Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller yesterday ruled out widely held speculation that she would be announcing the election date on July 4, the anniversary of the birth of the People’s National Party’s (PNP’s) first president, Norman Manley.

“I hope my supporters are not falling for this propaganda about my having any meeting at Half-Way-Tree to call the election on the fourth,” the prime minister said shortly after she toured the newly built Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre.

She said instead, on that day, she will be commissioning the new facilities at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston.

Speculation has been rife in political circles that Simpson Miller would have used the symbolism of Manley’s birth date to announce the general elections for later this month.

Manley was born on July 4, 1893 and was one of the founding members of the party, which was launched on September 18, 1938. Manley, who died on September 2, 1969, is one of Jamaica’s National Heroes, is highly revered in the party and is often referred to as the Father of the Nation.

Political watchers had suggested that Simpson Miller would have sought to use the significance of Manley’s political legacy to create a further bounce for the ruling party.

However, given her comment yesterday, plus the time requirements for the holding of general elections under the Representation of the People Act, as well as the fact that Brazil’s President Lula da Silva is due to pay an official visit here on August 8 and 9, political analysts last night speculated that Simpson Miller would call the elections for August.

The elections are constitutionally due in October.

The Representation of the People Act governing elections states that the prime minister’s notice of elections must be published in the Gazette not more than seven days after it is announced.

The announcement will set a date for Nomination Day, which itself should not be more than seven days after publication of the notice in the Gazette. Nomination Day must be at least five clear days from the announcement of the elections. Finally, there must not be less than 16 days nor more than 23 days between Nomination Day and Election Day.

Yesterday, Simpson Miller was also guarded when asked about a July 7 announcement, based on a prophecy made by one religious leader.

“How come people don’t believe in prophecy and yet they believe in 7… oh it is quite interesting,” she said.

When the Observer pressed Simpson Miller on whether the PNP was in the second phase of its campaign, she declined to say, pointing out instead that the only thing she will be doing at this early stage is to present to the country the 60 candidates.

“I have just started my campaign on the ground,” she said.

She exude confidence that her party would win the elections, saying, “On a recent visit to Belgium, I invited the prime minister to visit for the opening [of the Transport Centre] with the full conviction that at the end of the elections I will be prime minister and I will be here to receive him”.

The transport centre, being funded by the Belgian Government, is scheduled to be finished in October. However, yesterday, Transport Minister Robert Pickersgill told the Observer that it would be opened in September.

Simpson Miller said the J$5-billion transport centre was another brainchild of the Government to provide a better facility for the travelling public, and as such “Portia will not change this course”.

The centre, which will accommodate Jamaica Urban Transit Company buses only, will provide a centralised arrival and dispatch system and will be fitted with an automatic locator and licence plate recognition system that will allow for the updating of an electronic passenger information notice board.

“This is a transportation centre which is transforming the look and face of Half-Way-Tree, and we look forward to the early start of the downtown transport centre,” Simpson Miller said.