She has ‘Rapped’ with us. She has carried our flag on the world stage with pride and distinction. She has represented us in Parliament. She has walked with us during the best of times and the worst of times. She has never wavered in her support of the People’s National Party (PNP) and Jamaica.

Now, Lisa Hanna, after years of distinguished and committed service to Jamaica, the PNP, and especially her constituents of St Ann South Eastern, is making her way forward to become the president of the PNP.

In repositioning to lead the PNP, Lisa does so having accumulated experience as a young national volunteer, a loyal party worker, a Member of Parliament for 13 years, and a minister of Government.

At age 18, as Miss World 1993, she was named United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) goodwill ambassador and applied her energy and passion to the World Hunger Project. That work informs her commitment to rallying young and old to achieving the goal of ‘Zero Hunger in Jamaica’ as the next leader of the PNP.

Lisa built on the skills and insights learnt from her first job as a 14-year-old host of the television programme Rapping, travelling across the country and learning about the dreams and aspirations of Jamaicans from all walks of life and has successfully pursued a bachelor’s and master’s degree in communications from The University of the West Indies.

Lisa Hanna has been on the PNP front line as the elected chairperson of the party’s Region One for eight consecutive years, where she led the team that won the majority of the parliamentary and parish council seats in 2011-12, the best performance of the PNP since 1989.

As Minister of Youth and Culture, Lisa Hanna designed and led several initiatives to enhance the welfare of the nation’s children and young people including:

• A scholarship programme established under the ministry’s Access to Higher Education Programme benefiting hundreds of tertiary students and financed through a $435-million allocation to the National Youth Service (NYS)

• Training and placement of more than 32,000 young people in 2015 alone, in permanent and temporary employment in the public and private sectors, and 855 young people benefited from valuable work experience under the NYS Graduate Work Experience Programme, which was launched under Lisa’s leadership of the portfolio

• Interventions and programmes in support of children’s rights, safety, and protection and achieved 50 per cent reduction in violence in schools under the Safe Schools Programme

• Her love and compassion for children also led her to design and implement programmes that led to a significant reduction in the number of children in State care by transferring them to family environments

• As a result of these measures, Jamaica’s ranking on the UNICEF Kids Rights index improved 52 places.

Let there be no doubt that Lisa Hanna as president of the PNP, whether in Opposition or Government, will continue to vigorously support policies to uplift the economic and social positions of the young people of Jamaica.

Lisa Hanna represents the future of the PNP and Jamaica. A young energetic Jamaican woman with experience of leading on the ground when the going is tough; with experience of leading development at the constituency level and with the experience in Parliament to keep the Government on its toes.

I was a campaign manager in the recent general election and when the constituency needed support from the national level, she responded without hesitation. Lisa took phone calls; she walked with us in the constituency. Lisa was always there with a listening ear and provided sound advice throughout.

COVID-19 has altered our society and economy in ways we never imagined possible but knowing that Jamaica and its people are strong and resilient, Lisa Hanna is well positioned through her experience and strength to provide creative, dynamic and crucially strong leadership in these difficult times.

All of her experiences including leading a rural constituency and understanding the challenges of the farmers and the impact on their families; understanding the rural economy as a whole; understanding the burning desire of young people to move forward in a modern, economically fulfilling way; and understanding what makes Jamaica uniquely positioned to become an economic powerhouse make her the right person for the job of PNP president at this time.

Her understanding of our natural products and her desire to unleash the talent of our people led to the establishment of Lydford Logistics of which she is a director. Lydford Logistics is an agriculture and food processing facility operating as a Special Economic Zone, providing services in third party logistics, farming and agricultural coordination, juice manufacturing, cannabis processing for pharmaceutical use and a state-of-the-art baking facility serving the island’s tourism and food service infrastructure.

Lisa Hanna knows that Jamaica and the PNP now require strong, dynamic leadership, with courage, love, and deep compassion to transform our singular desires into patriotic team resolve and inspire the next generation of Jamaicans to get all hands on deck.

Lisa Hanna is that leader who grew up with Jamaica. She and I are of the same generation, similar class backgrounds and ideologically aligned so I connect with her. Lisa will electrify the “sleepy centre” of the PNP and the broad masses of the Jamaican electorate.

She is always mindful and conscious of her class origin. Lisa knows where she is going and she knows that her mission is on behalf of the masses, the workers and the ordinary Jamaican, as the nation faces the most difficult period of its development.

Her lived experience as a mother and a woman lines up squarely with many Jamaican women, and as a consequence, has placed her in the position to address the needs of the Jamaican family.

The task is neither simple nor easy. It demands vision, unity of purpose, inspiration and a clear focus on the mission. Lisa Hanna is ready.