Daraine Luton, Staff Reporter

D.K. Duncan (left) talks with Peter Bunting at a People's National Party National Executive Council meeting last year. - FILE

TWO returnees to representational politics, Dr. D.K. Duncan and Peter Bunting, have been nominated for the job of general secretary of the People's National Party (PNP).

The election will be held at the party's National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Sunday. The winner will replace Donald Buchanan, who resigned on December 31 but has stayed on to run the party's secretariat in the absence of a new general secretary.

When nominations closed yesterday, only the two candidates had been nominated and, at press time, The Gleaner was unable to ascertain whether there were other nominees.

Room for other nominees

The close of nominations, though, does not exclude any other potential candidate, as the PNP's constitution allows for a person to be nominated from the floor.

Noticeably absent from yesterday's nomination list was Basil Waite, the party's national organiser who insiders said was eyeing the job.

Though Mr. Waite, Dr. Duncan's son-in-law, had not indicated an interest in the position, The Gleaner understands he may have opted not to offer himself because he was uncertain he could beat Mr. Bunting.

Meanwhile, Mr. Buchanan has dismissed suggestions that the elections could be a bruising encounter for the party, which the party-commissioned Meeks Report said needed healing.

Civil manner

Mr. Buchanan told The Gleaner the "People's National Party has always carried out its affairs in a very civil manner."

Mr. Bunting, a former investment banker, now Member of Parliament for Central Manchester, has just returned to representational politics, doing so on the eve of last September's general election.

He had quit after one term as Member of Parliament (MP) for South East Clarendon.

Since his return to politics, Mr. Bunting, 40, has dismissed suggestions that he is only playing a cameo knock, but insists that he intends to be "the number three or number four batsman in the PNP's order".

Dr. Duncan, meanwhile, has been away from representational politics longer. Like Mr. Bunting, he returned before the election and was also elected to Parliament. This was, however, after a magisterial recount which saw him beating the Jamaica Labour Party's Barrington Grey by 12 votes to win the Eastern Hanover seat.

daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com