Peter Bunting, MP

Member of Parliament - South Manchester
Shadow Minister - Productivity, Efficiency & Competitiveness
Former Minister of National Security

[Peter Bunting, MP @PeterBuntingja]

Standing up for the interests of Manchester Southern residents, I sought clarity on the ongoing impact of bauxite mining on our communities.

I raised questions on the reclamation of mined-out lands, enforcement of compliance measures, the status of land titles for affected residents, and whether new bauxite reserves being considered include areas within Southern Manchester.

[Peter Bunting, MP @PeterBuntingja]

In Parliament, I called for clarity on the implementation of the proposed tax on Jamaica’s short-term rental sector.

Thousands of investors have committed significant capital to this industry and, with only months remaining before implementation, they deserve certainty, not continued uncertainty.

[PNP Jamaica @JamaicaPNP]

“Less Announcements. More Execution.” Christopher Brown Rips Gov’t Digital Record In Sectoral Debut

Christopher Brown MP made his Sectoral debut today and he came with receipts 📁

“Grand announcement, grand attention… then timeline stretch, costs raise, confusion sets in, and eventually a new name, new acronym, new speech. And then it starts again. That’s a fact.”

His audit of gov’t digital delivery:

Jam-Dex: “Complete legal tender framework, but no operational plumbing, no merchant adoption plan. Right now, no published roadmap.”

JDXP: Right tool, but “where is the mandate requiring every ministry to use it by a specific date?”

Data Protection Act: Passed 2020, enforced 2023. “3-year gap + regulations still being written after enforcement began. Scrappy execution.” Act also overdue for its 5-year review.

Cybersecurity: “Government says 2027. We need it now.” Updated national strategy was due Dec 31, 2025 to OAS.

“That deadline has passed. We need it now.”

What Jamaica needs NOW, according to Brown:

Cybersecurity Act + updated strategy NOW, not 2027/2025

Enacted AI policy with funded re-skilling for workers displaced by automation

ONE national digital skills plan, not 10 separate programs

University commercialization framework so UWI/UTech research creates Jamaican jobs New R&D investment target.

“Fund it. Report it. Let WIPO find Jamaica’s number.”

“Less announcements. Less global workshops. More execution. More legislation. More funding and more delivery.”

Are you tired of the “announce and restart” cycle too?

Comment below ⬇️

#SectoralDebate #DigitalJamaica #Tech #CyberSecurity #AI

[PNP Jamaica @JamaicaPNP]

STABILITY WAS THE FOUNDATION. TRANSFORMATION MUST BE THE MISSION.
Peter Bunting, MP on Jamaica's Path to Prosperity

Jamaica has the talent. Jamaica has the ambition. Jamaica has the entrepreneurial spirit.

Peter Bunting, MP says the challenge is not our people—it is the systems that hold them back.

His message:

• Jamaican workers are not the problem
• Jamaican entrepreneurs are not the problem
• Jamaican students are not the problem
• Outdated systems are limiting opportunity and growth
• Productivity must become the pathway to prosperity
• The next decade must be about transformation, not just stability

As Peter Bunting reminded Parliament:

"The story of the last 14 years was stability. The story of the next decade must be transformation."

Jamaicans deserve systems that help them realize their full potential.

#SectoralDebate2026 #BuildWithPurposeBuildWithPeople

[PNP Jamaica @JamaicaPNP]

BUREAUCRACY IS A TAX JAMAICANS PAY EVERY DAY.

Peter Bunting, MP on Productivity, Governance & Public Trust

Not every tax appears on an invoice.

Peter Bunting, MP argues that one of the biggest costs facing Jamaican entrepreneurs is bureaucracy paid through delays, uncertainty, red tape, and missed opportunities.

His concern:

• Excessive bureaucracy slows business growth
• Delays and duplicated processes increase costs
• Weak institutions reduce investor confidence
• Unpredictable decision making undermines trust
• Poor governance hurts productivity and competitiveness

His message:

• Productivity is not only an economic issue, it is a governance issue
• Strong institutions create stronger economies
• Investors need predictable rules and fair oversight
• Public trust is essential for growth and investment

As Peter Bunting reminded Parliament:

"The most productive economies in the world are characterized by strong institutions, predictable rules, and high levels of public trust."

To move from stability to prosperity, Jamaica must build institutions that work for its people, not against them.

#SectoralDebate2026 #GovernanceMatters #BuildWithPurposeBuildWithPeople

[PNP Jamaica @JamaicaPNP]

If inefficient processes are simply transferred from paper to computer screens, what emerges is not efficiency but digital bureaucracy. Productivity gains arise when processes are fundamentally redesigned, responsibilities are clarified and duplication is eliminated.

#FromStabilityToProsperity #SectoralDebate2026 #BuildWithPurposeBuildWithPeople

[PNP Jamaica @JamaicaPNP]

Approximatelv 30.000 students sit CSEC examinations annually, yet onlv about 6.000 achieve the minimum qualifications generally required for tertiary education. Four out of every five students leave secondary school without the credentials needed to fully participate in a modern knowledge economy.

#FromStabilityToProsperity #SectoralDebate2026 #BuildWithPurposeBuildWithPeople

[PNP Jamaica @JamaicaPNP]

In an unprecedented move, the sitting Prime Minister took his own state oversight bodv to the Supreme Court. filing over 20 applications seeking to nullify the Integrity Commission's investigative report. Strong institutions do not behave this way.

#FromStabilityToProsperity #SectoralDebate2026 #BuildWithPurposeBuildWithPeople

[Peter Bunting, MP @PeterBuntingja]

That is the challenge before us. That is the opportunity before us. And that is the productivity, efficiency and competitiveness agenda that Jamaica deserves.
-end-

[Peter Bunting, MP @PeterBuntingja]

The major economic achievement of the last decade was stabilisation. The great economic challenge of the next decade is transformation. We have reduced debt, but we have not raised productivity. We have balanced budgets, but we have not strengthened institutions. We have improved macroeconomic indicators, but we have not yet created an economy capable of consistently generating rising wages and expanding opportunities.

[Peter Bunting, MP @PeterBuntingja]

Jamaica possesses extraordinary advantages: talented people, entrepreneurial energy, a strategic location, a globally recognised culture and a diaspora that remains deeply connected to the country's future. What has been missing is the sustained commitment to building the institutions that convert potential into productivity, productivity into competitiveness and competitiveness into prosperity.

[Peter Bunting, MP @PeterBuntingja]

Jamaica possesses abundant renewable resources, yet implementation has lagged behind ambition. Reducing energy costs is one of the most direct ways to improve competitiveness across the entire economy.

[Peter Bunting, MP @PeterBuntingja]

Energy remains one of the most significant constraints on Jamaica's competitiveness. Industrial electricity prices remain among the highest in the region. For many businesses, electricity constitutes one of the largest operating expenses. When Jamaican manufacturers pay substantially more for energy than competitors in Panama, Costa Rica or the Dominican Republic, they begin every competitive contest at a disadvantage.

[Peter Bunting, MP @PeterBuntingja]

The renewable energy transition should therefore be viewed not only as an environmental objective but as a competitiveness strategy. Countries that secure reliable low-cost renewable energy will enjoy enduring advantages in manufacturing, logistics, agriculture and services.

[Peter Bunting, MP @PeterBuntingja]

Strong institutions reduce transaction costs because they reduce uncertainty. Weak institutions increase transaction costs because individuals and businesses must devote additional resources to navigating risk and unpredictability. Productivity therefore depends not only on economic policy but also on governance quality.

[Peter Bunting, MP @PeterBuntingja]

Net Foreign Direct Investment inflows as a percent of GDP have hovered around 1.5% of GDP since 2020. As recently as 2015 and 2016, net FDI exceeded 6% of GDP. This is not surprising.
Investors value certainty. Entrepreneurs value predictability. Businesses make long-term commitments when they believe that rules will be applied consistently and institutions will operate independently.

[Peter Bunting, MP @PeterBuntingja]

5. Ministers sitting on Parliamentary Oversight Committees to examine Auditor General’s reports for periods covering their own stewardship of these MDAs.

6. Government members on the PAC and PAAC appear to do everything to obstruct the work of the Committees.

[Peter Bunting, MP @PeterBuntingja]

Productivity is not solely an economic issue. It is also a governance issue. The most productive economies in the world are characterised by strong institutions, predictable rules, and high levels of public trust. Investors do not simply evaluate tax rates or labour costs. They assess whether contracts are enforceable, regulations are predictable and institutions operate fairly.

[Peter Bunting, MP @PeterBuntingja]

3. Parliament’s Presiding Officers’ refusal, for over three months, to table the Integrity Commission’s Investigative Report concerning allegations of impropriety at the Firearm Licensing Authority.

4. The PM, in an unprecedented move for a sitting prime minister, he took his own took his own state oversight body to the Supreme Court. He filed over 20 applications seeking to nullify the IC’s investigative report and challenge the constitutionality of core provisions within the Integrity Commission Act.