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In a fiery rebuke aimed at defusing what he called a "dangerous descent," the People's National Party's (PNP) Peter Bunting has warned against what he sees as a creeping racial undercurrent in the campaign discourse.

Quoting civil rights icon Dr Martin Luther King Jr, Bunting declared that Jamaica must resist being dragged "into the gutter" by those seeking to weaponise race at the polls, urging voters instead to uphold the nation's tradition of judging character over colour.

"That saying by Martin Luther King - when he said he hopes his children will be judged by the content of their character rather than the colour of their skin, I would hope, and I believe, and I'm confident that the vast majority of the Jamaican people will not follow some of the Labourites into the gutter to try and make this an election about race," Bunting said.

The PNP bigwig was a guest at a Gleaner Editors' Forum held at the company's North Street offices in Kingston. Asked to comment on whether he believes the PNP President Mark Golding's British antecedence and race will be a major factor in the upcoming general election, Bunting said it is unfortunate that the issue has been raised in the political space.

Golding was born in Jamaica to Patricia and John Golding. While his parents were born in England, his mother is the daughter of a Jamaican doctor from Westmoreland. His father, Sir John Golding, was a prominent British-born orthopaedic surgeon who moved to Jamaica and made significant contributions to the country's medical field.

Golding attended Mona Prep and later Campion College before receiving his tertiary education in the UK.

Despite being a born Jamaican, Golding has been attacked because of his British heritage. The Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) Everald Warmington, Member of Parliament for St Catherine South West, said on a political campaign that he would rather die than be led by a white, British man.

Natalie Neita-Garvey, St Catherine North Central member of parliament and member of the party's campaign team, described the deploying of the race card as shameful.

"There's a real insult to Jamaicans when we go down this road," she said. "We are really insulting the intelligence of our people because they are very clear," she said, adding that Jamaica has elected mixed race leaders in the past.

COMMITTED AND COMPETENT LEADER

"We have been through Norman [Manley], we have been through Michael [Manley], we have been through [Alexander] Bustamante. The people are looking for a committed leader who has the competence and the will to transform their lives. And I think that is what we have in Mark Golding. We support him 100 per cent."

Bunting echoed that sentiment, dismissing suggestions that Golding may not be endearing himself to Jamaicans because of his race.

"I would invite you to come with us out into the field when Mark is out there and see if people are shying away from him because he is white," Bunting said.

He was firm in his view that "in 2025, we shouldn't be making these decisions on the basis of someone's race".

Golding's PNP is seeking to end the rein of the Dr Andrew Holness-led JLP, which has held state power since 2016.

"I certainly hope that this leadership comparison will be based on character, their integrity, their competence, their ideas, and their commitment to improving the lives of the average Jamaican," Bunting said.

Based on RJRGLEANER-commissioned Don Anderson poll conducted between January 30 and February 12 among 1,201 registered voters, aged 18 years and over from across all parishes, the leaders are exually matched. Sixty-one per cent of Jamaicans graded Golding's performance is very good, good, or average. On the contrary, 39 per cent have given him the thumbs down.

In the case of Holness, 60 per cent rated his performance in office as very good, good or average, while 40 per cent gave him a negative grade.