Garwin Davis, Gleaner Writer

Saying he wasn't the least bit perturbed by the recent Bill Johnson poll which showed the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) trailing the People's National Party (PNP) by seven percentage points, Opposition Leader Bruce Golding yesterday issued a challenge to the Government to announce an election date.

Speaking to reporters from the Beaches Grande Sport Resort in Ocho Rios, Golding said the JLP "could care less about what the Bill Johnson poll says."

"If the Government believes that it is seven points ahead then that puts it in a position where it can now go to the people," Mr. Golding said. "Forget the speculations and all the cat-and-mouse games; we are saying it is time for the people to decide."

According to Johnson's poll which was conducted islandwide, the PNP has pushed seven percentage points ahead of the JLP, which has suffered a decline in its fortunes, as the race to form the country's next government heats up.

Johnson and his team of researchers surveyed 1,008 Jamaicans between May 5 and 6, and found that if an election for Parliament had been held earlier this month, 34 per cent of the persons polled would have voted for the PNP, while 27 per cent would have given the JLP the nod. The margin of error for the sample is plus or minus three per cent.

Poll credibility questioned

But Golding took a swipe at Johnson's credibility in the wake of the landslide victory for the Opposition in St. Lucia's general election recently.

"With all due respect, this was the same pollster that predicted that Kenny Anthony would win in St. Lucia," Mr. Golding added. "Not only did Sir John Compton win, but he won handily.

"Bill Johnson has some explaining to do," Mr. Golding said. "He needs to explain how on one hand he has the JLP doing so well on a constituency by constituency basis, and on the other hand, we are now trailing nationally by seven points. That sounds like a major contradiction to me."

Asked if he wasn't worried about the much-bandied-about 'Portia factor' Golding said: "We must understand that this is not a brand-new PNP government but a party that has been in power for 18 years. To say that one person can simply show up in the constituencies and make things happen - regardless of how the people feel about the performance of the Government and where the country is going - is in my view an underes-timation of the intelligence of the Jamaican electorate."