Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor
Dr. Blossom O'Meally-Nelson, Safia Cooper, Peter Bunting, Wyvolyn Gager and Capt. Mike Lyn - file photos
My daahlings, the zodiac sign of Virgo rages on, and in the fine style that only true Virgos know. Parties there are aplenty, especially those in the political arena.
In the wake of the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) victory, the celebrations are taking on not only a Virgo flavour, but a greenish tinge, as those sympathetic to the party are combining their celebrations with the party's victory. The fabulous artist, chronicler and art dealer, Anabella Proudlock, celebrated her birthday last Tuesday. Noted lawyer Norman Wright celebrated on Wednesday. Capt. (ret). Michael Lyn, Dr. Blossom O'Meally-Nelson and Dwayne Goulbourne celebrated on Thursday and on Friday, politician turned investment banker turned politician Peter Bunting celebrated by holding on to the Central Manchester seat.
others who celebrated
Jason Johnson of Constant Spring and Point Hill celebrated on the 12th, and Robert MacMillan opted for dinner with son Travis MacMillan and his fiancée on the 13th. The champagne will follow at a later date. Gracia Whyte, fashionista-at-large, had a charming do to mark her birthday on Saturday the 15th, as did journalist, the esteemed Wyvolyn Gager.
On Sunday the 16th, doting parents Edward and Carla Seaga were all basking in the afterglow of their daughter Gabrielle's birthday.
On Thursday, the lovely Safia Cooper (daughter of Pulse's founder Kingsley Cooper), celebrated her special day, and the buzz was this was a style bonanza. Friday was all about cricketing royalty, with Chris Gayle and Senior Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn celebrating their birthdays.
Belated wishes to Virgos Marguerite St. Juste; Motty Perkins; Lystra Sharpe; and Peter Bovell, who flew in from his Florida home a day after his birthday to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Jamaica's 8th Prime Minister.
So, my dears, the age of Virgos blew out yesterday, the 22nd, with the illustrious restaurateur and bon vivant, Mario Machado, celebrating his special day, as did editor of the Sunday Herald, R. Christine King. The word out is to expect the party to be all weekend long, and then some. Both celebrations are to be highlighted and punctuated with the gusto and pizzazz, known only to those with the savoir faire of the Virgo!
Major coup
Then my dears, for all who missed it, Prime Minister Bruce Golding has scored a major coup with his handling of his ministerial appointments and junior ministers.
It is a well established fact that some on the JLP's ticket were cause for concern not only locally but internationally as well. And so, many pundits as well as observers were looking on with bated breath to see just how the new Prime Minister would handle the concerns without upsetting his own apple cart.
Well, my daahlings, with a stroke of genius, he showed all and sundry that he was elected to lead the charge, and in this respect, admirably rose to the challenge. Not only did he address the concerns of civil society, his named Cabinet showed the chutzpah some thought he lacked. It was noised abroad that there were those in the private sector who were actively seeking to influence some ministerial appointments. And so, sticking to the script, except for some interesting variations, Golding's first official act was definitely a smasheroni of a faultless winner! And so we heap on the kudos.
Meanwhile, over in the PNP, for those who thought that The Most Honourable Portia Simpson Miller was all washed up after her party's defeat, then last Sunday's staging of the annual conference, (albeit a one-day event) would have ended that notion.My dears, if you missed this one, the Comrades who attended were in a militant mood seeking political blood. And the blood they were seeking was not Madam Simpson Miller's, but that of her officer corps, who they accused of playing the class card and neglecting the party and its electoral machinery, facilitating the party's defeat.
Precious angels, they were so militant that at one point in the proceedings, the chair practically lost command of the affair as the Comrades on the floor commandeered the microphone. They were adamant that a vote should be held to return a slate of officers. And sweet-things, believe me, if this had been done, today we would be looking on a completely new political hierarchy in the PNP.
Dears, it took a joint resolution sponsored by Mrs. Simpson Miller and party VP, Dr. Peter Phillips, to stave off the political bloodletting that the majority of those in attendance were demanding!
What a hullabaloo! My dears, it was Bruce Golding who promised 'bangarang', but honeychiles, it was the PNP delegates who came closest to delivering.
My dears, it is now clear that as of last Sunday, the PNP is now Portia's 'country', as the delegates have so determined. And not having been given the opportunity to vent their frustrations with the party's brass, some were heard openly voicing their displeasure at being denied the right to elect their officers, and promised that the next time it came around to electing a party president, it would be either Portia or Peter.
No, not Dr. Peter Phillips, but indeed, Peter Bunting!
Oh, the Chinese and their curse, as we are living in interesting times!
