[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E313-E314]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

CONGRATULATIONS TO PORTIA SIMPSON-MILLER ON HER ELECTION AS PRESIDENT
OF THE PEOPLE'S NATIONAL PARTY AND PRIME MINISTER OF JAMAICA

______

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,

[[Page E314]]

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.

____________________