Garwin DavisSunday Gleaner Writer

In this January 2005 file photo Sally Porteous (foreground), deputy mayor of Mandeville along with Senator Dorothy Lightbourne (centre), Opposition spokesperson on legal and gender affairs; and Natalie Campbell-Rodriquez, councillor for Westchester Division Portmore speakat the Jamaica Labour Party Women United in Action press conference at the party's headquarter at 20 Belmont Road Kingston. Porteous is contesting the Central Manchester seat for the JLP in trhe upcoming election. - File

Only the Prime Minister knows for sure when the general election - consti-tutionally due by October 2007 - will be called.

However, for Mandeville's deputy mayor and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate for Central Manchester, Sally Porteous, whether it is today, tomorrow or next week, her approach remains the same.

She will not allow complacency to derail her quest to end the People's National Party's (PNP ) four-term reign in the constituency.

You see, for Porteous - former airline worker and director of Jamaica's Film Office under the Edward Seaga government - even a trek outside Central Manchester is considered wasted time, i.e. time that could be spent memorising the names and faces of people she is about to meet. Time that could be spent trying to convince wavering PNP supporters that her candidacy is for real and, as she puts it, "there is a better way forward."

"I don't like to be away from this constituency for too long," Porteous told The Sunday Gleaner on Wednesday. "I am just coming back from Kingston and I can't wait to get back home. Whatever it is that I am involved in, I put my heart and soul into it."

Same treatment

She continued: "We are all aware of the fact that Central Manchester has been in the hands of the PNP since 1989, but I do not allow that to affect my thinking or the manner in which I approach this campaign. I have a basic philosophy in that I treat everybody the same - whether you are PNP or JLP, it doesn't matter at all to me. It's all about what is best for this constituency and the vision I have for the future."

Porteous, who has been described by friends and foes as a 'firebrand' politician is no stranger to controversy. When she is not accusing the Mandeville police of heavy-handedness in their treatment of motorists, shecan be seen out there championing what she says are the "causes of poor, ordinary Jamaicans who are sometimes voiceless in a system that caters mostly for the well-to- do."

According to her: "I am all about representing people. I got into politics in the 1970s, and in 1979, I joined the JLP and became campaign manager for Stafford Haughton. As time went on, I realised that was where my heart was and have been involved ever since. I enjoy politics and the fact that it puts you in a position where you can serve your country and make a difference in the lives of people."

Vision for future

And her vision for the future?

"We can do a lot better than we are doing," she said. "There are areas in the constituency that look like the old slavery days. It is not that people don't want to work hard; it's just that the opportunities are not there. If you want to see neglect, just go through sections of Bellefield and Royal Flat."

She added: "The water situation is a major point of concern and has been stifling potential growth in Mandeville and surrounding areas. What investor would want to come into an area where the water supply is the way it is? Central Manchester deserves better! The constituency deserves to be an efficient, clean, well-run, place. How else can it prosper? How can it become anything in the future if it looks so dirty and dingy now? We need discipline and order; we need a cohesive plan."

No race factor

Does the fact that she is of Caucasian descent make her susceptible to the use of the race card?

"I have never had that experience in all my days in politics," she said. "People see me not for the colour of my skin but as a person that cares deeply about the issues."

And is she confident of victory? "I will only be confident after election night when my name is called," she quipped. "Until then, there is still a lot of work to be done."