BURCHELL Whiteman and Maureen Webber came under intense pressure in the weeks leading up to the People's National Party (PNP) presidential election on February 25 last year.

Whiteman, then the party's General Secretary and Information Minister, had a tough time keeping the four candidates on a leash. At one stage, he stepped in to cool heads after Foreign Affairs Minister K.D. Knight, a supporter of Dr. Peter Phillips, verbally abused Portia Simpson Miller during a rally in St. Thomas.

Whiteman, a former parliamen-tarian and Education Minister, is currently Jamaica's High Com-missioner to Britain. In January, he told The Gleaner that the PNP was still recovering from post-election stress.

"The election was challenging. I would have wanted it to be less acrimonious and perhaps to have a shorter period of campaigning," he said. "It was pretty intense and left some wounds which I feel are substantially healed."

Maureen Webber, 50, felt the heat as charges and counter-charges of bribery came from the four camps. It was her job to maintain trust among the candidates and delegates, which she said was her most demanding task.

"It was a good experience, I learnt a lot and have no regrets," Ms. Webber told The Sunday Gleaner recently.

She resigned as deputy general secretary in March. There were rumours that she was to be appointed head of the National Housing Development Commission, but that never materialised. Ms. Webber is currently special adviser to Housing, Transport, Water and Works Minister, Robert Pickersgill.

Peter Phillips promised a new day for Jamaica and the PNP if he succeeded P.J. Patterson as Prime Minister and party president. His'Solid As a Rock' campaign seemed the most organised, but in the end, that was not enough to beat Portia Simpson Miller. Phillips got 1,538 votes, finishing second to Simpson Miller's 1,775.

Despite some harsh comments about the Simpson Miller camp by some of his colleagues, Phillips pledged his support for the new PM. He was reappointed as security minister and PNP vice-president, and is in charge of CARICOM's security for the Cricket World Cup.

Like Peter Phillips, Omar Davies has kept a low profile since the PNP presidential race ended. The Finance Minister, who campaigned on a promise to bring Jamaica up to First-World status, finished a disappointing third. His 'Campaign for Prosperity' was heavily backed by monied interests and gained the support of key Cabinet members, but only tallied 283 votes.

Mr. Davies was retained in the new Cabinet and is still Member of Parliament for South St. Andrew.

The dark horse in the PNP presidential field, Dr. Karl Blythe never got into the race and placed a distant fourth with 204 votes.

More disappointment was in store for the former water and housing minister following the polls. He was left out of the Simpson Miller Cabinet, and that sounded the death knell for his political career.

Recently, Blythe resigned as chairman of the Central Westmoreland constituency, a position he has held since 1985. He said he will serve as Member of Parliament for the area until the next general election.

Paul Robertson was one of the driving forces behind Dr. Peter Phillips's 'Solid As a Rock' campaign which came in second. A former minister of foreign affairs and minister of development, 'Dr. Paul' also masterminded the PNP's successful general election campaigns of 1997 and 2002.

There were doubts as to his position in the PNP when Portia Simpson Miller won the presidential race. But, four months after being sworn in as Prime Minister, she named the South East St. Catherine Member of Parliament as the party's campaign manager for the upcoming general election.

Along with Paul Robertson, Maxine Henry-Wilson was at the helm of National Security Minister Peter Phillips's presidential campaign. There was also a question mark beside her name when Simpson Miller won the internal poll, but she has retained her Cabinet position as Education Minister. Mrs. Henry-Wilson will run as Member of Parliament for South East St. Andrew in the next general election.

Foreign Affairs Minister, K.D. Knight was the fall guy in the aftermath of Peter Phillips's loss. Many pointed to his strong criticism of Portia Simpson Miller as the turning point in the elections. Mr. Knight, who also served as National Security Minister in P.J. Patterson's Cabinet, announced his resignation as minister shortly after the election.

He said he will step down as MP for East Central St. Catherine before the next general election to concentrate on his law practice.

Colin Campbell was the comeback kid of the PNP president's race. Seemingly out of favour with the party hierarchy after losing his parliamentary seat in the 2002 general election, Campbell returned to the fold and successfully ran the Simpson Miller campaign.

Last March, Campbell was named PNP general secretary and information minister by Simpson Miller. He was out in the cold again after Jamaica Labour Party leader Bruce Golding placed him at the forefront of the so-called Trafigura Scandal last October.