The following is the full text of the address by The Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, President of the People's National Party, to the PNP Annual Conference, on Sunday September 16, 2007.

Click Read More to view the full text of the Party Leader's speech, or call the PNP Headquarters to get a free printed copy.

In every thing give thanks! This is the biblical instruction.  And today, as usual I begin by giving thanks to the Almighty for His mercy and grace. Let us give thanks for life, for health, strength, hope and possibility!

They said we did not need a conference; 

•        that the comrades were tired; 

•        that we were disappointed;

•        that we needed time to heal. 

But they don't know the strength and courage of the People's National Party. 

Comrades your being here is a testimony to the fighting spirit of the People's National Party!

I am happy to see you.  But there is sadness in my heart as I remember our fallen Comrades, those whose lives were taken and all those who were hurt by the violence, during and after the period of campaigning.

On behalf of the Party I extend condolences to family members and friends mourning the loss of their loved ones at this time.  As a Party, as a family, we salute the memory of our Comrades who died while serving the cause. This is not what we would have wanted.

Delegates of the People's National Party, Party Members, Supporters thank you, thank you for continuing the tradition of the People's National Party.

Thank you for turning out in your thousands, of walking proudly into this Conference today.  By doing this you remind us all of what a great movement the People's National Party is. 

We intend to honour our tradition.  We intend to stay in good order whether we are in government or serving as Opposition.   We honour this commitment today by holding our Annual Conference at the time when it is traditionally held. 

Staying true to our traditions is even more important at this time, when we need to remember our proud history - when we need to remind ourselves about the birth of our movement and the principles of our political organisation.

Yes, some of us were asking ourselves why are we having Annual Conference at this time; why not have a Special Delegates Conference at another time?  I want to assure you that we gave thought to all the concerns but were united as Officers in our decision that Conference should proceed.

We were mindful however that so many of our members and supporters had spent a long summer campaigning, that we did not have our usual extensive annual reports and large number of resolutions. For these reasons we opted to have the Delegates' session of the Conference today. 

Of course, when Comrades heard that it was a Delegates Conference only, they were adamant that they would be here, regardless.  And indeed you are here, and my heart is full and overflowing.

Surely we would have several resolutions had Paul Burke not have been out there campaigning. We would have been discussing resolution after resolution

Comrades, we need to ask ourselves, had we been victorious at the polls would we not have wanted an Annual Conference?  Would we not have wanted to come together to celebrate a mandate to continue to serve the people of this great nation? 

I feel strongly that with the results of the September 3^rd election, we need the Conference even more.  Comrades you will notice I said, ‘the results' I did not say the ‘defeat'.

•  We needed to come together so that we can say thanks to our workers, our volunteers our candidates and our managers for a job well done.
•  We needed to come together as a family, to be honest about the lessons from our time in government and the campaign itself.
•  We needed to begin the dialogue on what steps we take to build on our strengths while at the same time looking at the things we need to do differently.
•  We needed to come together and remind ourselves of the things that our movement has accomplished during our eighteen years of service.
•  We needed to come together as one voice so that we can discuss how we honour the tradition of our Party and ensure that we are an effective and constructive Opposition.
•  But you know what comrades, more than anything we just needed to be together, because it is when we are truly together, when we are united and function as a family, that we are strongest. So Comrades welcome to this our Annual Party Conference.

Comrades, please make yourselves comfortable.  We have some very important things to talk about - and I want every one of you to be very clear in your mind about these things when you leave here today, so be prepared to listen carefully.

Let me start by saying THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, Workers and Stalwarts of the People's National Party, those who worked tirelessly to complete their canvasses, attended the training events, walked with your candidates during the campaign, remained focused and vigilant on election day. 

You did your job well. You tried and you worked hard.  Yes, we had the support of the voters, and they still felt that we were the best Party to continue to ensure prosperity for all social groups. 

The results show that this is narrowest margin of victory in our history.  Only 2,900 votes separate the other party and us. 

However, Comrades there were other forces much mightier that intervened.  You and I know that.

THANK YOU, Candidates.  For me, for the Party, you were all victorious.  You took to the fields; you visited communities, homes, and schools. You carried the message of the Party. We lost six of the thirty-four seats we had won in 2002.

Today we honour your efforts.

THANK YOU, Volunteers.  You came out to assist us at every level of the Campaign.  Thanks to those who worked tirelessly at the PNP Headquarters; those who worked in the communities supporting an individual candidate. 

We know if it were not for your efforts some of our candidates would today not be elected Members of Parliament.

THANK YOU, Managers of the campaign; those who worked at the Constituency Level, the Parish level and of course the National Campaign Committee.  A special thank you to Comrade Patterson for his role in assisting with the campaign.

THANK YOU, Supporters of the many fundraising events of the Constituencies and of the Party.  To our direct supporters who contributed because they remain committed. 

We can truly say that ours was a campaign funded by a broad base of supporters and we owe nothing to any special interest whether locally or overseas.

I want to thank the Jamaican People for their support - men, women, who came out to vote for us on Election Day. For the boys, girls, the children, for the words of support that could only come from little children.

We are going to honour your support, we are going to be watching every step they take and every move they make.  Jamaica, - watch Portia and her team work,

LESSONS

Comrades we have some important lessons, which we take away from the period in which we served as the government and also from our election campaign.

Today I mention only two lessons for our consideration.

First, we need to request a closer look at our electoral system and further reform of the system.  Comrades, this is not an attack on any individual, or a call for any one's resignation. 

I want to express a genuine concern it is a fact, far too many things went wrong in far too many locations. We must admit that we have a problem.

No one can deny that we have made significant strides in our electoral system.  No one can deny that it is a system, which in many respects is the envy of the world. Successive PNP governments have contributed to this strong electoral system and we are proud of that contribution.

But the system is not perfect. Cracks have developed and we need to be a constructive part of a process that repairs these cracks.  I mention only a few now:

•    We cannot ignore the fact that at so many locations we had incorrect voters' lists, with the case of North Clarendon being the most extreme. The results were that polls opened significantly later than scheduled;

•    I know that you are confused.  We printed our Voter Guides using the June 1, 2007 Final Voters list. 

Our supporters went to Polling Stations all across the island, many armed with their Voter's Guide and Voter ID Cards, but yet their names were not on the voters' list inside the Polling Stations.

•    Comrade Kellier was declared winner with all boxes counted.  However for two days despite repeated requests the EOJ posted on their website that the seat was won by the JLP.  We are happy that the final outcome, the correct one, the EOJ posted the results that Comrade Derrick Kellier is indeed the winner.

I could go on with a long list of problems encountered, but I am not here to attack the institution.  I just want to make it clear that through our two Commissioners to the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, we are seeking answers.

Our second important lesson to be learned, and one that has been long recognized, is that big money, without any transparency and without any accountability plays too large a role in our elections. As a Party and as a people, we have experienced the harmful effects.

The time is overdue for us to press forward with long pending proposals for campaign finance reform and funding of political parties.  There has to be transparency. There must never be any suspicion that the Government of Jamaica is controlled by special interests.  

The machinery must be put in place for public contribution, in order to prevent our parties and government from being captured by either criminal or big business money.  We had begun to push this as an agenda item and will continue to do so.

Reviewing and Building

We are going to have to be very objective in our review and this is going to guide the ongoing building of our movement. 

We have an incredible base.  We have the energies of our workers.  We have commitment of our arms and affiliates both here and overseas, and we have our Party Structures.  These are all intact. These are our strengths, so what we are going to do is to build. 

The Party acknowledges that there are external factors which impacted on the results, I mention a few this afternoon:

•  Our concerns about the machinery of the EOJ for this election, which I had mentioned earlier.
•  We acknowledge the level of funding which the opponent expended not only on their campaign but directly targeting voters in certain constituencies.

But apart from these considerations, it is important that we focus on reviewing the elements over which the Party had direct control.

The Party has agreed to assemble a multi-disciplinary team to assess the performance of the Party.  More importantly, the team will be required to present clear recommendations, which will impact on the organisation overall and specifically on preparations for upcoming elections.

The Appraisal Committee has been established.  The target is to have a final report for review in early December.

Comrades the lessons from the election will only become ‘lessons learned' if we move immediately to implement the recommendations, which are driven by the assessment of our experience.

We will await the results of the appraisal report before we speak definitively about next steps.  But ahead of that report there are some things we all know. 

While we were making significant strides in building a modern Jamaica over the eighteen years in government, we now need to turn attention to our efforts to transform our political organisation. 

I anticipate that now we are going to have to focus on a few critical areas.

•  We must revive and make relevant our political education programme. All our Party Workers, our Group Members need to be clear on the principles that prompted the founding of our great movement.

Our Workers, must be informed about global issues and how they affect the decisions we must take.  Armed with this knowledge, workers in the field will be more effective in communicating our message.

•  We must introduce a leadership development programme, targeting not only top Leadership such as officers and Party Executive; but also delegates. You, our delegates are a critically important part of our leadership team.

•  We will need to reaffirm that we are Party for all people. When Norman Manley spoke at the Ward Theatre, sixty-nine years ago, on September 18, 1938, he explained that "it is called the People's Party because it will unswervingly aim at all those measures, which will serve the masses of the country".

However he went on to explain that it was equally important that it is also ‘national' because if we are to move our country forward, and I quote, "it must be by developing the idea of Jamaica as a national whole".

To honour this vision and the work of those who went before us, we must broaden the base of our membership. No one group in our society, regardless of gender, race, class, or age should ever feel excluded from our movement. 

We are a Party born of the clear commitment to creating alliances among social classes and Jamaicans of all colour; committed to including the young and the old; determined to embrace the energies and the creative talents of both men and women.  We are a Party of inclusion. That is why Norman Manley said we should "go from the intellectual at the university to the barefoot boy but we should make him (her) feel welcome in our party."

•  This election gave us yet another opportunity to open our doors to individuals and interest groups, to bring in new blood - persons who were prepared not only to agree with our philosophy but also to carry it effectively to the voters.

We are going to have to make every effort to ensure that those who have joined us recently are as welcome as those who have served the movement for many years

•  We must ensure that our Party Groups are not only about achieving constituency recognition and delegate status but also about carrying the work and the message of the Party into communities.

Our Group Members, our Individual Members and our volunteers must all be involved in the active and ongoing enumeration effort, and undertaking canvass of voters, staying connected to those in their community. 

•  We must revisit the management of our Party Organisation, to ensure that it is consistent with current management practices for any large organisation. We need to improve our systems, ensuring an effective headquarters operation.

Our central operations must be better positioned to evaluate the strength of our organisation at the national, regional, constituency, and divisional levels. 

We must be up to the task of designing and implementing technical assistance, workshops and seminars to address challenges.

•  For the constituencies that were not successful, we will need to determine if the candidate is committed to remaining to build the Party presence.
•  We acknowledge that these caretakers will need options to be able to sustain political work. As a movement we will need to sit and determine how we can approach this.
•  Finally our policy review and development team must be strengthened so that we provide the critical support to our Parliamentarians. The team must feed to our Parliamentarians and Councillors the policy and programme options which are guided by the feedback from our Party members.

Our achievements

As I said earlier, we have a proud record of achievements.  What we did not do was to tell our story, as Norman Manley did when the foundations were laid for a stable political, democratic society, and as Michael Manley did when we experienced a transformation of the social fabric of our country.  As P.J. Patterson did in laying the foundation of the quality society to which we remain committed today.

We have added to nation building in the last fifteen years, by ensuring a solid economic framework for growth and the physical and social infrastructure which would attract investment and ensure sustainable development. 

Much of the other people's campaign was spent telling the nation that we had done nothing that we had squandered the 18 years in office.  Of course, this was not true. They will be kept busy doing a number of things we had, just coming off the drawing board.

Let them understand that they are not our masters but our servants, we are going to hold him to the oath he took. It is not over yet. (Repeated 3x)   

Comrades, we have never been a Party to fool the voters with reasons to vote for us.  Each time we went to the electorate we made commitments.  We presented a manifesto in which we shared our vision, the direction we were moving the country in and the policies and programmes we would be implementing.  Comrades, check our record.  We promised, we delivered, and we were delivering.

• The People's National Party has been an effective government. We can say that without any fear of contradiction. We have taken Jamaica through many storms, not just the natural disasters, but events such as the fallout of the financial sector.

These would have rendered any government helpless, but we kept our focus on the protection of the majority and the growth of our economy.

• At the end of eighteen years we have a stable economy, a stable dollar. We promised all Jamaicans a stable economy and we have delivered.
• When we came into office not only did we have the albatross of the International Monetary Fund hanging around our neck; we had ongoing uncertainty about critical imports.

Sixteen years ago, our supplier of crude oil would sail into Jamaican waters drop anchor off our shores, and wait for notification from their home office that the monies for the oil had been transferred into their account.  We promised an end to the IMF borrowing relationships and we delivered.

• Today the reason why we have so many successful and expanding local firms who have overseas franchises is in part a testimony of their entrepreneurship.

However, without the stability of the dollar, without our policies that door of opportunity would not have opened. We promised expanded opportunities for local entrepreneurs and we delivered.

• The strides we have made in telecommunications based on the liberalization of the industry. We fought even my husband while he was President of Cable and Wireless. We have revolutionized the way we communicate, work, teach, learn and do business.

This is all part of our deliberate effort to prepare our country for global competition.  We promised and we delivered; a modernised telecommunication sector as a gateway to more jobs.

• And while on the subject of improving communications infrastructure, we can talk about the new highways. The new highways do not mean just shorter travel time. They mean that there are more options for where we live, where we work. The nature of the infrastructure in Jamaica led the investors to decide to invest here in Jamaica.

Importantly, on the north coast, the new highways mean that the increased tourist coming off the cruise ships will venture further, see more of Jamaica, and spend more during their short stopovers. 

We have employers of farm workers who used to come to Jamaica to see where the workers lived - their only complaint was the poor quality of our roads.

We were clear that the ‘road to development is the development of roads' that is why we have since 2002 focused on creating a first class major road network. 

We promised expanded opportunities for investment through improved infrastructure and we have delivered.

• If you have not been to our two international airports recently, you have a pleasant surprise waiting. Our two international airports are now truly befitting of our former Prime Ministers after whom they are named.

We promised better facilities to support the growth of our tourism industry and to ensure that our citizens have world class facility when they travel to and from Jamaica and we have delivered. 

• It has been such a long time; some people have forgotten the disgraceful public transportation system that existed in the corporate area. You would put your child on the bus with a very heavy heart.

Today a mother of a child with a disability can put her child on a bus and send her or him off to school with confidence.  This is possible because we have an improved bus system and dedicated buses for persons with disability.  This is what we mean when speak about a quality society.  

We promised and we delivered an improved public transportation system.

• Let us talk about universities. A comrade told me she went to university overseas because there was no space in the only University we had in Jamaica, twenty years ago. Today, there are four Universities and several of our Teacher's Colleges are now providing degree programmes.

You can study part time with Universities not located in Jamaica.  We promised and we delivered improved access to tertiary education opportunities.

• We placed increased emphasis on early childhood education. It is not that only that our young students will perform better when they enter secondary levels, as a result of a better base, but the early childhood intervention will help to reduce as well anti-social behaviour, which is directly linked to levels of violence.

We promised quality early childhood education and we were delivering.

• When we came into office, there was a severe housing deficit. We dared to dream of one single project that would construct 10,000 homes for middle income earners.

We promised and we delivered.  Today Greater Portmore and its environs are part of a thriving city.

Comrades the responsibility of ensuring that we remind them of our achievements lies primarily with you and with me.  We are to be the vanguards of our past achievements.

There are people in this country who will remove the stamp of Norman Washington Manley, Michael Manley, PJ Patterson to Portia Simpson Miller. I will not allow them to remove the stamp of Edward Seaga. We must own our achievements. Tell our story. Talk about the base we have laid for ongoing prosperity.

Take ownership of the many projects, which we have negotiated and initiated.  Some are under construction.   Several are to be completed shortly. 

Take ownership, least they forget, these were the dreams of the People's National Party, remind them:

•  When there is the official opening of the ultra modern transport centre in Half way tree; - We are going to remind them of PNP work.
•  When each phase of both airports are completed and opened;-we are going to remind them.
•  When the Palmyra Hotel is completed, they begin to hire full time staff and open their doors to their first visitors;- We are going to remind them.
•  When the National Housing Trust initiative for housing for tourism workers comes on stream, go back and look at our Manifesto;- We are going to remind them.
• When the dual language-training programme, spearheaded by the Spanish Foundation comes on stream. We signed off on that agreement months ago;- We are going to remind them.
•  When Phase 5 of the expansion of the Port is completed and we have doubled our capacity;- We are going to remind them.
• When we commission the major water supply projects in both south and north Clarendon;- We are going to remind them.
•  When the National Disability Act is passed, ensuring the rights of all persons with disabilities;- We are going to remind them.
•  When the Spanish Hotels begin to offer employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, own it. We signed that agreement months ago and had begun implementation.
•  When work on the Yahllas Bridge is completed and people no longer need to worry how they will get to work when there are heavy rains. We are going to remind them.

Comrades these and many more will underscore that we were on the right path. Comrades we were on course to becoming a developed nation state. 

Effective Opposition

The JLP opposed all development projects, as they were being designed, and as they were being implemented.  That is how the JLP has seen its role in the Opposition.  Many of you will not know that it was the JLP that objected when we proposed to construct a National Stadium, I wonder where we would be as a sporting nation if the then Premier, Norman Manley had not forged ahead and built that Stadium. 

The JLP voiced their opposition, questioned our wisdom when the highway 2000 Project was launched. I wonder where we would be today if not for those highways. 

• Would there have been all those hotels on the north coast?
• Would there plans for a Harmony Cove project?
• Would be able to final move forward on our plans for Vernamfield.

Let me remind you that they questioned the wisdom of the construction of the Half Way Tree Transportation Centre, but they will, I am certain, be more than anxious to lead the opening of that centre in late October when construction is completed within budget and on time.

They objected to the use of J$5B from the National Housing Trust fund, to ensure the transformation of our education system.  I wonder what they will say when years from now when we have the thousands of first class graduates from our educational institutions ready to compete in a global environment. 

They objected to the use of J$1B from the National Insurance Fund, to provide necessary financial support to operators of small enterprises, who needed low cost capital to ensure the sustainability and growth of their businesses. 

The critics did not understand that while we must invest wisely so that our pensioners would receive their benefit, it is equally important to support economic empowerment and thereby reduce dependency on state benefits.

Comrades, we are mindful of the level of victimisation, which reigned following the JLP victory in 1980.  We hold Mr. Golding to his commitment to prevent victimisation.  We are not going to stand idly by and allow this to happen again.  

We will be watching to see whether or not public servants are reassigned to work in ‘Siberia' that is what the JLP did in the 1980s, put some of our brightest minds in the ‘deep freeze'

When the People's National Party took office in 1989 our then Party Leader, Hon. Michael Manley made it clear, he would have none of that.  We held firm during our 18 years as government, and we do so now, that no individual should be displaced solely based on perceived or known political allegiance.

We will remain firm in defending the rights of the people.  We will do it in Parliament, we will do it in the Parish Councils, in the communities, and finally in the courts if necessary.  It is surprising that a man who took his oath before the ink could dry he was giving instructions to one of his candidates to violate the rights of citizens. This is why we will pursue matters such as the 271 voters in South East St. Mary who have a constitutional right to have the votes they cast counted. 

We are going to hold the government accountable.  You and I have their list of promises.  We added it up, just seven of their many promises - and comrades there were many - have a total cost per annum of J$25.8B.

I am going to remind us today of some of the more important promises:

The now Minister of Transport and Works promised to roll back the Portmore toll to J$30.  I know he is going to say he did not indicate when he would that, but let us be clear that the toll already has a subsidy built in and that there is an application for an increase which is now pending.  It will cost J$58M per month for the people of Jamaica.

They promised free education. Now we hear its free tuition. We are holding them to the promises of free education. We would have loved if we could have provided free education, but we focused on both balancing the budget and people's lives.  All Jamaicans must now demand free education.

They have promised to remove health fees.  This is going to cost another J$1.7B per year.  We the People's National Party would certainly like to be able to offer free health care for all Jamaicans. Which government would not? 

But then we were responsible and we had to ask ourselves the other question, which government can? 

When you take away 15% of the University Hospital's income, because they collect just over J$600M per year. What does that mean for the quality of the health care they can provide? We are watching and are demanding free hospital care for all.

They promised double pay for teachers and police;- we must demand these.

The one that I know all Members of Parliament are looking forward to is their share of the annual budget, that is going to cost us an additional J$9B. 

We have already set up a broad-based group in South West St. Andrew, because if I understand this, we will be getting J$150M per annum to undertake work in our Constituency. I have asked all my members of Parliament to prepare their development plans for the expenditure of this J$150m. 

I ask my Constituency Caretakers, because this is taxpayers money, so you are to demand transparency.

We intend to be very strong. I believe it is very possible for us to be an Opposition, which will contribute to the ongoing building of the nation, while at the same time preparing to yet again lead Jamaica as its government.

We will not let anything that seems not be in the best interest of the Jamaican people, go unchallenged.   And already there are two important questions to be raised.

When P.J. Patterson had his Cabinet, everyday you heard complaints. I wonder where are those voices today.  Actually, we hear some of those same voices saying that a Cabinet with 18 is workable.  When I succeeded him I reduced the size to 14.

I only heard condemnation when I named a 13 person Cabinet down from the 15 Cde. Patterson had.

I need an explanation for the 18 member Cabinet and who will pay them.

The gentleman said he was going to have a lean Cabinet.

In fact, both Comrade Patterson and myself were mindful of the Nettleford and the Orane reports, which spoke to the need to reduce the size of Government and that this needed to begin with the size of the Cabinet.

In addition to eighteen Ministers, the JLP has named eleven Ministers of State and two Parliamentary Secretaries. 

Now, comrades we are all for inclusion, but a total of 31 persons?   Each one will have an Executive Assistant, driver and more.

Comrades if we look at it carefully, and we relate the size of their Cabinet and supporting Ministers of State and Parliamentary Secretaries, this is the largest Executive Jamaica has had since 1962. 

Comrades 90% of their elected Members of Parliament, including the Speaker of the House form the Executive. They don't have much of backbench.

My God they are going to tell you that this is what you voted for. As we campaigned we tried to warn many ‘do not to sell your vote'. 

Comrades I want to take a moment and speak on one of the most offensive things in their campaign - they regarded Comrade Patterson as a gardener despite his distinguished career as a lawyer and me as a maid.

You know why it is most offensive, is that they considered both of those positions to be demeaning tasks. What I resent about it is that the PNP ended the days of maids and had given respect to housekeepers, with established associations representing their rights. That to all of us the gardener and the housekeeper are important persons, they have critical jobs to do.

Comrades, there is nothing wrong with being a ‘servant'.  One of the things I recognized when I was Prime Minister is that I was a Servant Leader of our country and its citizens and not their Master.

Yes comrades, I think all Jamaica heard when the JLP promised jobs for all. But I just do not think that we understood that it would be jobs for themselves. But I just do not think that we understood that it would be jobs for their own MP's and their friends - not for the rest of Jamaica.

So then we want to know how much all of them going to cost. I have a question that I am going to put to you as a government that has just been named and the shameless decision of the Government.

We question the probity of a Minister with responsibility for Finance being paid by a financial institution, which he must supervise and regulate.  He who pays the piper calls the tune.  I have nothing personal against Senator Wehby but this goes to the heart of transparency of our Government.

We warned Jamaica that this country would be placed technically in the hands of vested interest.

I know there is much speculation about the names of the Party's spokesperson and those who will be named to the Senate.  We are not naming any eighteen persons to shadow an 18-person cabinet.  We are not endorsing what they have done.

We don't need four people to do two persons jobs.  The need four to do the job of Comrade Omar Davies and Comrade Fitz Jackson.

I am going to ensure that in both our Senate and our ‘cabinet' we will to have a blend of the experienced, youth and energy.  Of course you can trust me there will true gender balance.

Let me remind you comrades, this part of this election is not over yet.  I wish Harry Douglas well with counting, DK Duncan with the magisterial recount; Cde. Dabdoub with his matter in court.

As I close comrades I am reminded of something our founding father, Norman Washington Manley said in 1967.  It is appropriate today and it sets the framework within which we will be operating.  I quote:

"The opposition must maintain a visible leadership; it must renew its strength with young faces and present the reality of an appearance of being capable of tackling the job.  It must also maintain a lively organization, it must be seen and heard and felt in every corner of the land, in the village the voice and leadership of the Party must be heard and felt. In the town, it must maintain a constant activity.  Among the workers and in the trade union field it must offer constructive leadership... in short all classes, all groups have an interest and must be constantly remembered, thought of and cared for."

And so my Comrades, let us go forward from this place, strong and proud of our great Party and the role we have played in holding its flag high.  Together, we will continue to build our Party, and continue to serve the people of Jamaica well. As we have done consistently over sixty-nine years, we will not only survive and grow stronger.  We will break new ground and set new standards of excellence and ethics in the politics of our country. We are united.  We are strong. And we will overcome present challenges and again emerge victorious!

Travel safely. May God bless you and keep you in His love!
***
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