LEADER of the opposition People’s National Party (PNP) Portia Simpson Miller yesterday defended her stewardship in her South West St Andrew constituency, reeling off a list of achievements which she claimed her detractors had ignored.

Simpson Miller has faced harsh criticisms for not doing enough to eradicate poverty and to develop the impoverished communities in her constituency which includes sections of Greenwich Town, Delacree Park, Maxfield Avenue, Payne Avenue, sections of Spanish Town Road, Majesty Gardens and Whitfield Town.

However, appearing as a guest on the RJR’s weekly Sunday programme, Palav, she took credit for all the housing development in her constituency, the establishment of several green areas and play areas, contribution to sports development, the refurbishing of three training centres and the building of a health centre which occurred during her political reign.

“And there is something that I take pride in that you will never see. You can’t touch it but you will feel it later on and they will be a living testimony to my achievement in the constituency, that is my focus on education because I feel that education is the key and is critical,” she added while pointing out that she had assisted a number of young men and women, some of whom are now professionals, to attend universities and high schools.

“So they can criticise from outside but if you should go on tour with me in my constituency and look you will see my achievements,” Simpson Miller insisted. According to the Opposition Leader, she had also started the zinc fence removal programme in her constituency at Kid Lane in Whitfield Town before the Government took it up as a national project. She said a number of zinc fences were removed from communities in her constituency and several roads repaired.

But at the same time she blamed the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Government for not giving her enough funds to deal with the problems in her constituency, saying: “I can only do things in the constituency according to the allocation from Government.”

Nevertheless Simpson Miller said the upcoming election will best judge her performance in her constituency.

“They can criticise, but they can look on the (December) 29 whether the people in the constituency will not vote for Portia Simpson Miller, why they continue to vote for me. They know I work with them from my heart and it is not to look a vote, they know of my genuine concern,” she said.

In the meantime, the opposition leader has appealed to her supporters and those who support the JLP to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner during the upcoming election.