Heather Robinson
PRIME MINISTER Portia Simpson Miller is the last of a special breed in the People's National Party (PNP). She is the only sitting government Member of Parlia-ment who has sat in the Parliament as a member of the Opposition. The representative of the consti-tuency of St. Andrew South West occupied that position between 1980 and 1983. She sat there with seven of her colleagues. These were Michael Manley, Anthony Spaulding, Dudley Thompson, D.K. Duncan, Seymour Mullings, Horace Clarke and Terrence Gillette.
Many are the memories that I am sure the Prime Minister has of those three years, and many, many more of the period 1983 to 1989, when the PNP was literally in "no man's land" as it had not contested the 1983 general election. It means, therefore, that as the president of the PNP, Mrs. Simpson Miller is in a unique position. She understands what it means to have served as a govern-ment MP for one term (1976-1980). She understands the changes that she had to make to her own life once she occupied a seat on the other side of the chamber inside Gordon House.
There are now 12 government MPs who were first elected in 1989, and have been successful in 1993, 1997 and 2002. These are Portia Simpson Miller, Horace Dalley, John Junor, Dean Peart, Errol Ennis, O.T. Williams, K.D. Knight, Robert Pickersgill, Donald Buchanan, Derrick Kellier, Harry Douglas and Karl Blythe. A few of these persons have indicated that they will be retiring from politics and will not be seeking to become candidates again. These are Donald Buchanan and John Junor.
BY-ELECTION PASSES
Four sitting government MPs came to occupy seats in the Parlia-ment through the process of a by-election. These are Roger Clarke, Fitz Jackson, Omar Davies and Peter Phillips. There are nine government MPs who are new to Parliament. These persons are Richard Azan, Ralston Anson, Victor Cummings, Maxine Henry-Wilson, Aloun Assamba, Len-worth Blake, Morais Guy, Neil McGill and Patrick Harris.
The final group of nine comprises MPs who were elected either in 1993 or 1997. Charles Learmond, Phillip Paulwell, Michael Peart, Donald Rhodd, Sharon Hay-Webster, Paul Robert-son, Fenton Ferguson and Karl Blythe are the members of this group.
P.J. Patterson was an opposition MP for a brief two-year period prior to the 1972 general election, and managed to retire in March without having to face that reality again.
The Prime Minister 'was there' between 1980 and 1983, as well as she 'was there' between 1983 and 1989. Since assuming the position of president of the PNP she must be spending a portion of her time thinking of what she needs to do to ensure that she maintains the PNP's position of being the government. While doing this it might be useful if she spent some time explaining to her parlia-mentary colleagues - especially the new members - the problems that the PNP encountered during the period 1980-1989.
TIME TO PERFORM
Additionally, she must be looking not just for 'new' blood, but 'young' blood as well. So all those 'old', retired comrades who have suddenly received injections of Portia's energy would do well to reconsider their positions and work instead to find younger comrades with the capacity for work, service and leadership.
There is a very thin line that separates the Government and the Opposition inside Gordon House. My estimation puts it at between six and seven feet. There is a current margin of eight, with June 7 being the date that will determine who will gain. Govern-ment MPs who have no recol-lection of what it means to sit on the other side would do well to speak to the Prime Minister, while diligently working on being re-elected.
Heather Robinson is a life underwriter and former Member of Parliament.
