KINGSTON, Jamaica – President of the People’s National Party Portia Simpson Miller appar­ent­ly left no stones unturned dur­ing her address at the 77^th PNP annu­al con­fer­ence as she reeled off the accom­plish­ments of her admin­is­tra­tion since tak­ing office.

The par­ty leader and prime min­is­ter detailed what she called progress in edu­ca­tion, econ­o­my, health, labour and sev­er­al oth­er sec­tors while speak­ing to the faith­ful at the National Arena in Kingston, today.

She used the plat­form to send a clear mes­sage to the Opposition, Jamaica Labour Party, and in no uncer­tain terms told them to “shut up” because the PNP’s record shows per­for­mance, man­age­ment and leadership.

“I hear some peo­ple say noth­ing is hap­pen­ing, we are not gen­er­at­ing employ­ment. What were you doing when you held the posi­tion that I am now in?” Simpson Miller charged.

Among the achieve­ments list­ed, was the cre­ation of 60,000 jobs under the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP).

“I will be the first to tell you that the employ­ment lev­els are not yet where we want them to be, there are still too many per­sons unem­ployed, includ­ing our youth,” said Simpson Miller. “One thing is clear, we are mov­ing in the right direction.”

The par­ty pres­i­dent said the PNP is secur­ing a bet­ter future for Jamaica.

She insist­ed that busi­ness con­fi­dence has improved, while also prais­ing Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips for his han­dling of the econ­o­my. Simpson Miller said the coun­try is attract­ing for­eign direct investment.

“…Those who say we are doing noth­ing, come talk to me, because when you were here, you left noth­ing for us to show that you did,” she continued.

Simpson-Miller charged: “Don’t talk to us about progress. Don’t talk to us about work. We are work­ers, we are per­form­ers; we get the job done.”

The par­ty pres­i­dent said in her more than 90-minute pre­sen­ta­tion that the par­ty stands on its record of per­for­mance and renews its mis­sion to move Jamaica “for­ward, onward and upward”.

“If it is a moun­tain, we have climbed it,” a jubi­lant Simpson Miller said. “If it is a riv­er, we have crossed it.

“If it is a test, we have passed it,” she con­tin­ued. “If it is a race, we have won it and when I call it, we will win it!”
Portia touts PNP accom­plish­ments, tells JLP ‘shut up’