Gareth Manning, Freelance Writer
Delegates registering at the Portia Simpson Miller camp at Mona Preparatory school on Saturday February 25, 2006, during the presidential race. - IAN ALLEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
TIPPED BY many as the man to replace P.J. Patterson, Dr. Peter Phillips and his 'Solid As A Rock' campaign crumbled under the weight of 'Team Portia' last week at Jamaica College.
After a fierce battle between the two camps, political analysts are now offering their perspectives on what might have led to the demise of the Solid as a Rock team. The main blow to the campaign, they believe, were comments made by Phillips' supporter, Foreign Affairs Minister K.D. Knight about Portia Simpson Miller's ability to govern.
Minister Knight frequently suggested Mrs. Simpson Miller was not qualified to lead because she did not have a doctoral degree like the other contenders.
Political analyst Hyacinth Bennett says Minister Knight's statements about Mrs. Simpson Miller were the main blow to Phillips' aspirations.
"Oftentimes when people claim they are highly educated, I think the litmus test is whether that so-called education is being used to better communities and better the country," she tells The Sunday Gleaner. "Because oftentimes when you listen to some of them ... they are able to give a lot of theories that will suggest what are the solutions in response to the country's problems. But sometimes when you listen to them, it is no more than intellectual masturbation," she opined.
Trade unionist Lambert Brown agrees K.D. Knights' comments were lethal to Dr. Phillips' presidential aspirations. He says not only did it injure the Solid as a Rock campaign, it was an asset to Team Portia.
"The more he said that, the more it reinforced the ordinary people's love and desire for her. And so in that respect whether he liked it or not, he was an asset for Portia Simpson Miller and, therefore, a liability for the person whose campaign he was supporting," Brown argues.
Contrary to Brown's and Bennett's views, University of the West Indies government professor Brain Meeks argues that the main damage to Phillips was the lack of charisma he displayed in contrast to Mrs. Simpson Miller.
"I think the fundamental factor was one that we knew even before the campaign started: That Simpson Miller is by far the most popular politician in the country. So the question was if Phillips could ... present a credible case that under his leadership the PNP would not be doomed to national defeat. I think this was it," he says.
Professor Meeks adds that though Dr. Phillips may have appeared as cold to some delegates, the fact that he commanded 40 per cent of votes meant he was not entirely unsuccessful in connecting with a bulk of the people despite his loss in the election. He ended the day with 1,538 votes in contrast to Mrs. Simpson Miller's 1,775.
LACK OF CHARISMA
Bennett and Brown also point to a lack of charisma as contributing to Phillips' defeat. Bennett asserts that while Dr. Phillips is articulate and has a sound theoretical grasp of most issues, he is bereft of emotion.
"Somehow, unlike Simpson Miller, he does not seem adequately representative of the people. In fact, he comes across as a leader for whom leadership is a science, while for Mrs. Simpson Miller, it seems to be an art," she says.
Brown agrees, arguing that Dr. Phillips' coldness was exemplified in his handling of the murder of Damion Hussey, an incident analysts suggest might have also damaged his campaign. Hussey was stabbed to death in Golden Spring, St. Andrew, allegedly, by someone among a group of supporters returning from the launch of Phillips' campaign at the National Arena on January 15. Even though Phillips was not responsible for the murder, Brown believes the way he distanced
himself from the incident might have turned away supporters.
"After the killing of young Hussey, he was on Breakfast Club the Monday morning and he didn't mention anything at all about the killing. It was almost as if it never happened," recounted Brown. "So I don't think he is naturally somebody who empathises with the people and so he comes across as very cold and uncaring and that makes it very difficult."
Professor Meeks agrees, but adds that the damage was minimal. He says the incident raised the spectre of political violence in Jamaica and may have hurt Phillips in his capacity as National Security Minister: "It may have tarnished the campaign slightly. I think Phillips and the campaign team distanced themselves from it."
Why Phillips lost say analysts
K.D. Knight's bashing of Portia's
academic qualification.
Peter Phillips' lack of connection with the masses.
The murder of Damion Hussey in Golden Spring, St. Andrew.
Off-target public relations.
Dishonesty about the number of delegates supporting the campaign.
