PNP denies racial jabs at Seaga

A senior member of the People's National Party's (PNP) campaign committee, Peter Bunting, has fiercely rejected claims that past jabs at former Prime Minister Edward Seaga over his Lebanese heritage and American birth were racially motivated.

"I was an active politician when Mr Seaga was leader of the Jamaica Labour Party [JLP] and leader of the opposition. I never made any comment about his race, that was irrelevant to me," said Bunting.

"In fact, I was more upset about comments being made about 'black scandal bag' referring to [former prime minister] P.J. Patterson. I certainly never, and can't recall anyone in the leadership making an issue about Mr Seaga's race," he added.

The statement comes as the PNP pushes back on attacks on its president, Mark Golding, whose British ancestry and former dual citizenship had become a political lightning rod.

"Even though he is allowed to run, Mark Golding still gave up his British citizenship," said PNP General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell.

"He's 100 per cent committed to the task at hand."

For his part, Bunting contends that the issues surrounding Seaga, who was born in Boston, Massachusetts in the USA, were different.

Seaga renounced his American citizenship early in life and, at just 29, became the youngest person ever appointed to Jamaica's Legislative Council. Despite this, the PNP used the song, My Leader Born Yah, in its election campaigns as a jab at Seaga's foreign birth.

Meanwhile, Campbell is convinced that Golding's race does not matter to voters. For him, the numbers speak for themselves.

"Mark Golding polled the highest number of votes in a local government election in history," he said, referencing the February 2024 local general elections and two subsequent by-elections.

Campbell noted that JLP leader Dr Andrew Holness and Golding have led their parties into the three elections and Golding's candidate has come out the victor on those occasions.

For four-term Member of Parliament Natalie Neita-Garvey a popular Jamaican saying should be heeded when the numbers are considered.

"Nuh watch the noise, watch the sale," she said.