Congrats to Sista P

Not a bad way for the year to end, with the election of another woman as leader of her country. So congratulations to new Jamaican prime minister Portia Simpson Miller, or Sista P as she is affectionately referred to for her folksy, plain-spoken style. Simpson Miller's People's National Party won a convincing victory on Thursday with 41 seats in parliament to 22 for its opponents, the Jamaican Labour Party.

Simpson Miller's supporters have always respected her as a woman who was born in rural poverty and grew up in a Kingston ghetto. "She cares about the ghetto people," said one young admirer after the victory.

She has her work cut out for her dealing with Jamaica's poverty as well as its profound economic problems, including a debt running at 130 per cent of GDP. But that's for the new year. For the moment, I congratulate her again on her impressive victory and wish her success in dealing with the challenges facing her and her country.