PORTIA Simpson Miller is not avoiding discussion on major issues, her campaign team insisted yesterday, in between explanations as to why the PNP presidential candidate and prime ministerial hopeful did not show up for her own press conference.

Directors of the Team Portia campaign said Simpson Miller, a Cabinet minister and the sole female contender among four candidates looking to replace PJ Patterson as party head, had never intended to be at the press conference, at which political journalists and editors were invited.

It was meant, they said, only to be a briefing on her campaign strategy by her team, and was designed to signal the start of heightened campaigning as the party moved closer to the special delegates conference that will select the successor to Patterson.

That strategy involves the team going head to head with Dr Peter Phillips’ ‘Solid as a Rock’ campaign.

Declaring crime as a priority of a Simpson Miller administration, Team Portia announced yesterday that it would be holding a crime and justice policy forum on January 15 to unveil its National Security Policy and Implementation Plan, the same day that Phillips will formally launch his bid for the presidency.

Phillips – who holds the Cabinet post for national security and under whom Jamaica has been designated the murder capital of the world – is running a close second to Simpson Miller in the polls, followed by Dr Omar Davies and Dr Karl Blythe.

Team Portia campaign director and policy committee chairman Roger Clarke says the policy forum, at which Simpson Miller is to be the main speaker, will be followed by major policy presentations on the economy, social policy and governance in the ensuing weeks.

Patterson is yet to name the date for the selection of his replacement, but he has said he will demit office by April. Expectations are that the selection will happen next month.

Clarke, the current agriculture minister, stressed that at least two of the forums would be held outside the corporate area to broaden the consultative process, seen as central to Simpson Miller’s approach to governance.

He stated that the crime plan would introduce novel approaches to fighting the scourge which claimed a record 1,651 to 1,670 lives last year – the police have not released the official figures – while emphasising priority areas of policy.

“Our candidate will be consulting on and discussing that plan, as, without a doubt, crime is the number one challenge facing our nation today,” said Clarke.

“The plan encompasses new approaches to dealing with crime while emphasising the policy areas being addressed by our candidate…

Those, he said, included:

. a more peaceful, harmonious, safe and just society which engenders hope for all our people;

. planned, sustainable development and transformation of the Jamaican economy; and

. deepening the democratic process and good governance.

He noted that the holding of a consultation forum was deliberate, as it would signal the kind of consultative approach a Simpson Miller led government would bring to critical issues.

“We have to ensure that the people are involved … this is the start,” said the campaign director.

“A number of people make announcements as if it is something that has been done. Our approach is that these issues have to be properly thought out including where the resources are going to be found and in a very comprehensive way how this is to be done.”

Yesterday’s briefing was also to publicly name the various committees, which include several persons of influence.

Heading what appear to be the core committees are:

. Philip Paulwell, commerce and technology minister, who chairs the National Security and Justice Policy and Strategy Sub Committee;

. Anthony Hylton, trade ambassador, chairman of the Economic Policy Sub-Committee;

. Dr Leleith Bailey, chairman of the Education Task Force;

. Claude Clarke, a former commerce minister, who chairs the Outreach Committee; and

. Dr Ramon Arscott, chairman of the Youth Committee and a member of the Policy Committee.

Another noted personality was Dr Glenda Simms, named as a member of the Gender Issues Task Force.

At the political level, the top posts include campaign chairman Easton Douglas, campaign chief Roger Clarke, campaign director Richard Azan, deputy campaign director Paul Burke, Deputy Campaign Director, and deputy chairman of the policy committee Errol Ennis, who is also state minister for agriculture.

Burke who has made allegations in the past about the existence of paper groups in the party, said yesterday he had lingering “concerns” about the influencing of delegates through “inducements and other measures”, but was now satisfied that adequate safeguards were in place to ensure a fair internal poll.

“We are watching the process, but we won’t pretend that there will be 100 per cent compliance,” said Burke.