Congratulations to Portia Simpson-Miller on Her Election as President of the People's National Party and Prime Minister of Jamaica
CONGRATULATIONS TO PORTIA SIMPSON-MILLER ON HER ELECTION AS PRESIDENT OF THE PEOPLE'S NATIONAL PARTY AND PRIME MINISTER OF JAMAICA -- (Extensions of Remarks - March 08, 2006)
SPEECH OF HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL OF NEW YORK IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2006
* Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Portia Simpson-Miller, who has been elected president of the People's National Party in Jamaica and will become the first female Prime Minister of Jamaica at the end of the month and to enter into the RECORD an editorial and news story both published in the New York CaribNews hailing her victory.
* The election of Ms. Simpson-Miller is a milestone. As the first female Prime Minister Designate, Ms. Simpson-Miller has been a passionate, longtime voice for the oppressed. Her career in politics has spanned three and a half decades most recently as vice president of the PNP since 1978 and president of the PNP Women's Movement since 1983. Her previous assignments also include several Cabinet portfolios--serving as a Minister of Labour, Welfare and Sport and a Minister of Local Government, Community Development and Sport. By serving her people diligently, she has earned the right to succeed Mr. P.J. Patterson, the island's longest serving Prime Minister.
* Simpson-Miller represents the vanguard of women succeeding in politics throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, changing the political and social landscapes in places such as Chile and Peru. As she sought to become Prime Minister of Jamaica, Ms. Simpson-Miller's campaign focused on themes of empowerment for the marginalized and uniting all classes to tackle deep-rooted problems of crime and economic underdevelopment.
* Simpson-Miller is a Jamaican success story; an iconic figure who has become a metaphor for the hopes and aspirations of poor, underprivileged black people, particularly black women. Her victory has yielded an outpouring of praise from Jamaicans living throughout the world, including in my home city of New York who, as is seen in the following article, hailed and celebrated her victory. She is a woman of faith, conviction and of the people--traits that will surely be needed to effectively address the problems of entrenched poverty and crime and enhance employment opportunities for youth.
* Mr. Speaker, again I rise to congratulate Ms. Portia Simpson-Miller as she ascends to the post of Prime Minister in Jamaica and to commend her on her genuine commitment the people of the island.
PORTIA SIMPSON-MILLER HAILED AS NEW LEADER
(By Tony Best)
If there is something called national euphoria then it best describes the reaction of Jamaicans at home and abroad to the victory of Portia Simpson-Miller in the fight to lead the ruling People's National Party and Jamaica itself.
For in the Caribbean nation, the news that Simpson-Miller had won the vigorous and potentially divisive battle for the PNP's Presidency and the Prime Minister's job triggered an outpouring of praise and celebrations for the victory. In the Diaspora, from New York,
Miami and Toronto to London and the cities where hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans live in North America and the United Kingdom, the response was the same: overwhelmingly positive.
Whether they were religious ministers, elected officials, health care professionals and administrators, business executives or working men and women, the reaction was the same: the best person has won and Jamaica's government should be in good hands.
The Rt. Rev. Don Taylor, Episcopal Vicar Bishop of the New York Diocese of the Anglican Church, saw her election and elevation to the Prime Minister's office in a few weeks time as a ``great day'' for the women of Jamaica.
``It's a great day when we have reached that point in our history where a woman can taken on the reins of leadership of Jamaica,'' he said. ``As I have done in the past, I will do everything to support her, because in supporting her I am really supporting Jamaica.''
Not only did Yvonne Graham, Brooklyn's Deputy Borough President, followed along Bishop Taylor's path by pledging support to the Prime Minister-designate, now that the election battle was over but hailed the choice and the significance of a woman heading the government for the first time in the 43-plus years of Jamaica's independence.
``I am just absolutely excited that the election of a woman to lead the country has happened in my own hometown and in my lifetime,'' was the way Graham put it. ``I have watched her political career over the years and I know she will make an excellent, excellent Prime Minister. Many of the Jamaicans in the Diaspora with whom I have spoken since the weekend election by the PNP delegates share my elation. I look forward to her leadership and pledge my support in any way that I can to help move Jamaica forward. She is a competent and very popular public figure and has the experience in Government. She is in tune with the people of Jamaica, from top to bottom.''
Graham believes Simpson-Miller would bring knowledge of the ``grass roots'' and her own record as a ``people-person'' to the job as leader of the Government. ``She understands the needs of the masses and she has a tremendous ability to surround herself with people who can get the job done,'' added the Deputy Borough President. ``One can expect that she would build on the legacy of the current Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson. After all, she has been there for a long time in government, has seen it from the vantage point of different capacities and ministries and knows how to motivate people.''
New York State Assemblyman Nick Perry, who represents a large East Flatbush District in the legislature in Albany, the State capital, said that by electing a woman to lead the country, the PNP has reinforced Jamaica's track record of ``treating women with equality'' and respect.
``We not only claim to be a country where women are treated equally or have access to the same positions and treatment as our men, but we have actually demonstrated that in our action,'' Perry stated. ``The success of Portia Simpson-Miller's campaign for the leadership of the ruling PNP says quite clearly to the world that we are in the forefront when it comes to the treatment of women.''
Beyond issues of gender, Perry credited Simpson-Miller's work ethic, her drive to succeed and determination to lift herself up by her own efforts for the victory over Dr. Peter Phillips, Dr. Omar Davies, and Dr. Karl Blythe.
``She didn't come from a background of someone who was born with a golden spoon,'' he added. ``She came from among folks who lived and earned their way. Her parents worked hard to give her an education and she made good use of the opportunities. In essence, she won the election, the old fashioned-way, she earned it.''
Assemblyman Perry believes her popularity and her badge to the ``masses of Jamaicans'' would enable her to form a government and provide the leadership Jamaica needs at this time of its development.
``She will bring the experience of a person who came from among the common people, knowing the have-nots in Jamaica from the time she was a child to her current status in government, one can expect the understanding and empathy that flow from such a background,'' he added.
Dr. Donna Facey, a physician who heads the Caribbean-American Medical and Scientific Association of the United States, is looking to her country's new leader to solidify Jamaica's place in the Caribbean integration movement.
``Joining the bulwark of leadership of the region that's going to take the Caribbean Single Market and Economy into the next 50 years, she will be well-placed to make her mark on Jamaica and on the wider Caribbean,'' said Dr. Facey.
``Although the campaign within the PNP wasn't strictly about the CSME, if Jamaica and the Caribbean are to survive in a global economy then the CSME would be crucial to future success. As a public figure who is in touch with the common men and women, she can be expected to work closely with the other Caribbean leaders to ensure that the CSME is a success.''
Vangalane Hunter, a health care administrator and a member of the Board of the Caribbean Women's Health Association in New York City said that Simpson-Miller would have her ``hands full'' as she attempts to address the economic and social needs of her country.
``Hopefully, she would be a able to go into the job as Prime Minister and try to do something about the problems and challenges facing Jamaica,'' she said. Jamaicans in both the UK and Canada responded with equal confidence in Simpson-Miller's ability to tackle the job head-on and to succeed.
``Portia is a woman of great experience,'' said Philip Mascoll, President of the Jamaica Diaspora Canada Foundation. ``She should be judged by her performance, not by the fact that she is a woman.''
[From the Carib News, Feb. 28, 2006]
PORTIA SIMPSON-MILLER, THE PEOPLE'S AND PNP CHOICE TO LEAD JAMAICA CAPTURES PARTY PRESIDENCY IN WEEK-END VOTE
Charismatic, the ``people's choice,'' and a women and a leader for the times facing Jamaica.
A handful of the glowing and well deserved tributes being lavished on Portia Simpson-Miller by Jamaicans from all walks of life, whether at home or abroad following her stunning victory over Dr. Peter Philips, Dr. Omar Davies and Dr. Karl Blythe in the bruising campaign for the presidency of the ruling People's National Party and ultimately the leadership of the country.
Simpson-Miller has earned the right to succeed P.J. Patterson, Jamaica's longest serving Prime Minister, the old fashioned way: she worked hard for it, not simply within the party but in the government and among the people. The term used most often to describe her, long before the leadership race began was a ``woman of the people,'' a person from the grassroots who understands Jamaicans, feels their pain, exults in their triumphs and knows what makes them tick.
Obviously, those qualities worked for her during most of her adult life and should continue to be the pillars on which she moves forward as Prime Minister, the first woman to hold the job. Simpson-Miller's experience in the labor movement, in successive cabinets, and in mobilizing the PNP's rank and file enabled her to stand out in the crowded field of rivals and should help her to chart a national economic and social agenda with the consent, of the governed.
Clearly, she is more than prepared for the vital task as Jamaica's Prime Minister.
However, no one should under-estimate the challenges she faces. When the delegates gave her a comfortable victory of 1,775 votes to those of her nearest rival, Dr. Phillips' who received 1,538, they recognized that not only was she the most popular political figure in the country but she was quite capable of providing the leadership the nation needs as it seeks to further stabilize its economy, reduce inflation, slash the incidence of crime, create opportunities for its youth, build confidence and make the country an enjoyable and livable place for all of its citizens.
During the run-up to last week-end's election, the delegates had ample opportunities to assess the qualities of the main contenders and they took a collective decision that the party and the government needed Simpson-Miller now more than ever before. Undoubtedly, they have their eyes on the next election and decided that her popularity with the masses, her political savvy and experience in government made her the best person to carry them and the PNP to victory whenever the campaign bell rings.
But some things must happen before that. After the divisive campaign, the PNP president-elect and the Prime Minister-designate and her competitors must bury the proverbial hatchet and work hard to heal wounds opened up by the leadership fight. The fact that she had the support of only a handful of her ministerial cabinet colleagues and a minority of PNP parliamentarians has increased the burden on Simpson-Miller. But few doubt she can't bring most if not all sections of the party together. She must use her appeal within the rank and file to forge a unified party. That's vital if she is to make a fundamental difference.
Simpson-Miller would be the first to tell anyone that she can't run Jamaica alone and would need the full cooperation of every sector, beginning with the party and going into the larger community--business, the church, labor, civil society, the middle class, working class, the youth and the elderly.
Clearly, she can bring the nation together behind a shared vision designed to take Jamaica forward, not by rhetoric but by solid action and clear thinking.
Jamaicans of all walks of life, whether at home or in North America, the United Kingdom, the Caribbean wherever have already signaled that they are eager to join forces with their new leader.
Judging from their reaction to her victory, Jamaicans in the Diaspora who are a linchpin to the island's continued development and who routinely put aside partisan political differences when opportunity and necessity knock, have full confidence in Simpson-Miller's government. The tens of billions of dollars, which they have sent back to families, are but one example of their commitment to Jamaica. Their technical expertise in a variety of fields which many of them currently put at the government's and the country's disposal is another.
A leading daily paper in Kingston pointed out a few days ago, immediately after Simpson-Miller's victory that violent crime ``must be dealt with if we are to build a prosperous and vibrant society for all our people.''
We couldn't agree more.
http://thomas.loc.gov