Patterson

THE PEOPLE'S National Party's (PNP) campaign motorcade, led by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, wound its way around eastern parishes earlier this week.

"From Church Corner to Golden Grove," he told the sugar producing community of Golden Grove, St. Thomas, on Monday evening, "PNP ready!"

A massive tailback of vehicles waited patiently behind their leader, as he addressed the orange-clad crowd. Cars, trucks, buses and motorbikes had been linking up with the tour since early that afternoon. All dressed in orange, the supporters crammed into the back of pick-ups as Mr. Patterson made a bee-line for Monday evening's mass meeting in Manchioneal, Portland.

School children still in uniform stood in large curious groups at Hector's River as Portland welcomed Mr. Patterson across the border with St. Thomas, and scores of vehicles pulled into the already giant caterpillar trail.

"When I remember where we are coming from," Mr. Patterson told an audience in Golden Grove just an hour before crossing into Portland, "how sugar workers use to live in barracks, that is why we are building houses for sugar workers so they can live together in peace and dignity."

Solidarity and peace were recurring themes for Mr. Patterson as he addressed communities in St. Thomas, Portland and St. Mary on Monday and Tuesday.

His message of peace has been woven with subtle accusations.

"Resist all provocation," he told Golden Grovers. "Don't let them come in here and frighten you. When they are passing by give them the sign of peace and tell them to go on their way because on the night of the 16th we shall be rejoicing."

INCLUSIONARY FRAMEWORK

Land and housing advances, in particular, have been trumpeted by Mr. Patterson as inclusive of all sections of society.

"When I distribute land, I don't differentiate between Labourites and PNP," he had told Morant Bay supporters on Monday. "Because everybody has to live somewhere and everybody wants a piece of land they can call their own."

Development has also proven to be a linchpin of this motorcade across rural areas often associated with poverty. At Golden Grove, he told the canefield community that "we are going to modernise the sugar industry."

"We will need to be more productive, make more sugar and make more people get to work," he said.

"We have to train our young people not only in reading, writing and arithmetic, important though those are, we have to give them access to computer technology," he said.

"In the next term," he promised, brimming with self-assurance, "we are going to make sure every school is equipped with a computer and eventually every classroom will have its own computer."

"Power!" they shouted in reply, and merely sent the orange carnival on its way to Manchioneal.