Dear Editor,

Is it sheer happenstance that the two previous party presidents of the People’s National Party (PNP) — Percival James Patterson and Portia Simpson Miller — and now the current party leader, Peter Phillips, all spell their first names starting with the letter P?

The obvious difference between Percival and Portia, as against Peter, the current Opposition leader, is that the two former leaders of the party went on to become prime ministers of Jamaica.

P J Patterson served as prime minister from 1992 to 2006. Then he passed on the baton to Portia Simpson Miller, who then made history by becoming Jamaica’s first female party leader and prime minister.

The baton was officially passed on to Peter Phillips on April 3, 2017; however, he is obviously having problems grasping it firmly and the polls show that his rival Andrew Holness is growing in popularity.

Currently, the numbers (letters) seem not to be lining up for Peter Phillips because, besides the political tremors outside the party, there is internal agitation inside the hierarchy of the party, as there has now emerged a second Peter (Bunting) to challenge the party’s leadership.

Of course, one or two more scandals — which the current Government seems to be good at — could possibly be further gifts to place Peter Phillips where Percival and Portia dared to have trod, in the coveted position of prime minister of Jamaica. But, undoubtedly, Phillips is running his lap in nervous anticipation. He is hoping fate will be kind to him.

As anchor of the three-legged race, will he successfully complete the historic ‘priumvirate’ of the PNP? Or will second Peter stymie his last desperate move to Jamaica House?

Only time will tell whether Peter Phillips will ever ‘cross it’ like his two Comrade predecessors.

Owen Thomas

ot27258@yahoo.com