Nurturer image served new PM well in recent elections

By NADINE WILSON All Woman writer wilsonn@jamaicaobserver.com

Monday, January 09, 2012

WHILE People's National Party (PNP) president Portia Simpson Miller's gender will not likely determine her policy direction as head of the new Government of Jamaica, it did serve her well in the recent elections — coupled, of course, with her persona as a nurturer.

So says local researchers, the likes of Dr Herbert Gayle, who said Simpson Miller had the "recession touch", which resonated with even middle class women who studies have shown are generally antagonistic to leadership by a female.

"I think Portia has this thing about touching people. She has this warmth that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) never ever brought forward," Gayle, who conducted a Snapshot study between July 6 and 14, to gauge the attitude of the electorate.

"This recession was hard and cold and the JLP did very little. They taxed people, (and) they narrowed the middle class down to almost nothing," he asserted.

At a time when people were looking for warmth and a break from talk about the macro economy and the International Monetary Fund, Simpson Miller or 'Mama P', as she is affectionately called, with her generous distribution of hugs and advocacy for the poor and underprivileged proved endearing for many. This, along with her participatory approach to government, contributed to her PNP claiming 42 of the 63 constituencies in the country.

Dr Leith Dunn, senior lecturer and head of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies, Mona, said "the style of leadership and the message that she articulated, which spoke to the specific needs and hurt that people were experiencing, and how the party that she leads could respond to that" played a pivotal role in her party's victory.

"It was a strength in that it was not just about paying our bills, but it is also about putting a human face on the development of people," Dunn added.

Simspon Miller's efforts, they said, was also helped by the fact she is from humble beginnings and, through determination, rose to become the first female Prime Minister of Jamaica — amidst constant criticism that she was not refined enough or smart enough to represent the country on the world stage. It meant for some that she could relate to their struggles and formulate policies to alleviate their pain and make life better.

"I think there is a lot of charisma associated with Portia Simpson Miller and she represents the grassroot people who are not the bourgeoisie; they are non-college people who, based on the demographics of the country, are the majority," noted sociologist Dr Orville Taylor. "The average Jamaican sees him or herself in Portia Simpson Miller."

That she openly thanked her housekeeper during her victory speech, for example, helped to solidify her image as the right choice for grassroot Jamaicans.

"It augurs well for the person who is head of a government," Taylor said of Simpson Miller's praise for those who helped her on her journey to becoming PM.

"It is a nice pattern of rule where you come across as very accessible, you come across as very human and whatever the gender might be, if you are male or you are female, people like this warm kind of personality. It does help that she was called 'Mama P' from early," he said.

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Nurturer image served new PM well in recent elections