West Portland residents eye the 'Portia factor' - Opposition leader's presence seen as a lift to Rowe campaign
Published: Saturday | March 21, 2009
Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
The PNP-nominated candidate Kenneth Rowe (left) celebrates with party president Portia Simpson Miller and other Comrades in Buff Bay, Portland, on nomination day. Constituents go to the polls on Monday.
Gareth Davis Sr, Gleaner Writer
If People's National Party (PNP) candidate Kenneth Rowe is to prevail in Monday's by-election, Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller's reputation as arguably the country's best campaigner will have to bear fruit, supporters say.
With Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate Daryl Vaz seen as the unofficial incumbent and enjoying what political watchers see as the advantage of having been the only visible politician in the constituency prior to the March 6 nomination day, PNP supporters are now looking to the opposition leader to take Rowe to The Promised Land.
Excellent campaigner
"If anybody can do it, it will be Sister P," commented Tyrone Mier, a carpenter from Hope Bay. "It would have been a lot more difficult if Abe Dabdoub was the candidate, but in Kenneth Rowe, she has an excellent campaigner who has the energy to keep up with her," he added
Sheila Adams, a hairdresser from Buff Bay, agrees. "(Even with) all the noise and excitement you are hearing about Daryl Vaz, the Labourites are truly afraid of Sister P and her ability to pull off the impossible," she said.
"She has quietly been going house to house and doing her thing and will, in my view, take Rowe to victory next week," said Adams.
Steve Thomas, a fisherman from St Margaret's Bay, said: "The only head-to-head race that Portia has lost was against P.J. Patterson in that leadership race back in 1991. She is at her best when she has to focus only on a few persons and in this one-off race you will see how deadly she is."
The JLP has, however, scoffed at the suggestion that the opposition leader would be the difference in Monday's contest, saying the PNP is in for "a serious whipping".
"I could understand if Daryl Vaz was an absentee member of parliament or had not been doing any work in this constituency," commented Robert Montague, Vaz's campaign director.
"This is one time when the opposition leader's reputation as a solid campaigner will not work. She cannot attack Daryl on the issues," he added.
Simpson Miller has been very visible throughout the campaign so far and has been appearing on local cable stations in campaign ads with Rowe.
Vaz noted that the fact the PNP was looking to the opposition leader to do the trick for the party did not say much for its candidate.
