Bunting more bankable than Phillips

THE EDITOR, Sir:

SINCE THE announcement of his challenge to Peter Phillips, many questions have been swirling around about Bunting’s track record.

On the surface, Dr Peter Phillips’ very good track record would predominantly be drawn from his public service, while Bunting’s would mainly be drawn from his success in business, despite having a plethora of political achievements. It is therefore unfair to use the measuring stick of public service to judge both candidates when one has spent a generation in politics while the other has spent much less time.

Let us not downplay the important lessons that Peter Bunting brings to the table from his experience in running successful private enterprises. In fact, Peter Bunting would be held to higher levels of scrutiny and accountability throughout his tenure in the private sector.

To put forward a narrative that Peter Bunting does not have an enviable track record in politics is also a fallacy. Lest we forget, it is Peter Bunting who engineered a stinging defeat of former Prime Minister Hugh Shearer in a traditional Jamaica Labour Party seat.

It is Peter Bunting who turned away a safe seat to re-enter the political arena in Central Manchester, where the PNP was thirteen per cent down with little time between his introduction to the seat and the impending general election. It is Peter Bunting who orchestrated the 2011 landslide election victory with his superior organisational skills.

Bunting understands the need to fuse modern technologies into political machinery, something that has been moving at snail’s pace under the current leadership. One need not look further than his launch, which attracted thousands of young people, to realise that he understands the dynamics of politics in 2019.

Peter Bunting understands the need for the overhaul of the PNP’s communication machinery, which has been significantly subpar when compared to that of the current governing party.

After patiently waiting over two years for Dr Phillips’ wow moment, I am now convinced that Peter Bunting is the man to pilot the transition from analogue to digital and thrust the political movement forward.