Portia
falls again - New poll shows further decline in
ratings
Jamaica Gleaner
Kingston
Petroleumworldtt.com
11 12 06
Prime
Minister Portia Simpson Miller has again suffered
a significant loss in her ratings, according to
the latest Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson opinion
polls.
At
the same time, Opposition Leader Bruce Golding is
registering improved ratings.
The
opinion polls, which were conducted on October 28
and 29, used 1,008 residents in 84 communities across
Jamaica's 14 parishes.
The
survey, with a margin of error of plus or minus
three per cent, showed that Mrs. Simpson Miller
has lost six percentage points in ratings compared
with the 60 per cent she scored in July. Meanwhile,
Bruce Golding's ratings have increased by four percentage
points, from 31 per cent in July to 35 per cent
in October.
Since
the last opinion polls in July, the People's National
Party (PNP) has been rocked by the Trafigura Beheer
scandal and several candidate selection rows
The
Prime Minister herself has also had to deal with
criticisms following the publication of sketches
made by her during a no-confidence motion brought
against the Government in Parliament.
Pollster
Bill Johnson believes the decline in ratings for
the Prime Minister represents to a greater extent
people's disappointment in her performance, as opposed
to her handling of several scandals that have plagued
the Government.
"Clearly,
people who were enthusiastic and very hopeful about
her are beginning to have second thoughts about
her over the last seven months ... I honestly think
that it isn't so much the collective weight of the
various controversies, as much as it's disappointment
that she is not living up to the expectations people
had for her," he said.
Bruce Golding - file
Mr.
Johnson believes the recent public relations strategy
aimed at softening the image of Bruce Golding has
contributed to his slight increase in approval ratings.
"The JLP started electronic ads featuring Mr.
Golding and his family members. They are trying
to soften him up and I think it has had an effect,"
said Mr. Johnson.
The
findings also showed a 10-percentage point increase
in the unfavourable ratings of the Prime Minister,
from 19 per cent in July to 29 per cent in October.
Mr.
Johnson said he was surprised at the huge gender
gap in support for the Prime Minister. The findings
show that 60 per cent of the women interviewed were
in favour of Mrs. Simpson Miller's leadership compared
with a 49 per cent rating by men.
The
pollster also reported yesterday that the PNP, which
has been in power since 1989, could lose the next
general elections if the current trends of declining
support for the party president continue.
"The
trend lines are not very positive for the PNP; it
has negative momentum in terms of both the popularity
of the Prime Minister and its vote and the JLP is
finally starting to gain positive momentum in terms
of the vote."
Mr.
Johnson also believes that the PNP has to convince
the nation that it is doing a job and that it has
sound plans for the country.
Jamaica
Gleaner
November 6, 2006
Copyright
©2006 Jamaica Gleaner. All Rights Reserved.
