WITH the flourish of a trumpet and the symbolic turning of a key, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller last night had thousands of flag-waving supporters dancing in the St Andrew capital to her announcement that Jamaicans would go to the polls on August 27.

Nomination Day would be August 7, she had informed the crowd a few minutes earlier, before dancing across the stage, set against the backdrop of the new Half-Way-Tree transport centre set to be opened in September.

The square was transformed into a sea of orange, red and yellow as supporters from all over Jamaica journeyed to the city for the historical mass rally.

By 4:30 pm the sound boxes strategically placed along the length and breadth of the square blared message music, some specifically written for the occasion, as party supporters waved their banners, flags and handkerchiefs high in the air, allowing very little movement amongst the dense crowd. The music included Bob Marley’s Bad Card, and Shaggy’s Strength of a Woman.

The massive audience, estimated by the party’s general secretary Donald Buchanan to be more than 120,000, stretched from the beginning of the major platform erected in the vicinity of the newly built Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre, and extended well beyond York Pharmacy.

But as the evening progressed, the crowd swelled even more into the nearby Mandela Park. A number of people climbed atop buildings and bus sheds to get a better view of the proceedings.

One of the PNP’s campaign songs “Forward Portia, forward PNP to another victory”, only served to whip the crowd into further frenzy.

One very enthused party supporter held, high above the crowd, a framed black and white picture of former prime minister Michael Manley.

A number of children were also in attendance at the rally, some as young as three years old. They were dolled up in their bright orange and yellow T-shirts, bearing portraits of various candidates. But, before long, some of these parents had lost their young charges in the large crowd, forcing announcements to be made to locate them.

As many men as women came out to the rally, albeit that a few men were seen wearing ski masks, leaving only small holes for their eyes and nostril.

By 5:30 pm, when the 60 candidates emerged on the platform, the crowd had swelled beyond the park, with many supporters, including women and children, climbing dangerously atop a traffic signal to perch precariously at the ledge of a number of business places in the vicinity.

A short prayer for a peaceful campaign and victory for the party signalled the beginning of a proceeding, which was to last well beyond 10:00 pm.

As the candidates made their way to the lectern to address the crowd, the flag-waving and whistle-blowing supporters partied as though they were at a carnival road march.

Lisa Hanna, one of the newest kids on the block for the PNP, did not lack the crowd support witnessed weeks ago when word got out that she was to replace Aloun Assamba in South-East St Ann.

Instead, the minute she approached the lectern the crowd went into a frenzy.

One supporter, who gave her name as Ilene, told the Observer that Hanna could not lose her seat.

“A she ago tek over from Assamba as minister of tourism,” the supporter said.

Hanna used, to her advantage, her position as a single mother to express to the crowd how much the PNP was working to help youths.

“I am a single mother. and there are many opportunities for young people here. if it were not for the PNP we wouldn’t have so many universities, teachers’ college so that single mothers can go back to further their education,” she said.

Apart from the prime minister, the man to receive the warmest welcome from the crowd was former prime minister PJ Patterson, who was introduced as the ‘Fresh Prince’.

In a symbolic gesture, Patterson used the opportunity to present to Simpson Miller the key which he said was used to ‘fly di gate’ on other occasions.

“Dis key was used to fly di gate in 1993, it was used to fly di gate in 1997 and it was used in 2002, I pass this key over to you so when you ready, fly di gate,” he said as pandemonium erupted in the square.

One party supporter who gave her name as Suzette, who had journeyed in from St Catherine, told the Observer that PJ’s presence was reinforcing the unity present in the party.

“Seaga (former opposition leader) nah go chat pon Golding platform, but PJ deh behind Sista P all the way,” she said.

Like the many candidates who spoke before and after him, Patterson made it clear that when it comes to development the PNP was not “changing course”.

“When we say we are not changing course we mean we are not going back to the days when they lock down our schools and training centres,” he said.

Patterson told the party faithfuls that he was behind Portia all the way, adding that he was in the Portia train which was on its way to victory.

It was a momentum which was to develop even greater speed when the prime minister took to the lectern quoting the Bible passage, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight…”, even as the sound system blared the words of the song “I come in peace. My father send me come.”

Outgoing member of parliament for St Catherine, KD Knight told the Observer that he was unable to say if this is the largest crowd ever seen at a previous rally in Half-Way-Tree. However, he noted that the crowd was massive.

“All I can say is that the crowd is massive and, when I see the very young and the very old out there, I know the PNP has been doing a good job of attracting the very young and not changing course for the old,” Knight added.