‘Portia brings extra spice’

“It’s good for the men,” he said.

Speaking with Newsday in Jamaica on Friday, Carrington described Simpson Miller as a peoples’ person and said that this quality will augur well for the region with the coming of the Single Market and Economy, which is people focused.

He also praised Jamaica for managing such a “smooth” transition of power last Thursday,

Carrington said, “We are very pleased with the process the way the people handled the move. It was open, no sense of conflict or violence, it was a smooth change over, to me it was a real mature process.”

“As for the result we are also very excited and expectant, she has been around for a long time, we know the lady and in large measure to what she is committed to, and we look forward to her contributions within the regional council.

“I think the particular element that one is very hopeful about is the fact that Portia Simpson Miller has this particular link with the people, not officialdom but to the people.”

Carrington added, “ right now we are moving to the single market and single economy where we are really getting down to the people and I think her presence could not come at a more opportune time.

He said, “being the lady she is, she brings an extra spice into the relations, so we are all excited and look forward to working with her.”

And St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonzalves said while Simpson Miller faces some daunting challenges she has a huge reservoir of goodwill from the people to make things work.

Both were present at King’s Court, Kingston on Thursday, when Simpson Miller took over the reigns of power from PJ Patterson who held the post for 14 years.

Dr Gonzalves described Simpson Miller as “a very experienced and wise woman, whom the people of Jamaica trust and love.”

He said “she possesses the capacity to draw out of people that which is good and noble in them and to draw out of them that goodness and nobility when they themselves do not as yet know they possess it.”

He described her inauguration speech, as “a healing speech, a speech which she sought to unite not only her party but the country. I think that the voters appreciate her pedigree and decided to elevate her when others were using narrower criteria to look for leadership.” Simpson Miller’s has come under consistent criticism from within the ruling Peoples National Party, she now leads, for what some call her lack of intellectual capacity.

According to Dr Gonzalves, Jamaica’s woman PM, “faces some daunting challenges but she has a huge reservoir of goodwill and I am assured that she will utilise that goodwill, particularly in fighting crime and seeking to change attitude.”