Patterson, left, and SeagaTHE JAMAICAN public is not impressed with the performance of either the ruling People's National Party (PNP) or the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), and have given both of them the thumbs down in the latest Gleaner/Don Anderson poll.
A majority of respondents said the JLP was unfit to run the country because of its unsatisfactory performance since the 2002 General Election and more than 61 per cent said the PNP was also not doing a good job since 2002, although the administration has generally been praised for its recent handling of the Haiti affair. According to the poll, which was conducted between February 28 and March 20 this year, 52 per cent of those polled felt that the JLP "has not performed up to scratch", while more than half this number believe the party has performed poorly over the past 18 months.
This view was most widespread in St. James where the party won three of the four seats in the last general election. According to the poll, some 78 per cent of persons in St. James believe
the Opposition has performed poorly.
According to the poll only four per cent of respondents thought the JLP was doing a good job.
A possible reason factoring in how the Opposition is being viewed rests in the ongoing wrangle between party leader Edward Seaga and Chairman Bruce Golding over who should chair the party's influential Selection Committee.
On Monday, the JLP's Standing Committee voted to accept a recommendation of the party's Constitutional Committee to have Mr. Seaga head the Selection Committee.
Meanwhile, the poll noted that just under 18 per cent felt that the JLP's performance was good, making for an overall 22 per cent who took a positive view of the JLP's performance.
"The overall finding from this piece of data is that there is considerable dissatisfaction with both the Government and Opposition, factors that both parties will have to address if they hope to motivate voters to turn out in significant numbers when the next general elections are called," the poll report stated.
Meanwhile only four per cent of those polled feel the Government was doing a good job. In Kingston, more than 69 per cent gave the PNP a failing grade, and according to the poll, more than 55 per cent of persons in Portland were not impressed with the PNP, although another 40 per cent of persons in the same parish held positive views of the ruling party.
The poll also showed that 53 per cent of persons in Westmoreland believe the PNP is doing a good job, while only 32 per cent of the St. Thomas populace felt the PNP is doing a good job.
The poll noted there was considerable scepticism of the efforts the PNP was making to manage the country's affairs.
The poll, which has a sample error margin of plus or minus 3.1 per cent, was conducted with a national representative sample of 1,000 persons islandwide.
