Bunting suggests JLP's prosperity promise was a trick

Opposition spokesman on national security Peter Bunting says the ruling Jamaica Labour Party's promise of prosperity for Jamaicans was recently revealed as "just the name of a donkey" and that those who believed must be "feeling like a jackass today".

While he did not make specific reference to it, the comment appears to be referring to Prime Minister Andrew Holness' fulfilment of a promise to a St Elizabeth farmer who asked for one of the beasts of burden to assist with transporting goods. 

The farmer named the animal “Prosperity”.

Bunting, who was speaking at the PNP's 85th annual conference at the National Arena in St Andrew, said the promise of security by the JLP was "especially tantalising" and pointed to the pledge in 2016 for Jamaicans to be able to sleep with their doors open.

"The JLP likes to gaslight, to deceive the public through repeating false narratives, until you doubt your perception. But today we will stand firm in the truth," he said. 

He claimed the crime rate over the last decade shows the Government failing to address crime as promised. 

"Take the number of murders recorded each year from 2012 to 2015 and divide by 4 to get an average of 1,129 murders per year… too high, but we were tackling the issue from multiple directions, and achieved the lowest average for any four years in the last two decades," he said. 

He served as security minister during the PNP's last term in office from December 2011 to March 2016.

"Now, calculate the average for the almost eight years the JLP has been in office, 2016 to 2023, and you get an average of 1,412. So, on average, 283 more Jamaicans have been murdered each year under this JLP administration than during the previous PNP administration."

Bunting said the PNP is not happy to point out the comparisons but "we cannot talk about good governance, about accountability, yet hide Andrew Holness' abject failure at fighting violent crime". 

Corruption has also been a major talking point for the senior PNP officials who took the conference stage. 

Vice president and opposition spokesman on justice Senator Donna Scott-Mottley declared that the country was being led by a government "who lack integrity". 

"We cannot take that lightly," she said, after comments covering the disclosure from the Integrity Commission that six members of Parliament are being investigated for illicit enrichment. 

Scott-Mottley argued further that the Holness administration does not value education and does not believe people should have ambition. 

For her part, Senator Gabriela Morris, the spokesperson on youth accused the Government of failing young people.

"This is a fight for our nation and we can't allow them to rob us blindly anymore. Time come," said Morris, who is also the president of the PNP Youth Organisation.

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