‘I’M A FREE THINKER’
Duncan breaks political mould, says service to Jamaica comes before politics
Published:Friday | September 19, 2025 | 12:14 AMLivern Barrett/Senior Staff Reporter
Government Senator Keith Duncan has declared that he is a “free thinker” who is “not bound by any one political organisation”.
Further, Duncan said the policies of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) are aligned with his “dreams and aspirations for our Jamaican people”.
Some of those policies, he said, are inclusive growth, human capital development, and infrastructure development.
“It’s Jamaica first, party affiliation later. I am putting Jamaica first,” he told journalists outside the House of Representatives on Thursday after he was sworn in as one of 13 government senators.
“If I can make my contribution here, this is where I make my contribution. I am a free thinker. I’m an open thinker, [and] I am not bound by any one political institution. I have voted for every political party in my life,” he said.
The announcement of Duncan’s appointment raised eyebrows in some circles because the respected private-sector leader is from a family with strong ties to the People’s National Party (PNP) dating back decades.
His late father, Dr D.K. Duncan, served the PNP in several capacities dating back to the 1970s, including national organiser and general secretary and a Cabinet minister under a PNP-led administration. His sister, Patricia Duncan Sutherland, is president of the PNP’s Women Movement.
Keith Duncan revealed that he has been approached “many times” by the country’s two main political parties “for a higher level of service” and described it as a “long, hard” decision to accept the appointment to serve in the Upper House of the Jamaican legislature.
But in the end, he said the Government has shown that they are fiscally responsible and are willing to invest in the people, “so I want to be here to make my contribution” to help Jamaica achieve its potential.
“At this point in time, where Jamaica is close to 60 per debt-to-GDP ratio, where resources will be freed up and become increasingly available for investment in the people, I would like to be here to ensure that I can be a part of and contribute to ensuring that Jamaica increases productivity through investment in our human capital [and] our physical infrastructure,” he said.
Further, Duncan said he was not someone to sit on the sideline and “oppose, oppose”.
“I’ve never been one to be able to sit on the verandah. I’ve always actively contributed to national development in any shape or form,” he said.
Duncan said during his time in the Senate, he intends to bring a balanced voice to the national discourse.
“I want us to elevate the discourse. I am tired of the negativity and the toxicity of the politics. I want us to highlight the positives instead of the negatives in our society,” he said.