Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller (born 12 December 1945) is a Jamaican politician. She served as
Prime Minister of Jamaica
The prime minister of Jamaica is Jamaica's head of government, currently Andrew Holness. Holness, as leader of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), was sworn in as prime minister on 7 September 2020, having been re-elected as a result of ...
from March 2006 to September 2007 and again from 5 January 2012 to 3 March 2016. She was the leader of the
People's National Party
The People's National Party (PNP) is a Social democracy, social-democratic List of political parties in Jamaica, political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by independence campaigner Osmond Theodore Fairclough. It holds 14 of the 63 seats in ...
from 2005 to 2017 and the
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
twice, from 2007 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2017.
While serving as Prime Minister, Simpson-Miller retained the positions of Minister of Defence, Development, Information and Sports. She has also served as Minister of Labour, Social Security and Sport, Minister of Tourism and Sports and Minister of Local Government throughout her political career. Following her election win in
December 2011, when her party defeated the
Jamaica Labour Party
The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is one of the two major political parties in Jamaica, the other being the People's National Party (PNP). While its name might suggest that it is a social democratic party (as is the case for "Labour" parties in seve ...
, she became the second individual since independence to have served non-consecutive terms as prime minister, the first having been
Michael Manley
Michael Norman Manley (10 December 1924 – 6 March 1997) was a Jamaican politician who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1972 to 1980 and from 1989 to 1992. Manley championed a democratic socialist program, and has been d ...
. The People's National Party under her leadership lost the
25 February 2016 general election by only one seat to the
Andrew Holness
Andrew Michael Holness, (born 22 July 1972) is a Jamaican politician who has been the Prime Minister of Jamaica since 3 March 2016, following the 2016 Jamaican general election. Holness previously served as prime minister from October 2011 to ...
-led
Jamaica Labour Party
The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is one of the two major political parties in Jamaica, the other being the People's National Party (PNP). While its name might suggest that it is a social democratic party (as is the case for "Labour" parties in seve ...
.
One political commentator described the poll as "the closest election Jamaica has ever had". Following this defeat, Simpson-Miller stepped down in 2017.
Simpson-Miller was ranked by ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' as one if the
100 most influential people in the world in 2012.
In 2011, she was named Person of the Year by ''
The Gleaner
''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...
'' and ''
Observer
An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment.
Observer may also refer to:
Computer science and information theory
* In information theory, any system which receives information from an object
* State observer in con ...
''.
Political career
Simpson-Miller was
elected in 1976 to the
Parliament of Jamaica
The Parliament of Jamaica is the legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. It consists of three elements: The Crown (represented by the Governor-General), the appointed Senate and the directly elected House of Representatives.
The S ...
, to represent the constituency of South West
St. Andrew Parish, as a member of the
People's National Party
The People's National Party (PNP) is a Social democracy, social-democratic List of political parties in Jamaica, political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by independence campaigner Osmond Theodore Fairclough. It holds 14 of the 63 seats in ...
. The PNP boycotted
the elections called in 1983. She was re-elected to the same seat
in a later election, and served as Minister of Labour, Welfare and Sports from 1989 to 1993. She was Minister of Labour and Welfare from 1993 to 1995, Minister of Labour, Social Security and Sports from 1995 to February 2000, Minister of Tourism and Sports from February 2000 to October 2002, and Minister of Local Government and Sport since October 2002.
She served as vice president of the PNP from 1978 to 2006, when she became its president. In the PNP's internal vote to elect
P. J. Patterson's successor, held on 26 February 2006, she received 1,775 votes, while her nearest rival, then security minister Dr. Peter Phillips, took 1,538 votes. She garnered approximately 47% of the delegates' vote, making her the first PNP president to be elected by less than half of eligible delegates. In July 2008, Simpson-Miller was challenged for the presidency of the PNP by Phillips. The election was held among the party's delegates on 20 September. She was re-elected as the head of the PNP for her second consecutive year, defeating him by an even wider margin than that of the previous election.
Prime minister
Simpson-Miller replaced Patterson as prime minister on 30 March 2006, becoming the first female head of government of the nation and the third in the Anglophone Caribbean, following
Eugenia Charles
Dame Mary Eugenia Charles, (15 May 1919 – 6 September 2005) was a Dominican politician who was Prime Minister of Dominica from 21 July 1980 until 14 June 1995. The first female lawyer in Dominica, she was Dominica's first, and to date only, fe ...
of
Dominica
Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
and
Janet Jagan
Janet Rosenberg Jagan (October 20, 1920 – March 28, 2009) was a U.S.-born Guyanese politician who served as the President of Guyana, serving from December 19, 1997, to August 11, 1999. She was the first female President of Guyana. She previou ...
of
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
. In organising the cabinet following her swearing-in, she assumed the portfolio of
defence minister
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
.
2007 elections
On 3 September 2007, Simpson-Miller's party narrowly lost
the general election, retaining 27 seats against the
Jamaica Labour Party
The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is one of the two major political parties in Jamaica, the other being the People's National Party (PNP). While its name might suggest that it is a social democratic party (as is the case for "Labour" parties in seve ...
's 33 seats. This margin was revised to 32–28 after recounts and an election petition decision concerning the eligibility of a government MP who had
dual citizenship
Multiple/dual citizenship (or multiple/dual nationality) is a legal status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a national or citizen of more than one country under the laws of those countries. Conceptually, citizenship is focused on ...
. This election ended 18 years of PNP rule, and
Bruce Golding
Orette Bruce Golding (born 5 December 1947) is a former Jamaican politician who served as eighth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 11 September 2007 to 23 October 2011. He is a member of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), which he led from 2005 to h ...
became the new prime minister.
The loss can in part be attributed to a well planned and executed campaign by the JLP. A part of their campaign strategy was a media blitz that claimed to highlight 18 years of neglect under the PNP and the incompetence of Simpson-Miller as a leader. One advertisement highlighted the deplorable conditions in Simpson-Miller's own constituency of South West St. Andrew while others were created from controversial interviews and still others discussed issues surrounding her competence as a leader.
Simpson-Miller initially refused to concede defeat, alleging voting irregularities and the possibility that recounts would change the final result. The
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States (OAS; es, Organización de los Estados Americanos, pt, Organização dos Estados Americanos, french: Organisation des États américains; ''OEA'') is an international organization that was founded on 30 April ...
issued a statement declaring the election free and fair. "I believe this election can stand international scrutiny," said OAS assistant secretary-general
Albert Ramdin
Albert Ramchand Ramdin (born 27 February 1958) is a Surinamese diplomat serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs (Suriname), Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet of Suriname, Santokhi cabinet since 16 July 2020. He is a member of the Progress ...
, who led a team of international observers who monitored the election. She conceded defeat on 5 September. On 11 September, Simpson Miller was succeeded as prime minister by JLP leader
Bruce Golding
Orette Bruce Golding (born 5 December 1947) is a former Jamaican politician who served as eighth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 11 September 2007 to 23 October 2011. He is a member of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), which he led from 2005 to h ...
. In 2011, Golding resigned, making way for
Andrew Holness
Andrew Michael Holness, (born 22 July 1972) is a Jamaican politician who has been the Prime Minister of Jamaica since 3 March 2016, following the 2016 Jamaican general election. Holness previously served as prime minister from October 2011 to ...
to become the 9th Prime Minister of Jamaica.
2011 election
![Portia and PJ and Wykeham](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Portia_and_PJ_and_Wykeham.jpg)
On 5 December 2011, Holness asked the
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
,
Sir Patrick Allen
Sir Patrick Linton Allen (born 7 February 1951) is a Jamaican statesman and former Seventh-day Adventist pastor, who has served as the 6th and current governor-general of Jamaica since 26 February 2009.
The fourth of five children in a fami ...
, to dissolve parliament and call an election, despite the fact that elections were not constitutionally necessary until September 2012. The date of the
2011 election was set as 29 December and major local media outlets viewed the election as "too close to call". However, as Simpson-Miller campaigned in key constituencies, the gap widened to favour the PNP. Days before the election, Simpson-Miller came out fully in favour of
LGBT rights
Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality.
Notably, , 33 ...
in a televised debate, sparking an eleventh-hour controversy ahead of the vote.
In early vote counting on 29 December, it was apparent that the PNP was winning a large number of swing constituencies. By evening, the ''
Jamaica Observer
''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...
'' had declared 41 of 63 constituencies for the PNP. The election results were officially declared by the Electoral Office on 5 January and, upon the request of the Governor General, Simpson-Miller formed the new Jamaican government.
In the
2011 Jamaican general election, the number of seats had been increased to 63, and the PNP swept to power with a landslide 42 seats to the JLP's 21. The voter turnout was 53.17%.
2016 elections
In the
2016 Jamaican general election on 25 February, Simpson-Miller lost to
Andrew Holness
Andrew Michael Holness, (born 22 July 1972) is a Jamaican politician who has been the Prime Minister of Jamaica since 3 March 2016, following the 2016 Jamaican general election. Holness previously served as prime minister from October 2011 to ...
by a narrow margin that resulted in a recount, which granted the PNP an additional seat, resulting in a one-seat loss; the PNP won 31 seats to the JLP's 32.
As a result, Simpson-Miller became Opposition Leader for a second time. The voter turnout dipped below 50% for the first time, registering just 48.37%.
Following calls from within her own party for her to step down as party leader, Simpson-Miller announced she would not seek re-election on 4 December 2016. She was replaced by
Peter Phillips
Peter Mark Andrew Phillips (born 15 November 1977) is a British businessman and the son of Anne, Princess Royal, and Captain Mark Phillips. He is the eldest nephew of King Charles III, and 17th in the line of succession to the British throne.
...
, the Shadow Minister of Finance and former rival, on 26 March 2017. She stepped down as an MP in June 2017.
Political positions
Simpson-Miller supports
Jamaican republicanism, and has endorsed replacing the
Jamaican monarchy with an elected president. Simpson-Miller has reportedly pledged to transform Jamaica into a republic as part of the 50th anniversary of the island's independence. Simpson-Miller has occasionally been labeled as a
populist
Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...
.
After ambivalence during her first term in office, Simpson-Miller became the first head of government in Jamaican history to formally endorse civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens during an election campaign.
[ Simpson-Miller noted during an election debate that she "has no problem giving certain positions of authority to a homosexual as long as they show the necessary level of competence for the post." She expressed that equality within a nation for all people is of utmost importance. During her premiership, Simpson-Miller received some scrutiny from foreign LGBT organisations and commentators following the ]murder of Dwayne Jones
Dwayne Jones was a Jamaican 16-year-old boy who was killed by a violent mob in Montego Bay in 2013, after he attended a dance party dressed in women's clothing. The incident attracted national and international media attention and brought incre ...
for what they saw as lack of action by her government against anti-homosexual violence despite her pledge to improve conditions for LGBT Jamaicans.
Personal life
In 1998, Simpson married Errald Miller, a business executive and former CEO of Cable & Wireless Jamaica Ltd. On 29 May 2006 she was vested with the Jamaican Order of the Nation
The Order of the Nation is a Jamaican honour. It is a part of the Jamaican honours system and was instituted in 1973 as the second-highest honour in the country, with the Order of National Hero being the highest honour.
The Order of the Nation ...
, giving her (and her husband) the title "The Most Honourable".
Simpson-Miller is also known as "Sista P" or "Mama P".
Education
Simpson-Miller holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Administration, and also Certificates in Public Relations and Advanced Management from the Union Institute & University
Union Institute & University (UI&U) is a private university in Cincinnati, Ohio. It specializes in limited residence and distance learning programs. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and operates satellite campuses ...
of Cincinnati, Ohio. She also completed the Executive Programme for Leaders in Development at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Prime Minister Simpson Miller was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the Union Institute and an honorary doctorate in public service from the Northern Caribbean University
Northern Caribbean University (NCU) is a private, liberal-arts institution owned and operated by the Jamaica Union Conference (JAMU) and the Atlantic Caribbean Union Mission (ACUM) of Seventh-day Adventists, and is located in Jamaica. With its ma ...
.
Honours
*Simpson-Miller was ranked by ''Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' as one if the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012.
*Simpson-Miller was named Person of the Year by ''The Gleaner
''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...
'' and ''Observer'' in the Gleaner awards 2011.[Chaplin, Ken]
"Portia Simpson Miller: Person of the Year"
''Jamaica Observer'', 3 January 2012.
Simpson-Miller is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders
The Council of Women World Leaders, created in 1996, is a network of 83 current and former presidents and prime ministers. It is the only organization in the world dedicated to women heads of state and government. The council's Ministerial Initia ...
, an international network of current and former female presidents and prime ministers.
Simpson-Miller, in 2013, was elected Vice-President of Socialist International
The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations. ...
following a conference in Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
, South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
.
See also
* Cabinet of Jamaica
The Cabinet of the Government of Jamaica is the ultimate decision-making body of the executive within the Westminster system of government in traditional constitutional theory. The Cabinet of Jamaica is the principal instrument of government poli ...
* Women in the House of Representatives of Jamaica
Jamaica is the first English-speaking country in the Caribbean to achieve universal adult suffrage and grant women the right to be elected to Parliament. Between 1944 and 2020, a total of 47 women have been elected as members of the House of Repr ...
* Skard, Torild (2014) Portia Simpson-Miller, ''Women of Power - Half a century of female presidents and prime ministers worldwide'' Bristol: Policy Press. .
References
External links
Official Profile
Extended profile
Update on the Jamaican Economy
from the Center for Economic and Policy Research
The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) is a progressive American think tank that specializes in economic policy. Based in Washington, D.C. CEPR was co-founded by economists Dean Baker and Mark Weisbrot in 1999.
Considered a left-lea ...
, May 2012
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson-Miller, Portia
1945 births
20th-century British women politicians
21st-century British women politicians
21st-century Jamaican politicians
21st-century Jamaican women politicians
Female defence ministers
Female heads of government
Government ministers of Jamaica
Jamaican republicans
Living people
Members of the House of Representatives of Jamaica
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Jamaican members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
People from Saint Catherine Parish
People's National Party (Jamaica) politicians
Prime Ministers of Jamaica
Defence ministers of Jamaica
Tourism ministers of Jamaica
Recipients of the Order of the Nation
Women opposition leaders
Women prime ministers
Women government ministers of Jamaica