Glenda SimmsFEBRUARY 25, 2006 was no ordinary day in our nation. This day was distinguished, not by the organisational skills of the four competing political camps, nor the guessing games of journalists and other media luminaries or even by the brightly decorated and flag-draped buses and cars that transported delegates and supporters from hotels, homes and parking lots.
Indeed, the day will go down in the history of the Jamaican people as the only day on which Jamaicans shouted not just with joy but with a passionate sense of hope for a change in the social, economic and political state of their nation.
When the Honourable P.J. Patterson, Prime Minister of Jamaica, announced that for the first time in Jamaica's history a woman would become the Prime Minister of our country, we dropped our dominoes, turned off our stove burners, turned up the volume of our television sets, called our significant and not-so significant others, knocked our pot covers and danced on the streets.
We screamed, we shouted, we hugged, we wept tears of joy and we looked into each other's eyes and said "YES!" with energy, with hope and with a sense of pride.
ELATION
This feeling of elation did not abate overnight. It continued into all the mornings, middays, evenings and nights of February and heralded the beginning of the month of March.
The victory of Portia Lucretia Simpson Miller in the political arena which pitted her against three formidable men is indeed a victory for the ordinary Jamaican woman and man who hope that one day their children will follow in Sister P's footsteps.
Against this background, I have used some free moments to evaluate my personal experiences and share with my readers my thoughts on my "maiden voyage" into the organised arena of the politics of the People's National Party. Within this "brave new world" I have come to appreciate more deeply the meaning of commitment, dedication and hard work on the part of volunteers of both genders.
Team Portia's members were supportive of each other, respectful to everyone and extremely caring and considerate in their dealing with the public at large. This was an organisation that reinforced in all its members a sense of stewardship and the true meaning of teamwork.
There were no prima donnas, no "overtly macho men", no aggressive "queen bees", no enabling "middle bees" and no afraid to "bee".
There were many with PhDs and MDs, but in Team Portia these were not badges of honour or self-aggrandising markers.
These were merely sources of specialised information and perspectives which helped to enhance the wide skill pool that collectively provided the support systems to hone the political machinery that guaranteed victory for a most outstanding and appealing woman leader of our time The Honourable Portia Simpson Miller.
There were many memorable events in Team Portia's historic voyage to success, but the Women's Rally which was held at the Jamaica Conference Centre on Sunday, February 19, 2006 was the defining moment of the meaning of the Honourable Portia Simpson Miller's presence on the political landscape of her nation.
Women from all socio-economic strata, geographical locations, age bands, religions, ethnicities and other human divides filled every available seat on the ground floor and in the balconies. They sang, rejoiced, laughed, prayed and pooled their collective emotional, spiritual and intellectual energies in their effort to ensure that the Jamaican nation would be the winner when the game was over on the 25th of February.
Some of these women were bus drivers, others were truck drivers and many could drive heavy duty equipment and excavators, but all of those sisters knew that the next Prime Minister of Jamaica would be Sister P. They had no doubt. They recognised that special moment in time and they concentrated in ensuring its fulfilment.
Dr. Glenda P. Simms is a gender expert and consultant.
