Bunting’s Rise United looking for a blowout
Published:Tuesday | September 3, 2019 | 12:31 AM
With just days to go before the delegates elect a president for the People’s National Party, the Peter Bunting-led Rise United team on Sunday tallied its numbers, declaring that it had majority support.
A little under 3,000 delegates are eligible to vote in the election this Saturday, which will be presided over by the Electoral Office of Jamaica.
During a rally at the Caribbean Palm Community Centre in South West St Andrew on Sunday, Eastern Westmoreland Member of Parliament Luther Buchanan claimed that Bunting has already secured the support of 1,840 delegates.
If that number were to hold, it would be a massive blowout for the incumbent, Dr Peter Phillips, who assumed the PNP presidency following Portia Simpson Miller’s retirement in 2017.
But Buchanan wasn’t the only one spitting out numbers on the stage.
PNP firebrand and Rise United campaign manager Dr Dayton Campbell declared that 35 delegates from his North West St Ann constituency were “rising” with Bunting.
“I hear some people a run up and a say, ‘Bwoy, Campbell chat too much’. Well, I have 35 delegates inna my constituency, and mi a chat with 35 delegates back a mi, so mi can talk anyweh mi go,” said Campbell as he maintained that Phillips’ One PNP team had to be defeated in the interest of the wider party.
“When Regions One and Two are merged, wi almost have 300 delegates. When you come a Region Three, all di talk dem a talk up here so, the Rise United team will be winning Region Three come Saturday,” Campbell told Comrades as Phillips hosted his constituency conference in the neighbouring East Central St Andrew constituency.
Campbell said Bunting will be getting the support of another 300 delegates in Region Four, adding that Phillips would not secure even 50 votes in Region Five.
“And when we go Region Six, we going to show them how the west was won, because Region Six is rising with Comrade Bunting,” the campaign manager said.
He made it clear that the Rise United team was happy with the voters’ list published on the weekend.
“We never talk before because wi never want dem to change none a unnu, but the final list is out now and we are happy with the final list, and whether dem walk street or lane, dem a go get a beaten. Dem haffi get a beaten because we want to win,” Campbell declared.