken a toll on the strategist par excellence. charismatic politician, who , Her entry onto the political opted to pass the baton to the playground a councillor of most suited individual in the as the IGngston & St Andrew party, following the Corporation in 1974, paved the organisation's crushing defeat way for a more meaningful of the JLP three years before. call-up to the altar of service, Patterson, who had left the for by 1976 she was elected Manley Cabinet before in a member of parliament for row over his granting of a ... Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller accepts the instrument of office from Governor General South West St Andrew, a move waiver to petroleum Sir Kenneth Hall the first time she became head of the Government on March 30, 2006. that was to prove telling. distribution company, Shell, She had won. a seat that was first to be nominated for L was previously foreign party president; but saw a later . territory to the PNP and in challenge from Simpson Miller, · the process reversed a deficit whom he defeated comfortably of several thousand voters, in the run-off. Patterson never an achievement that baffled sidelined the popular Simpson/ political commentators. Miller who was given the Simpson Miller, in a labour and welfare ministry in vigorous campaign at the the Cabinet after the general height of the infamous state election of 1993. of emergency, polled a record But after following in � 13,584 votes to the JLP's Joe Patterson's shadow for 14 ' McPherson's 4,376 in 1976, years while he oversaw ticking off the first PNP win significant infrastructural and in the seat formed in 1959. telecommunication Before that, the PNP had developments to the society, it found it tough to break was time for Simpson Miller to through, as the JLP's Wilton make her move again to the National Library of Jamaica Hill (7,261 votes) thumped prime minister's office, Jason Gordon of the PNP Jamaica House, as the chosen (4,020 vptes) in 1972 when one, in February 2006. Michael Manley led his party The text was somewhat to nationalvictory. different from 1992, in that the Even years prior to that, 2006 race now had a field of David Clement 'DC' Tavares four. It was like a four-way of the JLP, beat tradeunionist heavyweight fight, with the Hopeton Caven in 1967, combatants all excelling in polling 7,485 votes to Caven's their chosen fields. University 4, 152. Tavares had before lecturer and political knocked over the PNP's economist Dr Peter Phillips; Dr Frank Spaulding in the 1962 Omar Davies, also a university and 1959 elections. lecturer and top-shelf Even ifthe claims of bogus economist; and Dr Karl Blythe, voting and stuffing of ballot a medical practitioner, all lined boxes are factored in, which up against her in a stern on a couple of occasions intellectual duel that her resulted in blatant over detractors said would result in voting, Simpson Miller had certain defeat for her, as she no equal in the seat that she did not have the capacity to has served up to now, broken match up to the boys. only by the period 1983 to Turn to PORTIA on Pa 18 L 1989 afterManley shied away e -::1 ------ How Portia became Jamaica's first woman prime minister PORTIA from Page 17 institution, crushed the slogan 'Woman Time Now'. machinery that lined up The change had gone down But in a show of political mainly behind Dr Phillips, well and the population, strength, Simpson Miller, knocking away her except for hardline JLP who acquired a Bachelor's opponents like nine-pins, and supporters, was prepared to Degree in public had historians hustling to add be patient with her. administration from Union new pages to their journals. Later, Simpson Miller, who Institute in Miami, Florida Jamaican embraced her up to the time of her elevation and a diploma in computing, with optimism and hope. was one of the PNP's longest programming and public Some even toyed with the serving vice-presidents, relations from the same Portia Simpson Miller's supporters at PNP headquarters enjoy her historic victory in the PNP presidential election in February 2006. defied the odds to achieve the grappling with unprecedented lowest inflation rate in poverty and with a national Jamaica's modern era - 5.8 debt noose of $1.7 trillion- a per cent by official data, for whopping 130 per cent of the fiscal year 2006-2007. gross domestic product - However, in the latter year hanging around its neck. she lost her first election as Regarded as the most head of the PNP, to Bruce popular politician since Golding's JLP. Alexander Bustamante and Another leadership Michael Manley, Simpson challenge by Dr Phillips in Miller's often verbal 2008, also with the majority protestations for better living backing of the party's conditions for Jamaica's poor Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller is congratulated by her predecessor, former Prime parliamentary group, was met and disadvantaged, continue Minister P J Patterson after she was sworn in on March 30, 2006. Awaiting their turn to with an even greater margin of to win her favours in the eyes congratulate her are Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves (2nd right) of St Vincent and the victory in a country with of the proletariat, the .Grenadines, and former Barbadian Prime Minister Owen Arthur. unemployment standing at unemployed and the 12.6 per cent, an economy downtrodden. .J ------.