PORUS, Manchester — Former Manchester Central Member of Parliament Peter Bunting has confirmed his bid to contest the neighbouring constituency of Manchester Southern for the People’s National Party (PNP) at the next parliamentary election.

Bunting, who said he was reluctant to go back into representational politics, said he was convinced by the people of Manchester Southern, who he said deserve a better MP than the one they have now.

“After I was convinced of that and I said, “alright, they gave me the time, I dealt with my personal business. Time come now to hit the road in south Manchester,’” he told PNP supporters in Trinity, Porus, on Sunday.

Bunting lost to the ruling JLP’s Rhoda Crawford in the September 3, 2020 General Election. Crawford polled 8,139 votes over Bunting’s 6,989 votes.

Bunting had won three consecutive times in Manchester Central from 2007, along with another triumph in Clarendon South Eastern, his first, over former Prime Minister Hugh Lawson Shearer in the 1993 General Election.

In his announcement, which was posted on the PNP’s Manchester Southern
Facebook page, Bunting reiterated that he didn’t intend to return to representational politics.

“Comrades, I had not planned to run in representational politics any more. Almost 18 months ago I told Manchester that I would continue to support the PNP, I would continue as leader of Opposition business in the Senate, but that I was not going to go back as an MP because I had a number of personal things dealing with,” he said.

“When a couple months ago the leadership from south Manchester and Comrades from Alligator Pond [complained about the sitting MP Robert Chin],” Bunting said he decided to take on the challenge. “They say for almost three and a half years now they cannot point to anything significant that has been done in any of the communities,” said Bunting in reference to the Jamaica Labour Party’s Robert Chin.

Chin created a political upset when he unseated Michael Stewart of the PNP by 890 votes in the September 3 General Election. Chin polled 6,826 votes to Stewart’s 5,936.

Back in 2016, Stewart won the seat comfortably by 1,176 votes — polling 8,398 to the JLP’s Hidran McKulsky’s 7,222 votes.

Chin was parachuted into the constituency as a late replacement for former JLP standard-bearer Junior Robinson, who bowed out suddenly one week before nomination day.

Prior to the September 2020 General Election, the last time the JLP won Manchester Southern in a contested poll was in 1980. The seat was retained in the snap parliamentary election of 1983 that was not contested by the PNP.

Bunting shored up support during the meeting in Trinity for councillor aspirant Peter-Gaye Campbell.

“One thing I am sure of, if you give her the opportunity she is going to make you proud. She is going to represent to the best of her ability,” he said.