The Dutty Black Gyal - Portrait of a Prime Minister

The Dutty Black Gyal as the opposition like to class her achieved something in her personal life that 99.9% of us will never, ever achieve and when we die no one will know we ever existed within half a generation time.

Portia Simpson-Miller was not born with a golden spoon in her mouth, she was not high colour, upper class or even middle class. Some people believe that Portia Simpson-Miller and people like her should never achieve much in life. So little are their expectations of poor black people. In various debates people have told me that Portia belongs uptown as a maid, that a person of her Stature belongs on her knees scrubbing floors and washing clothes for upper St. Andrew, as she was not good enough to even be an upstairs maid. It is also ironic that most of the hatred and venom that is thrown in her direction came from poor black woman who felt she should never achieve anything in life.

She was not packed with high-end education, nor was she well-spoken (speaky-spokey) but she managed to rise up the ranks of the political party even when well educated, professional male members of that party opposed her and called her dunce and classed her in the lowest manner known to man. What she lacked in that regard, she more than made up for in personality, and drive and desire and dedication. She not only managed to rise up the ranks of her political party but she became the President of the party and twice she became the first female Prime Minister of Jamaica, the leader of our country. She achieved all this in the face of nasty disgusting opposition that made me sick to my stomach because it was not her policies that people opposed but how she looked and how she sounded, but helmet-head as some called her achieved all that she achieved and against the odds.

We have a lot of people in Jamaica who are packed with High-End Education and can speaky-spokey with the best of them but you will never meet a bigger set of fools.

You might not like how she looked and you might not like how she sound but how can you not respect her personal achievements and if you cannot then you suffer from hatred and pure bad-mind. Portia Simpson-Miller is a strong black woman who went against the tide and should be a role model to young girls. An example of what they too can achieve even in the face of nasty disgusting opposition. The lesson to learn from Portia Simpson-Miller is never let anyone define you, your destiny is in your hands, only you can define who you are, never let anyone drag you down and tell you where your station in life is, the lesson to learn here is to be strong, be proud and rise up, get up and stand up for your rights and position on this planet.

The period between 2011 and 2016 was successful in the sense that it achieved what it set out to achieved. A successful Implementation of austerity with discipline and dedication so much so that it provided this 2016 JLP Government with the wiggle room for growth. The period between 2011 and 2016 improved Jamaica’s financial standing with the world, improved our financial books and moved Jamaica in a positive light. Yes Rome was not built in a day, implementing austerity and growing the economy was always going to be difficult but austerity served its primary purpose and since the buck stop with the leader, the credit must also go to the leader of the party, the country and the leader Government, Portia Simpson-Miller because she presided over a Government that did what they intended to do.

The  PNP Government of 2011 to 2016, return Jamaica’s financial books in proper working order.

• Inflation: 3.7% lowest in 50 years, down from 6.0% in 2011
• GDP Growth while small was always in the positive
• Debt to GDP Ratio was reduced to 126% of GDP down from 150% of GDP in 2011
• Jamaica Stock Market makes record in 2015
• Jamaica moved up 5 places in the 2015 Forbes Best Countries for Business Report
• Net International Reserve (NIR) US$2.44 billion, above target US$1.64 billion and stable
• Primary Surplus of $55.8 billion, above target of $50.5 billion
• International Rating Agency upgraded Jamaica’s Credit ratings over the years, Moody’s, S&P and Fitch all upgraded Jamaica.

To Portia Simpson-Miller, you made your mark, you will go down in the history of this country for your personal achievements. Rest now, enjoy what life you have left, sit under the mango tree, feel the cool Caribbean breeze on your face and enjoy that nice big sweet East Indian mango. You can please some people, some time, but you cannot please all the people all the time.