MANDEVILLE, Manchester – Arguing that a bitter and divisive campaign could seriously damage the party, People’s National Party (PNP) leadership contender Portia Simpson Miller urged her supporters and campaign workers Saturday to ensure they protect party unity.

Simpson Miller, predicting the coming of the “Portia revolution”, told a colourful, carnival-style meeting at the Lincoln community centre in mountainous north-western Manchester that to get her elected as president of the PNP “you don’t have to tear down anybody or bad-talk anybody”.

“.If we destroy the unity of the party then whoever emerges as leader will have no party to lead,” Simpson Miller, who is Minister of Local Government and Sports told the spill-over crowd, many of whom were decked out in yellow “Team Portia” shirts.

A banner above the platform proclaimed “belated happy birthday for Sister P”. Simpson Miller’s birthday was last Wednesday.

National Security Minister Peter Phillips, Finance and Planning Minister Omar Davies, and Westmoreland MP Karl Blythe are the others contending to take over from PJ Patterson when he retires as prime minister and president of the PNP early next year.

Parliamentary elections with the Bruce Golding-led opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) bidding to take over government for the first time since the late 1980s, will follow next year.

Simpson Miller has, for many years, consistently topped opinion polls as Jamaica’s most popular politician and is said to be ahead in the race for the presidency of the PNP and leadership of the government.

The campaign took on a sour note in recent months with members of the Phillips team – which is said to command the greatest support from parliamentarians – openly questioning Simpson Miller’s intellect and her capacity to competently deal with complex issues.

On Saturday night, Simpson Miller who lost to Patterson in the 1992 leadership election to replace the late Michael Manley, pledged her “love” and respect for the other contenders.

“To my brother Peter, peace and love; to Omar, my brother, peace and love; to my sweetheart, Karl Blythe, peace and love,” said Simpson Miller to prolonged applause.

She insisted that after the heat of the campaign her task would be not only to unite the party, but to unite the country.

“We want to build one Jamaica, with everybody working together,” she said. “The time has come when we must move Jamaica from PNP and JLP to one Jamaica.”

But Simpson Miller and most of a host of speakers who came forward to pay tribute also responded to the barbs about her intellect. Simpson Miller suggested that the negative chatter had not damaged her popularity.

“They beat up on me every day, and the more they beat up on me is the more Jamaican people say ‘Portia’,” she said.

Agriculture Minister and MP for north east St Elizabeth Roger Clarke, pointing out that he himself was not university trained, insisted to prolonged laughter and cheers that “not all of us can have doctorate . the only time I go to university is when I go to the hospital part of it.”

And Vando Palmer, communications specialist who is to contest the Central Manchester constituency replacing the incumbent Health Minister John Junor told the crowd that “the time has come for me to declare in support of Portia.”, as did OT Williams, deputy speaker of the House.

Palmer argued that the PNP leadership race was not about “who bright or who have PhD” but about who has been “the most successful politician in Jamaica over the years.”

The meeting was chaired by the MP for North West Manchester and Minister of Land and Environment Dean Peart, who is a leader of the Davies campaign.

Peart told the Observer that he had invited Simpson Miller to the constituency as well as Phillips, recently, because the leadership campaign is “PNP business .I want the delegates to hear from everybody and make up their own minds,” he said.

Davies will visit early in the New Year, he said.

– myersg@jamaicaobserver.com