MANDEVILLE, Manchester — People’s National Party (PNP) stalwart and veteran attorney KD Knight has repeated an appeal for unity within the Opposition ranks, saying it is the only way for the party to win the next parliamentary election.

“This election is ours to win, this election is ours to lose, so we now must choose which one we want. No party in Jamaica has ever won an election when that party is divided, so time come now for unity in the People’s National Party, cut the crap! Cut the nonsense! Cut the foolishness!” Knight told Comrades at the party’s Manchester Central constituency conference at Golf View Hotel on Sunday.

The event was held to endorse Donovan Mitchell as the party’s representative in the constituency for the next general election. He replaces former Member of Parliament Peter Bunting, who had lost the seat to the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Rhoda Crawford in the September 3, 2020 General Election. Crawford polled 8,139 votes to Bunting’s 6,989 votes.

Bunting’s defeat was one of the shock results of the election in which the PNP was mauled 14-49 by the JLP, a defeat that many Comrades and political analysts argued was the result of bitter infighting triggered by Bunting’s leadership challenge to then PNP President Dr Peter Phillips in 2019.

Bunting’s challenge was unsuccessful, but it had split the PNP and opened old wounds from which the party had been ailing since 2008.

On Sunday, Knight said for there to be unity the divisive mindset from previous internal election campaigns for leadership must end.

Making reference to the campaign slogans for both sides in the 2019 contest — Bunting’s Rise United and Dr Phillips’ One PNP — Knight said, “I want to tell you something, Rise United was a campaign slogan, the campaign done. One PNP was a campaign slogan, the campaign done,” he said, before commenting on one of slogans used in the race between Mark Golding and Lisa Hanna to replace Dr Phillips in 2020, “Bring back the love was a campaign slogan, the campaign done,” he said.

Knight, who had supported Hanna in that contest, told his audience, which comprised the hierarchy and stalwarts of the party, including Golding, that the focus should be on campaigning towards the next parliamentary election.

“Comrade Leader, I did not vote for you in the last, whatever [PNP leadership race]. I didn’t vote for you not because I thought you didn’t have the capacity to lead the party, I prefer Lisa [Hanna]. I am a girls’ man,” he said evoking laughter from the audience.

“But you see when you won, when they declared you as the victor, I was one of your biggest supporters, and I am running around the country now like leggo beast, because I want you to become the prime minister after the next election,” added Knight.

He combined campaign slogans as he reiterated the need for unity in the PNP.

“I want you to rise. I want you to Rise United as One PNP. Why? Because I want us to bring back the love,” said Knight.