LOCAL government minister and aspirant for leadership of the People’s National Party (PNP) Portia Simpson Miller has dismissed criticisms on a range of issues, including the state of her constituency and the fire services, while presenting herself as the best prospect for uniting the country.

In responding to questions from a charged audience at the Leadership Forum organised by the University of the West Indies Thursday night, Simpson Miller admitted that socio-economic conditions were “bad” in her South West St Andrew constituency, but insisted they were not unique, given the lack of resources for development generally.

“I challenge anybody to show any other inner-city constituency where conditions are better than South West St Andrew,” said the politician.

She adds that under such constraints her approach has been to invest in the people she represents, arguing it was the better option.

“Given the state of the constituency, my focus goes to human and social development rather than infrastructure. I choose to keep the girls in school, and the boys.

Rather than (have them) going into crime, generally, I pay their tution,” said Simpson-Miller.

“If we are to get out of the abyss of poverty, we must fund education,” the minister said to loud cheers.

She also pointed to the diffculties of catering to the needs of deprived communities where the Member of Parliament was always pressured to find resources for pressing immediate needs such as lunch money, prescriptions, funerals and school fees.

At the same time, Simpson-Miller pointed to a number of initiatives she had embarked on to promote development and self-reliance in her constituency, including renovating the West Kingston Trade Training Centre with the assistance of entrepreneur Ray Hadeed of Serv-Wel.

She has devised with Hadeed a revolving programme to train youths for jobs at Serv Wel and outside the area, as well as an initiative to get funding from the Yellow Bird Foundation in Canada to renovate the Greenwich All-Age School and equip it with computers.

She also noted developments such as housing schemes at Delacree Park and Oakglades, as well as the upgrading of schools, playing fields and training centres, saying they paved the way for future development.

On the issue of her capacity to handle various portfolios, including representing the country abroad, Simpson-Miller was equally forthright, pointing to her service for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) during her tenure as labour minister, a period she noted that was defined locally by unprecedented industrial harmony, which had laid the basis for the current agreement with the trade unions.

“You ask them what happens when I speak at ILO; when I speak at ILO nobody can speak after me!” said Simpson Miller.

She also mentioned the funding of a chair in labour studies at the UWI through her initiative and her refashioning of the National Insurance Fund (NIF) to meet the growing needs of pensioners.

“I do not have to justify my existence here. When I started, the NIF was $1.5 billion. I recognised that if we are paying out more than we are getting in, it would become bankrupt, so I called in the actuary and organised the investments in the fund,” said the minister.

“When I left, NIF had $17 billion, and it is now over $30 billion.”

The Local government minister was also resolute in the defence of her tenure at the tourism ministry during the difficult period after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, saying her stewardship earned accolades from the foreign press and local players.

On the issue of the National Solid Waste Management Authority, which she was accused of mishandling, Simpson-Miller said it was her initiative to have the operations investigated by the Auditor General and the Contractor General.

However, she declined from making any pronouncements on the issue ahead of the findings of the investigation.

“Any good leader must make sure you have the correct information,” said Simpson Miller. “On the receipt of that report, I will act.”

bellanfanted@jamaicaobserver.com