PRIME Minister Portia Simpson Miller yesterday sat down with Jamaica House staffers and sector agency representatives of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and thanked them for their support over the past eight months since she took office.

Simpson Miller also encouraged the staffers to take on leadership roles and offer good customer service to the people of Jamaica.

The meeting, which was held at the National Indoor Sports Centre, raised a few eyebrows, as it was unusual for a regular staff meeting to be held outside of Jamaica House.

A source close to the meeting told the Observer that Jamaica House could not accommodate all the sector agency representatives who were present.

“It was a motivational meeting and a thank you meeting,” the source explained.

“This is the first time that the PM would have been meeting with all the staffers and sector agency representatives together since she became prime minister. So, this was really to get everybody together.”

Both the prime minister and Information Minister Donald Buchanan addressed the gathering, and staffers and representatives were encouraged to ask questions and offer comments, and they did.

“The prime minister urged them to work even harder in the coming year, and set the standards for the rest of the public service to follow,” the source told the Observer.

“She also spoke about the need for improvement in the health sector and improvement in the water supply, especially in the rural areas,” the source added. Public sector housing was also discussed.

Representatives from the Jamaica Investment Promotions (JAMPRO), the Bauxite sector, the Women’s Bureau and Sports Development Foundation were in attendance at the meeting.