With more support emerging for his challenger Peter Bunting, People’s National Party (PNP) president Dr Peter Phillips is to go on the offensive next week with the official launch of his “One PNP – Powerful Together” campaign on June 27, 2019.

Just over one week after Bunting formally announced his intention to challenge Phillips for the leadership of the PNP, the core of Phillips’s team, led by his campaign manager, Natalie Neita, was unveiled yesterday.

According to Neita, the dynamic team leading the campaign includes an excellent mix of youth and experience.

She said, “plans are well advanced to ensure that the PNP and Jamaica not only benefit from the skill, vision and integrity of a leader who all can trust, but also showcase the strategic renewal at all levels of the party to build its future generation of power.”

Neita said the campaign team includes Lisa Hanna, Damion Crawford, Donna Scott Mottley, Mikael Phillips, Norman Scott, Phillip Paulwell, KD Knight, and Wykeham McNeil.

“The team has several subcommittees, comprising Comrades who have placed their support firmly behind the president,” said Neita.

“Peter Phillips has not only been loyal to the PNP, he has given outstanding service to Jamaica, especially when the country needed a steady hand in repairing the crisis in the economy, following the last stint in Government by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) between 2009 and 2012,” added Neita.

She argued that it was the disciplined management, successful negotiating skills, experience and international credibility of Phillips, along with his standing in the league of multilateral agencies that made the difference in the recovery process.

“Despite major missteps by the current JLP administration, the foundation for the economic advances we are experiencing as a country were fully designed and implemented on solid grounds by our president, Peter Phillips.

“He has been a trusted performer of excellence in every portfolio he has held, and has operated with unquestioned integrity, which is best for the PNP and Jamaica at this time,” said Neita.

In a media release Neita said the ‘One PNP – Powerful Together’ campaign will unite the organisation around a set of core principles, anchored in trust, performance, and renewal.

“We are a party built on a foundation of social justice, love and integrity; we are about building the future generations of power, where everyone is valued and given the best opportunities to improve their quality of life.

“We are not about tearing each other down for any reason; therefore, we will run a clean and disciplined campaign to reflect the best of who we are as a party and what we will be as the future Government of Jamaica when elections are called,” said Neita.

Bunting, who has dubbed his campaign, ‘Rise United’, has indicated that he will officially launch what he expects to be a successful bid shortly, but no date has been announced.

According to Bunting, while Phillips has made an outstanding contribution to the party and the country in the various positions in which he has served over the past three decades, since becoming president he has not implemented a single transformational initiative within the party, and is just not seen as the right person for this time.

“There is also a growing acceptance/resignation in the general public and amongst various stakeholder groups, including party membership and supporters, civil society, and private sector leadership that the PNP, under Dr Peter Phillips’s leadership, cannot defeat the JLP in a general election. This will have negative consequences for voter support, organisational energy, and party/campaign funding,” argued Bunting.