I must admit that I had great admiration for Peter Bunting. In the public sphere, there are basically two distinct presentations of his persona, one as a savvy business person and the other a politician who has held a ministerial post in Government. The two cannot necessarily be divorced from each other, but they define the person in very important ways, especially if the person is contending for political leadership in the country.

His business bona fides have been well established, both as an investment banker and through his work as a major shareholder in the Proven Group, which is doing important developmental work in Jamaica and the Caribbean. As a politician, he comes with a mixed bag. One cannot help but be awed by his initial foray into politics when, as a young Turk, he took on the illustrious and formidable former Prime Minister Hugh Shearer and beat him in the general election of 1993, thus becoming the Member of Parliament (MP) for Clarendon South Eastern.

It was an epochal victory, especially since the constituency was a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) stronghold. But Bunting and his crew, with the help of digital media, ran a brilliant campaign. Since then, he has continued to serve the public, becoming MP for Manchester Central until he was defeated by the redoubtable Rhoda Moy Crawford. He has since been in the Senate and is presently running as the People’s National Party (PNP) candidate in Manchester Southern .

Bunting is no neophyte, and has served as the minister of national security in the Portia Simpson Miller Administration. One would expect that having served the country at that level and presently as a senator would lead to a certain level of temperance and caution in the public statements that one makes. I have been listening to his public utterances in recent years and have been very disappointed by some of the things he has been saying. Every politician says things to score political points, but there are just some politicians who rub you the wrong way because you expected a greater sense of intelligence and mental acuity from such individuals.

Some political gaffes are forgiveable or well baked in when they are uttered by certain politicians. You know them and you do not expect anything better. You are surprised if their utterances are otherwise. US President Donald Trump is a case in point.

If Bunting is not careful, he runs the risk of becoming a mere run of the mill politician of whom nothing lofty can be expected. To say, for example, that the Government does not deserve any credit for the commendable reduction of murders in the country cannot be accepted as correct by any well-thinking Jamaican. For such a Jamaican knows of the support, both in policy and resources, that the present Government has given to the security forces. Without such support their efforts at containing crime would have been of no effect. Without the billions invested by the Government in putting new boots on the ground, improving the living quarters of the men and women in the force, enhancing the mobility of the force by adding new vehicles to the fleet and by investing in the surveillance capacity of the force, there is no way that we could see the improvement we are seeing. Yet Bunting avers the Government deserves no credit for this. Even when the truth is staring him in the face, he cannot acknowledge it, undoubtedly for partisan reasons. This, in my opinion, shows an intellectual deficiency on the part of one from whom better is expected.

This is even more glaring in his criticism of the roll-out of the rural bus service for children. He has doubled down on his description of the project as one that is intended to “kill off” poor people’s children. He offered no well-thought-out analysis of the project, preferring instead to indulge in histrionics as he pandered to his political base. What made his comments more harrowing was the absence of any appreciation for the horrific experiences of our children, especially our girls, when they have to contend with the depredations of the public transport system in getting to and from school. His party’s preferred solution was even more daunting.

If the buses to be used to kill off poor people’s children are old, dilapidated, and dangerous, what does he make of the rickety public transport system that prevails and which our children have to navigate. His party has proposed making taxis central to its solution to the problem, but the question is: How many of those taxis are new and will they be solely dedicated to carrying our children to school? I think not. But did Bunting devote his “brilliance” to these questions?

As I predicted in my last piece, this initiative will prove to be popular, especially with parents who are already lending their support to it. There are other ways in which the Opposition could have approached this initiative and put some runs on the political scorecard. For example, they could have acknowledged its veracity and offer more relevant criticisms as to how its roll-out could be improved. Instead, they opted for the gutter. With the exception of departing MP Morais Guy, none of the PNP hierarchy attended any of the functions celebrating the roll-out. Of course, they could not be seen endorsing a programme in the middle of a general election which may prove to be very popular with the people. So much for magnanimity!

The PNP is clearly on the wrong side of the track on this one. Those, like Bunting, who can still maintain a modicum of respectability in their public statements, must strive to do so. Jamaicans are not fools. They look for statesmen and women who, while disagreeing with their opponents, can rise above the swamp and not belittle their intelligence for political gain. Judging from his recent public statements, Bunting is on a slippery slope. He would be well advised to take stock and return to the cerebral, engaging politician who retired the inimitable Hugh Shearer. Over to you, my brother.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; Your Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. He hosts a podcast — Mango Tree Dialogues — on his YouTube channel. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.

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Raulston Nembhard