Their body language said it all

Published in the Jamaica Gleaner : Wednesday | September 5, 2007

Daraine Luton, Staff Reporter

JUDGEMENT day had finally come. It was early Monday morning and the sun was out in its brilliance.

But the body language of the Comrades at Portia Simpson Miller's South West St. Andrew constituency office did not suggest great optimism for a People's National Party (PNP) victory.

Mrs. Simpson Miller, the PNP president, was locked inside a room while party workers feverishly prepared for the day ahead.

This was Alexander Road, in Whitfield Town, a section of the second strongest PNP seat in the island.

Mrs. Simpson Miller won the seat by more than 9,000 votes in 2002 and her seat was never threatened on Monday. She would however have a much more difficult time trying to win overall elections for the PNP.

Pollsters predicted JLP victory

Most pollsters had predicted a Jamaica Labour Party victory at the polls, going against Mrs. Simpson Miller's exuberance in the run-up to the elections. She had promised to whip Bruce Golding and send him into political retirement.

Many journalists had gathered to see Mrs. Simpson Miller vote, but her scheduled time to cast her ballot was like a military secret.

"What time is the Prime Minister voting?" The Gleaner asked.

No one seemed to know or, better yet, no one seemed to have been in a position to disclose such information - neither her road manager, Colin Campbell, the party's communication's officer Christopher Castriota, nor members of her security detail.

Unlike Nomination Day, August 7, which possessed a carnival-like atmosphere, many voters stayed away from the streets, giving a feeling of a rainy Sunday morning.

Former PNPYO president Basil Waite said opinion polls and election predictions which showed the party losing had a psychological effect on some supporters and this was borne out in their body language.

Ensuring supporters vote

The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) seemed more aggressive in ensuring its supporters voted while the PNP, despite being out in their numbers, kept as low-key as their leader, who seemed to dodge cameras for most of the day.

However, Mrs. Simpson Miller, who has been tagged with names such as 'Destiny's Child', 'Mama P', 'Sister P' and 'Mama Portia', had to face the music.

Her Comrades, with the permission of the police, had blocked off a section of Old Hope Road and mounted a huge stage in anticipation of a huge party.

What they got was not the usually playful Portia voice blaring through the speakers. Rather, it was a defiant Mrs. Simpson Miller, who did not cry, but defiantly told comrades she would not immediately concede to being losers.

daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com