PNP launches Portia Simpson Miller Day to salute former president
Bust, maquette unveiled in homage to charismatic ex-PM
Published:Tuesday | December 13, 2022 | 1:25 AM
The People’s National Party (PNP) has designated December 12 as Portia Simpson Miller Day to honour one of its former presidents annually. December 12 is also the birthday of Jamaica’s first female prime minister.
Simpson Miller, 77, was immortalised on Monday with the unveiling of a bust and a maquette sculpted by noted sculptor Paul Napier.
Napier said his mission is to pay tribute to iconic personalities across Jamaica, noting that the two Simpson Miller pieces were the most important creations in his career.
The sculptor added that he was delighted to work on the pieces for someone who has made an invaluable contribution to nation-building.
He described his work as a tribute not only to the PNP, but also to women across the country.
“I can tell you, the Most Honourable Portia Simpson Miller is a very beautiful woman and I have had many hours of pleasure sitting down and trying to capture her smile,” Napier quipped.
The current president of the PNP, Mark Golding, praised the “girl from Wood Hall in rural St Catherine, who made history by becoming Jamaica’s first female prime minister on March 30, 2006”.
He also noted that in that year, Time magazine also named her as one of the 100 most powerful people in the world.
Reflecting on the woman many called ‘Mama P’, Golding said that Simpson Miller “loves people and people all over the world love her. Her high energy and warm affection characterise her presence where ever she goes, whether it is in the hills of Portland or the plains of Westmoreland, the cities of Brazil, the United Nations in New York, [or] the International Labour Organization in Switzerland”.
According to Golding, the charismatic leader broke down many social and political barriers during her four-decade-long political career.
“Whatever your race, gender, ethnicity, or station in life, wherever you come from, once you met ‘Sister P’, you will receive a warm hug and sometimes a kiss on the cheek. Portia hugged the farmer, the children, the heads of small and large businesses, persons with mental or physical ability; she loved everyone,” he said.
Speaking at the launch of Portia Simpson Miller Day at the party’s headquarters on Old Hope Road, St Andrew, on Monday, the PNP president said that the former leader remains a firm favourite among Jamaicans of all political persuasions even during her retirement.
“Her place of honour and distinction in the pantheon of this country and party is guaranteed and well deserved,” he added.
In observance of Portia Simpson Miller Day, the party will award six scholarships to Jamaican women to pursue tertiary studies in the fields of gender studies, labour, policy, tourism, government or sports.
Maxine Stowe, Napier’s project manager, said that discussions were under way with the party and Simpson Miller’s family to create a life-size statue of the popular political figure.
She indicated that the proposed statue could be placed at Portia Simpson Miller Square, which is in the St Andrew South Western constituency where she was a member of parliament for decades.