As we move to balance the books, we will be moving to balance people’s lives.” Simpson-Miller will assume the premiership tomorrow afternoon. On Thursday night, Simpson-Miller said to supporters, “We will be working to move this country forward to achieve growth and development and for job creation. He will now leave the post after only two months on the job-the shortest tenure ever in Jamaica. When Golding left office, his education minister, Andrew Holness, became Jamaica’s ninth prime minister. Golding’s low poll rankings stemmed primarily from his decision to agree to extradite drug-lord Christopher “Dudus” Coke to the United States, after a public nine-month campaign appealing to the U.S. When JLP gained power, it was led by MP Bruce Golding, who held the premiership until he left the post in October 2011 due to unpopularity and a desire for JLP to bring in new leadership before the December 2011 election. Simpson-Miller previously served as prime minister (March 2006 to September 2007), but handed over power to JLP in the 2007 parliamentary election, ending almost 20 years of consecutive PNP rule. In Jamaica’s 63-seat unicameral congress, PNP claimed victory by a two-to-one margin-winning 42 seats to JLP’s 21. Jamaica’s Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller has in her office at Jamaica House in the region of 15 Ministers, Advisors, Consultants, and Assistants costing Taxpayers around or well over 60 million per annum, making her the most expensive Prime Minister in Jamaica’s history. She unseated Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). headquarters that morning at the same time as her speech.Ĭlick through for photos of the protest and video of the prime minister’s bizarre response.After last Thursday’s parliamentary elections in Jamaica produced decisive but unofficial results, the official tally released yesterday confirmed victory for Portia Simpson-Miller of the opposition People’s National Party (PNP). She is known affectionately as Mama P, or sister Portia but her real name with title is The Right Honorable Portia Simpson Miller, Jamaicas first female Pri.
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The prime minister is set to address the U.N.
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Simpson-Miller seemed casual throughout the encounter, waving, blowing kisses, and smiling at the protesters. In 1974, at age 29, a young woman from Wood Hall, St Catherine, made her way on to the political stage and introduced herself as Portia Lucretia Simpson, councilor in the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation. The few demonstrators present must have spooked Simpson-Miller’s security detail enough that they spun her around and walked her back inside the Ford Foundation building. JAHS spokesman Dwayne Brown told Runnin’ Scared that protesters stood outside and the building shouting “Gay rights are human rights!” and “Portia, shame on you!” For the crime of appearing at a party in a dress, Jones was beaten, stabbed, shot, and run over by a car. The country saw a serious rash of violence against gays this summer, the most high-profile of which was the brutal murder of 16-year-old transgender woman Dwayne Jones in July. Instead they are asking her to make good on her 2011 campaign promise to hold a “conscience vote” on repealing Jamaica’s anti-gay laws, which are so old (passed in 1864) that they’re still referred to as “buggery” laws.Įven if those suspected of consensual gay sex are not sentenced to the typical 10 years of hard labor, mobs will often torture or kill those who are suspected of being gay. Protesters are on Simpson-Miller not out of any stated animosity towards gays in Jamaica. When the prime minister came out to meet her motorcade, she blew kisses at them, and walked straight back inside the building. Seven protesters from Jamaica Anti-Homophobia Stand paced the sidewalk in front of the Ford Foundation headquarters during Prime Minister Simpson-Miller’s visit. She was born on Decemin the rural community of Wood Hall in St Catherine. Jamaican LGBT rights activists are taking this week’s official visit of the country’s prime minister to New York to speak out against homophobic violence. KINGSTON, Jamaica - Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller is celebrating her 67th birthday today. Courtesy of Jamaica Anti-Homophobia Stand