Robert Lalah, Staff Reporter
People's National Party delegates at conference yesterday.
THE GROUNDS of the National Arena could barely contain the cornucopia of orange-clad Jamaicans who travelled from far and wide to attend the rescheduled 66th annual People's National Party (PNP) Conference yesterday.
From the wee hours of the morning, the enthused party loyalists started to converge upon the grounds of the national facility, intent on making the most of this once-a-year event.
Portly females donned in eye-catching altered T-shirts printed with pictures of various PNP personalities, made for an impromptu fashion show, bringing noticeable joy to scores of enthusiastic men. The women spared no effort. It seemed everything took on the colours of the party for at least one day: hair, scarves, shoes, hats, hair clips and of course, T-shirts.
Catchy slogans on T-shirts were indeed the order of the day. From 'Blythe is Right' to 'Peter, Solid as a Rock', the phrases were all over the place.
It was clear just by the dress of the crowd, that a hot contest was on. Yellow T-shirts with the words 'Team Portia' struggled for prominence amid a sea of 'One Love, Omar' and 'Phillips, Man of Action'. The supporters dressed in these slogan-bearing garments escorted the respective delegates as they entered the arena.
'JESUS LOVES THE PNP'
As the conference got off to a start, pulsating music blasting from large speaker boxes brought the crowd into a frenzy. Bodies of all shapes and sizes zigged and zagged to the beat of carefully-selected music. One song in particular, Lovindeer's Moving On The New Highway, stimulated a thunderous response from the animated crowd.
Rocking her body from left to right as the music took control of her, was 92-year-old Altilda Shakespeare: "I just love the PNP. Is my party long time and mi not going to stop. PNP from now till mi dead," said the elderly woman just before throwing her hands in the air and shouting: "Jesus loves PNP!"
Indeed, ageing bones were seemingly forgotten yesterday, as Mrs. Shakespeare was only one of scores of senior citizens, who not only turned up at the conference, but danced wildly to even the most recent local music.
Nothing, however, managed to stimulate a more energetic response from the crowd than the arrival of the prime minister. "We love P.J.!" shouted the crowd which surrounded the vehicle transporting Mr. Patterson, the second it entered the compound.
Roaring applause and deafening cheers permeated the air as the demure nation leader strolled through the doors of the jam-packed arena. The crowd struggled to get a touch of their beloved party leader as he made his way to the platform. With the prime minister's arrival, the stage was set for the race to officially get under way.
Patterson's 'to-do' list
PRIME MINISTER P.J. Patterson speaking at the annual conference of the People's National Party (PNP) at the National Arena last night listed what he would want to achieve before he demits office.
The prime minister, who is also party leader told delegates that he would like to accelerate transparency within the party to a level that it could not be reversed and see to it that the party takes a leading role lin all discussions of national, regional and global concerns.
He also said he would be endeavouring to make sure that elected representatives within the plarty are held accountable. Mr. Patterson said he regrets not having completed the constitutional changes that he had planned before the retirement of former Opposition Leader Edward Seaga. Mr. Patterson said he would be seeing to the complete transformation of the education system and the development of th ehuman resources of the country because in his view, there can be no progress if this is not done.
