Premier Paula Cox defended her Cabinet yesterday at a press conference to announce Dawn Simmons, Progressive Labour Party executive officer, as the party’s candidate for Paget East.“The PLP Government has certainly made it very clear as to the importance of standards and of standard bearers,” the Premier said.“That’s why you would have seen with regards to recent legislation, open terms of good governance as well as the new procurement regulations that we consider it important that we all behave with unimpeachable intent. And I don’t think you have seen anything to date which indicates that any of the Ministers have done anything unlawful.“But we are not prepared to let it stand there. What we have done is to take it to another frontier and raise the bar and to say that we are seeking to turn the page by improving our raft of legislation, both in terms of regulations, adherence to financial instructions and in terms of good codes of practice.”Premier Paula Cox had introduced Mrs Simmons as one who had “worked and toiled in the vineyard for the PLP” and is active in the community.Acknowledging that the district has historically been a stronghold for the United Bermuda Party, Mrs Simmons said she was asking the voters to “consider taking another road”.Mrs Simmons will be challenging Grant Gibbons, who earned 723 votes compared with 212 scored by Davida Morris of the Progressive Labour Party at the 2007 General Election.Dr Gibbons was unveiled as the One Bermuda Alliance’s candidate last week.At question time Mrs Simmons offered that as a candidate of the ruling party she had access to the PLP Government when asked why the district should send her to the House.And as to the reasons why the PLP should be returned to power she said the party had “done quite a lot for the residents of Bermuda”.“The tough times we are going through are being felt around the world. We care. That is one of the things I find to be the most telling about the PLP.”She cited gains in public education and work on seniors issues as examples.“Sometimes we hide our light under a bushel.”The Premier’s defence of her administration came when she was asked whether her mission was made more difficult by the controversy surrounding some of the party’s senior members.Mrs Simmons said that was best answered by the Premier.“Sometimes we travel along the road and hit a speed bump. Does it mean that we never travel that road again?”Premier Cox then indicated that the line of questioning was inappropriate.“What we are here to do is to usher in another premium candidate. And what I am proud of also is I’d like to have many more female candidates,” she said.“Sometimes, particularly with female candidates, they believe that politics is always just about the ‘gotcha;’ mentality and often they don’t want to stand in the fray because they don’t want to deal with the criticism and the critiques. And that is why I am particularly proud of Ms Simmons because she is prepared to stay the course, to stand up and be counted.”