THE Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) had to call on replacements Raymond Pryce and Lisa Hanna late yesterday, after Peter Bunting and Krystal Tomlinson’s withdrawal from its team to participate in tonight’s first of three National Political Debates in the lead-up to the September 3 General Election.

Bunting announced that he would not participate in the social issues debate in a late-evening release, in which he said he had decided to self-quarantine and not participate in any other campaign activities while he awaits the result of a COVID-19 test done yesterday. The test was conducted following possible contact with mayor of Mandeville and councillor for the Royal Flat Division in Manchester Central Donovan Mitchell, who has tested positive for the virus.

“The mayor has self-quarantined since nomination day and did not participate in the nomination day march or other public activities.

“He did, however, attend the signing of the nomination form at the EOJ (Electoral Office of Jamaica) centre. The mayor was advised today [Monday] of his positive test and the Ministry of Health has commenced the contact tracing process,” said the Bunting team in the release.

Efforts to contact Tomlinson were unsuccessful, but PNP General Secretary Julian Robinson confirmed that she had voluntarily withdrawn from the debate.

Jamaica Observer sources say Tomlinson came into contact with a person who had attended a party where at least one person is suspected of being positive for COVID-19.

The late changes by the PNP are not expected to devalue an anticipated blockbuster clash tonight during the debate on social issues organised by the Jamaica Debates Commission.

The governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is scheduled to be represented by Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamina Johnson Smith, and minister of state in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Agriculture Floyd Green.

However, the debates commission has made provisions for last-minute replacements, if any member of either team displays COVID-19 symptoms.

Eyebrows were raised when the JLP’s team was announced without its security experts Dr Horace Chang or Matthew Samuda, as crime issues are expected to figure prominently in the debate.

But Green told the Observer that the absence of someone with hands-on experience in dealing with national security is not a problem as the JLP is entering the debate with a very good team that can capably represent the position of the party on any social matter that is brought to the fore.

“What the party has done is to craft a broad-based team that is very aware of the fundamentals across most ministries. I have had the honour and opportunity of working across the ministries of education, youth, children and industry, commerce and agriculture.

“Kamina Johnson Smith has been in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and you know she is the leader of government business in the Senate, so a lot of the national security Bills she is very au fait with, and as such has a very good grasp of it. Then you have Dr Tufton, who has served in multiple capacities… and has done a really good job at the Ministry of Health,” said Green.

In the meantime, the PNP’s point man for the debates, Colin Campbell, told the Observer that the party’s team will lay out its programmes during tonight’s debate and will point out the shortfalls of the Andrew Holness-led Administration.

“They [the JLP] have failed in a number of areas; crime in particular. Education is in confusion, health is worse, and we will be coming to identify what the PNP will be coming with to change the situation,” said Campbell.

However, Green argued that the JLP’s team will outline the party’s solid track record and its achievements over the past four-and-a-half years.

“The commitments that the party made to the people in 2016, I think we have fulfilled and exceeded a number of those, and I think the team will bring that to the fore, to remind the Jamaican people that Jamaica is stronger under the Jamaica Labour Party,” Green told the Observer.

He said the debate team will also put forward some of the JLP’s ideas as to how it plans to move the country forward, “stronger together”.

Tonight’s debate will begin at 9:00 pm and will be live on most major national broadcast media.

The debates will continue on Thursday with a much-anticipated clash between the JLP’s Dr Nigel Clarke and the PNP’s Mark Golding, on economic issues, before closing on Saturday with JLP Leader Andrew Holness and PNP President Dr Peter Phillips squaring off.